Shekhar Suman and Deepti Naval talk about Ek Mulaaqat, their play that will complete 75 shows tomorrow
Deepali Singh (DNA; March 16, 2018)

Watching Deepti Naval transform into Amrita Pritam and recite her Punjabi poetry on stage, one would find it difficult to believe that Ek Mulaqaat is the actress’ first theatre outing. As for Shekhar Suman, the actor, in his own words, was born to play Sahir Ludhianvi — the Urdu poet and lyricist. The play, which is based on their love story and directed by Saif Hyder Hasan, has received a positive response from audiences across the world and will be staged for the 75th time tomorrow, in Mumbai.

Connecting with audiences worldwide
Shekhar tells After Hrs that the first time he heard the script, two thoughts ran through his mind. Apprehension, because he wasn’t sure if the audience would connect to this drama and, absolute joy because he felt that it was destiny that made this role come his way. He says, “I didn’t know if there is still a discerning audience that will connect with the nazms and poetry of Sahir and Amrita. A lot of the play is in Urdu and Punjabi, so that was a concern as well. But all my apprehensions were put to rest in the first show itself, when people came up to us and said that they had been waiting for a production like this,” he recalls. After doing 74 shows that have gone houseful not only in different cities in India, but also in places like Singapore and London, Shekhar says he has realised something. “Poetry, music, literature — anything that is beautiful has no language. People relate to the essence of it,” he opines.

While Shekhar might have had his doubts, Deepti, who is one of the finest actresses on screen, had her own misgivings which had nothing to do with the play itself. “Ek saath itni lines kabhi yaad nahin ki thi. I was so sure I was going to forget my lines; I was panic-stricken!” she laughs. She thought the story was “wonderful” when she read it for the first time, and knew it would go down well with the audience as well. “But the fact that it received so much love from them, came as a pleasant surprise,” she adds.

Becoming Sahir and Amrita
For Shekhar, portraying Sahir came easily. Not just because he is quintessentially a theatre actor, but also because he was obsessed with the artiste’s nazms. “Even at an age when I didn’t understand his poetry, I would recite it because I liked the sound of it,” he recalls. The role went to many actors before landing in his lap. He says, “At the cost of sounding dramatic, I am Sahir.”

"I was pre-destined to play him. I knew so much about him that I had to learn very little once I said yes to it,” says the actor, who even visited Government College, Ludhiana, where Sahir had studied. “I went to the auditorium, now known as Sahir Auditorium, and touched the ground where he once stood and rendered his nazms,” the actor tells us.

For Deepti, too, playing Amrita carried its own significance. Not only because she is a huge fan of the poetess and writer’s works, but also because she knew Amrita on a personal level and had met her several times, when the latter was alive. “I would visit her at her residence in Delhi whenever I would get the opportunity to go there and we would talk about life and poetry. I also have very fond memories of Imroz saab (Amrita’s husband). Though this play is not about him, theirs is a crucial love story, too. Of course, Sahir-Amrita is unrequited love. Somehow, jo cheez nahin milti, uski ahmiyat badh jaati hai,” she says with a smile.

The show will go on
What also worked in the play’s favour was the fact that the two actors have mutual admiration and respect. “Shekhar is such a man of words and diction and lehja. So, it has been a pleasure to work with him. Of course, I’m also known for my work and diction, so I can say it’s a play of equals,” she smiles.

Shekhar, on his part, remembers how he had to “coax and mollycoddle” the stage-newcomer since she was “mortally afraid of being on stage”. He recalls, “She just kept wanting to wriggle out of it and I kept insisting that she will enjoy it because theatre is the only medium where actors get instant gratification. So, I told her not to be scared and try it out and she’s so happy that she did it. And now, her first question after every show is, when are we doing the next play?”

The play will be staged tomorrow at 7.30 pm at Ravindra Natya Mandir, Prabhadevi.