Theatre is my duty: Nadira

Manpriya Singh

She played the desi Mrs Bennet to perfection, while maintaining the difficult balance between complex character as etched by Jane Austen and as envisioned by Gurinder Chadha in Bride & Prejudice.

Movies might throw in the perks of maximum recall value and ready reference point but for Nadira Babbar, they remain an after thought, rather a second fiddle to theatre. “As much as anything, I feel theatre is my duty,” she shares, while in Chandigarh, with her play Jaise Sukhe Hue Phool Kitabo Mein Mile. A play, which as she likes to put it, “is an attempt at introducing today’s generation to their own language, culture and literature.”

Any generation needing an introduction to their own culture sounds like an unfortunate situation. She illustrates, “We have become so non-Indian in our approach, that we feel speaking English is considered very important and mandatory to be in the upper crest of society. How many of us proudly ask for a glass of chilled water in Hindi in a five star property?”

A moment’s pause, calls for a long reflection. However, it’s not all that sad a story in every part of India. “Although in Punjab, I still feel people are quite connected to their roots and take pride in speaking their language.” Almost into its 20th show since opening in May, the play next moves to Shimla. “It is not a protagonist-oriented play but a story- oriented play.”

As for the title, “It’s a famous couplet by Ahmad Faraz and I used the second part for the title.”

Punjabi connection

In the meanwhile, courtesy Raj Babbar, her own connection to Punjab is quite apparent. “I love coming to Chandigarh. I love Punjab anyway. Even after our marriage, we came here quite frequently. Arya has worked in regional films here and so has Juhi.”

Which brings us to when do we get to see her in colours of Punjab? “I will come running if somebody offers me a good role, although being from Lucknow, I might not be able to get that originality in diction and accent.” Coming out is Ghayal 2 with Sunny Deol. “I have long had an association with him. In the film I play the villain’s mother.”

Words of wisdom

While Bollywood is as per convenience, provided her terms and conditions are duly met, theatre keeps her handful, even during the days of mandatory bed rest. She laughs, “Whenever I fall sick, I write. Because being under house arrest, there is as much as you can do. That’s when all the subjects and ideas which have been floating in mind get translated onto paper.” She has long had a relationship with issue- based theatre, highlighting some cause or the other, while keeping it real. “I have never believed in frivolous theatre and plays. In future too, I would really like to write about and explore a play on these young migrant workers from UP and Bihar, who come for odd jobs.”

Looking ahead

Theatre might be miles away from populist art but there the future looks promising. “A lot of television artistes have started realizing the importance of theatre and if you give them a time schedule, they are more than willing to work the nights or take time off.” Coming also is yet another play which stars Juhi. “It’s called Salaam 1950s Ke Naam, which takes us back to the black and white era when cinema was devoid of technology,” she signs off.

manpriya@tribunemail.com