Bollywood
star Kalki Koechlin talks about the English language play, 'The
Living Room', which she has written and directed
Photos by Ratheesh Sundaram
By
Shevlin Sebastian
In
the opening scene of the English language play, 'The Living Room',
actor Neil Bhoopalam, as Death, is sitting on a stool. He has a white
face, a red bandana across his forehead, a black overcoat and red
shoes. He looks at the elderly house owner Anna Nils (played by
Sheeba Chadha), who is sleeping on a sofa in the living room of a
house, and says, “Anna Nils, are you ready?”
And
when Anna shakes her head, Death says, “She is not ready.” Then
Anna says, “Are we on TV? Is it one of those shows?”
This
elicits laughter amongst the audience at the JT Pac, Kochi, during a
performance on August 21. 'The Living Room' is a moving, as well as
humorous rumination about death, about our childhood memories, and
the thoughts that go through our mind when we are told that the end
is near.
The
play has been written by Bollywood star Kalki Koechlin, who is also
its first-time director. Asked about the inspiration behind the play,
Kalki says that, two years ago, she woke up in the middle of the
night, at her home, in Mumbai, and wrote down two pages of a
conversation between an old woman and death.
“Of
course, I have been touched by death, like everybody else,” she
says. “My grandparents died when I was quite young. Those were big
experiences for me. My parents are dealing with sickness and the
fragility of old age. All these may be the reasons.”
Incidentally,
this is the first play that Kalki is directing. And she had some
nerve-wracking moments. When the play opened in Bangalore, a few
months ago, during the first ten minutes, there was a complete
silence. “I was thinking, 'Are they not understanding the play? It
is supposed to be a comedy',” she says. “But suddenly a chuckle
came and it was such a relief for me. Now, everyone felt they could
laugh. People thought that because the subject was death, you are not
supposed to laugh.”
Clearly,
she is learning from her experiences, and also enjoying her stint as
director. “For three months, before the show opens, you are working
very hard, doing the music, lighting, costumes, overlooking the
production details, and handling the actors,” says Kalki. “Then
when the curtain goes up, you become an audience member. And it is
such a pleasure to watch it unfold in front of you. Seeing your
actors discover new things in the script is also a thrill.”
Asked
about the charm of theatre, as opposed to film, Kalki, who has acted
in films like 'Dev D' and 'Margarita with a Straw', says, “A play
keeps evolving, unlike a film, which, when it is complete, is over. I
keep changing the music and the lighting. Some of the scenes have
been re-written. The spontaneity of a live audience helps you to be
on your toes all the time.”
But
can English-language theatre be able to stand on its own two feet? An
optimistic Kalki says, “Theatre has always struggled to exist, even
in Shakespeare's time. But it will survive, because theatre is a part
of life. It is all about questioning the norm and expressing societal
changes.”
(Sunday Magazine, The New Indian Express, South India and Delhi)
(Sunday Magazine, The New Indian Express, South India and Delhi)
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