Arif Zakaria is thrilled to be playing the role of the Mahatma in a new play, says he thought he would ‘die without playing Gandhi’
Kavita Awaasthi (HINDUSTAN TIMES; January 9, 2020)

Ever since Arif Zakaria became an actor, he had a wish to play Mahatma Gandhi and he is over the moon that his wish has been fulfilled in the new play by director Saif Hyder Hasan. “The play is called Dearest Bapu, Love Kasturba and it explores the relationship between Gandhiji and his wife, Kasturba Gandhi. It is based on facts but woven into fiction by Saif. In the play, Gandhi and Kasturba write letters to each other after passing away and talk about their relationship of 60 years. It gives us a peek into the ordinariness of their lives as opposed to the great pedestal that we have put them on,” he shares.

The Great Indian Theatre Festival in March will open with this play, which also celebrates the 150th year of Gandhi’s birth. “But not many people know that it is also 150th year of Kasturba’s birth,” adds the actor, who is excited to work with veteran actor Zeenat Aman, who will essay the role of Kasturba.

The idea of playing Gandhi appealed to Arif, who instantly decided to be a part of the play. “I started with theatre very early in college and later veered towards the visual medium. It is good to come back to theatre. I knew I wanted to play Bapu at some point in my life and there were opportunities on TV and in films which never came to fruition. I thought I would die without playing Gandhi,” he quips, adding initially the play was conceived as memoirs of Kasturba. But when Saif thought of Arif and asked him to attend a reading, it worked in Arif’s favour. “Initially, I didn’t take Saif seriously as I thought maybe he is toying with an idea but things fell into place. The role of Gandhi was quite attractive,” he says.

Other than getting his mannerisms right for the role, Arif also had to keep the larger-than-life persona of Gandhi in mind. “He is a father-figure, so making his voice effective and real while reading letters was a challenge. As it is a play, we will have to deliver each time,” opines Arif, who has been performing shows of the play, Gardish Mein Taare.