In her new production, Lushin Dubey has…. 'Men' On A String
LUSHIN
Dubey is happy that she doesn't need to tolerate any tantrums from actors.
Neither does she need to wait for them for rehearsals. But before you
can start wondering at the stroke of fortune, she takes out the puppets
from her bag. "My next production based on Dario Fo's Medea and Nyaari
Nyaari Maryaada by Vijay Dan Detha has just me and the puppets," the actress
says. Directed by Arvind Gaur of Asmita and produced by Theatre World
that Dubey formed with cousin Bubbles Sabharwal more than a year ago,
the untitled play has Dubey and her puppets play eight characters.
We were taking our play, The Life of Gautam Buddha to different parts
of the world. I came back shaken but with a Buddhistic mindset that whatever
happened was destined, " Dubey says, adding: "Then, I saw a programme
on TV on women being ill-treated by the Taliban. I decided that I have
to explore a part of this injustice only this time the woman will strike
back." Well, that's the theme of the play - a spoof on men, that 'll mark
Dubey's entry into the world of Hindi theatre. As for the puppets, they
are without any distinguishing features - a theatrical device denoting
how the 'men' that Dubey hits back at are non-entities.
Ask Dubey about her experience and she says: "It was scary as the play
was in Hindi. Secondly, it's solo as all the characters are being assumed
by me." The actress, who has also just finished with a film The Project
Husband to be released soon, adds: "There's a lot of movement in the play
which doesn't have an elaborate but a dynamic set. It has bamboo picture
frames which gives the impression of a story unfolding through paintings."
Dubey is currently penning another play-script on life as an Indian teacher
in a foreign country.
As for Kids World, Dubey and Sabharwal's first theatrical venture, Sabharwal
says, "It will always remain our first priority and, in fact, we will
be re-doing our last production with kids Wizwits soon."
The cousins had got into 'adult' theatre only last year with two one-act
plays Women in Black and Runaways, posters for which were incidentally
done by photographer Natasha Singh.
(The play will be staged at Abhimanch, NSD on March 30 and on April 12,
13, 14 at the IHC)