Ravi Dubey walks into Mobius, the European restaurant at Hotel Samrat in New Delhi, a bit behind the prearranged time. Understandable considering META (Mahindra Excellence for Theatre Awards) is scrutinising “day and night” the worth of as many as 265 plays, highest entrees received ever in its seven-year-old history, to come up with a shortlist for this year's awards. And Dubey, as META's Creative Director, has his hands full though he adds, “As an organiser, I have to be around when the DVDs of the plays are being watched but I have no role in the process; we have a jury whose job is to cull out 10 best productions out of the lot.” The chosen ones will then be staged in New Delhi's Sri Ram Centre and Kamani Auditorium from March 1 to 6 “in front of a grand jury and public.” Following this will be the awards night on March 7 at the Taj Mahal Hotel here to honour winners across 13 categories besides giving away lifetime achievement award to a theatre veteran. “Kabir Bedi will be the host of the evening,” adds Dubey.
With the lunch time long gone, Dubey settles for a glass of cola. “I prefer it over tea and coffee any day,” he says. The waiter helpfully brings to the table a basket of freshly baked assorted breads with a bowl of a dip. Wetting a piece of bread in the creamy dip, Dubey checks out the restaurant, saying, “In the F and B sector, I am known as the former general manager of the Taj Mahal Hotel here. I worked with the Taj Group of hotels all my life.” And on the theatre circuit, he adds with a chuckle, “as the husband of Lillete Dubey though I have been acting since the age of 7.” Even after so many years, he remembers his maiden entry on the stage vividly. “I acted with a young Madhur Jaffery, she played the role of a fairy, it was a children's play, the year was 1962.”
And then, with a lot of excitement, Mumbai-based Dubey talks about his maiden stint in Bollywood. “Have you seen Silsila ? I played the role of a sardarji there. I was the one who told Amitabh Bachchan in the film to return to his wife.” A sip from the cola and he goes on to weave into the conversation an anecdote during the shooting of the film. “I had to wear an overcoat in the shot and I forgot mine at home. Yash Chopra was thinking what to do and suddenly we see Bachchan going out of the sets. He went to his room and returned with a long coat he had. So I wore Bachchan's coat in that shot.”
A serious theatre buff, Dubey mentions touring Europe and America with his play “Samy”. “We have done over 250 shows till now.” He flips back to 1973 to talk about “crossing a river in Himachal Pradesh with Barry John” carrying on head the props of a play they were to perform there as students of St. Stephen's College, Delhi. “I was the first to start supper theatre. I started it in the Taj Mahal Hotel here. I am glad the concept has taken off well.”
Talking about his hotel days, he mentions “tasting from 30 bowls of tom yum soup made by different Taj chefs to zero in on the right one to be featured on the menu card.”
“I have done a lot of food tasting sessions like this. It has been a part of my blood stream. But I never complained because I like food,” he says. Given a choice, he would woo his family any day with a mutton curry that he makes marinating it overnight with vinegar and curd. “ It comes out super,” he says.
Getting back to talking META, Dubey points out why these awards are important. “Nowhere across the world will you find a national award for theatre but in India. I thank Anand Mahindra for making it happen.” Before he signs off, he adds, “Seventy per cent of the entrees we have received this year represent regional theatre. They are in a wide spectrum of languages like Tamil, Urdu, Assamese, Malayalam and even non-verbal plays. One group from a tribal area, if it gets shortlisted, will come to Delhi, first by boarding a bus to take a train and then will take a flight to reach here. Isn't it great?”
