To Sir, with love

Makarand Deshpande’s Sir Sir Sarla, staged for close to 20 years, comes to Bengaluru for the first time

Although he has essayed only a handful of roles, Makarand Deshpande has created a niche for himself in Bollywood. But the actor is a man of many talents. In theatre, too, he has distinguished himself as a playwright and director. Among his works, Sir Sir Sarla has been staged for close to two decades in multiple cities and venues, and has received appreciation by the likes of Vijay Tendulkar, Ram Gopal Varma, and Vidhu Vinod Chopra.

The play will be staged in Bengaluru as part of Maruti Suzuki Zee Theatre, driven by Ertiga. “This is the first time I will be performing any play in Bangalore,” says Makarand over the phone. “I have been planning to come here for a long time. It just didn’t happen. But this time it did, and I said, haan shuru kar dete hain (let me start now).”

Love and literature

The story revolves around a professor and his students, Sarla, Phanidhar, and Keshav. “When you graduate and go out into the world, you have to unlearn some things. Do you hold your professor responsible when you take wrong decisions, then?”

“The difference is that professors can face reality but students can’t. That’s when they come back to their professors. Literature forms a backdrop and the play is also about love.”

Sir Sir Sarla is a trilogy, and all three parts were staged in Mumbai once. “I wrote the first part in 2001, the second in 2004, and the third in 2006.”

Makarand says the play is timeless. “I wrote it for every kind of audience. The script is the star.” Anurag Kashyap, who played Phanidhar, and Sonali Kulkarni were the first to act in

Sir Sir Sarla. In the current version, Aahana Kumra, Sanjay Dadich, and Faisal Rashid will be performing.

“The actors are very good,” Makarand asserts. “I have added one character from part one to part two of the play, so all three students will be seen.”

Makarand recalls the critical acclaim he received for the play.

But it was the response of a member of the audience that inspired Makarand to continue staging Sir Sir Sarla .

“She is a doctor. She told me she had watched the play as a student and it answered all the questions she had about life. So she told me that my play could help someone else answer their unresolved questions.”

Sir Sir Sarla will be staged on October 14, 7 pm, at Chowdiah Memorial Hall, Malleswaram.

Ticket prices start at ₹150 and are available on www.bookmyshow.com .