Rewind & Ramble: Lillete Dubey, a familiar figure in Tricity's theatre scene, recently brought her play Autobiography to Chandigarh

The hall was packed… city’s cognoscenti, including renowned theatre personalities, were present. And so were a whole lot of youngsters. Lillete Dubey’s date with City Beautiful never fails to draw audiences. Is it her charming continuous presence on silver screen in movies like Monsoon Wedding, Kal Ho Na Ho and more recently Songs of Paradise, which attracts Chandigarh’s elite or the fact that her plays are in ‘elitist’ queen’s language English…..who can profess to know the answer?

But each time she comes calling as she did last Friday at the invitation of the Durga Das Foundation with her masterful play Autobiography, once again the city could not resist her Prime Time act. Prime Time Theatre Company is by the way the name of her theatre group. If the ageless actor has been wedded to stage for over four decades, with Chandigarh she has a karmic connection. For the past 26 years, Strawberry Fields School, Chandigarh has been consistently hosting Lillete’s plays. Last week, it showcased Autobiography, English translation of noted Marathi playwright Mahesh Eklunchwar’s Atmakatha.

A peek into a writer’s life, Autobiography operated at many levels and brought to fore the complexity of human relationships. Like Akira Kurosawa’s Roshomon, it too dwelt upon how there is no absolute truth, rather each person’s reality is coloured by their own vantage point and experiences. With talented actors like Suchitra Pillai, Denzil Smith, Sarah Hashmi and Lillete essaying stellar parts, the directorial by theatre veteran herself, spoke about the elusive and evasive truth of relationships. Often it exists in the moment, often it impacts a lifetime. But the fact is: it is transient in nature and love is not written in stone but is ever evolving, ever in flux. Interestingly, in a rather somber, reflective play, audiences also found credible reasons to laugh at the dark humoured wisecracks. Some were audacious enough to walk out at regular intervals unmindful of the creaking which followed as they exited. But for the handful of these naysayers, who had no idea there are etiquette of watching a live performance, those who stayed back were clearly, some even deeply, invested. And few like these two young girls even remembered soulful one-liners.

The beauty of Lillete’s performances in Chandigarh is that after the curtain call, after the actors take a bow before enthused audiences, the actors do not turn into ‘touch me not’ stars. The cast most of whom are known faces of cinema and stage is invariably available. Not for highbrow Q and A sessions, but personal interactions, even if fleeting and those precious photo-ops. Lillete never tires of posing with strangers offering viewers not just a transformative experience by way of her thoughtful plays, but also a moment to carry home. Actors like Denzil Smith of Delhi Crime fame too mingled with those who cared to stay back. On an aside, Denzil cribbed a bit about how his role in the third season of the recently released web series has been edited out. But, an actor is an actor, always in his element. Strictly for the ears of two young enthusiasts, he re-recited some of his punch-lines from Autobiography. As the male lead of the play, a self-centered envious author who gave us many moments of illumination in the play, he certainly knew his lines like the back of his hand. To a young aspirant, who seeks advice, he proffered pearls of wisdom. ‘Follow your heart’, is the obvious one but more importantly he added, ‘there is nothing in life like going with the flow, you need to create your path.’ Will his advice birth anther young actor/ director… Countless actors in their aapbiti have told us how that one performance changed their life and set them on the path to creativity.

Creative processes, however, are never linear. Fact follows fiction or truth is stranger than fantasy…the line blurs far too often. Autobiography presents more than one poser. But then, good storytelling is quintessentially all about tossing questions rather than answering them all. Which aspect of the performance would nibble whose mind once again depends entirely on individual perception? Two women talk excitedly about Suchitra Pillai’s vivacious acting, as the other woman. For me personally, watching Sarah Hashmi, niece of late theatre activist Safdar Hashmi, is a discovery and yet another reminder that legacy can’t be contained. Lillete is always a revelation. Few actors can pack emotion in a language which is not their mother-tongue. Language knows no boundaries… only knows how to connect. On stage or off it, Lillete sure understands the art of connection.