Vivaan Shah on being a part of Zee Theatre's anthology Koi Baat Chale

Vivaan Shah is no stranger to theatrical adaptations of classics by Motley, a theatre group co-founded by his father Naseeruddin Shah in 1979. When he was offered an opportunity to read Munshi Premchand’s story Gulli Danda in Zee Theatre’s curated anthology Koi Baat Chale, he was excited.

Vivaan says, “Because of my parents, I have grown up around the very best of subcontinental literature penned by Ismat Chughtai, Manto and others. Premchand happens to be a personal favourite and I could not have missed the chance to narrate Gulli Danda. It was a dream come true to be directed by Seema Pahwa ji.”

About the format of dramatic readings, he says, “It is a very interesting concept because here we are immersing ourselves without too many props in the purity and beauty of the prose. As an actor you have to bring to life the nuances of the written word and I have learnt from my parents and from Seema ji that the best way to sharpen your skills as an actor is to communicate the essence of a short story.” Discussing Gulli Danda, the story he reads in Koi Baat Chale, he says, “It is a story about human relationships and a friendship that is altered by social and economic differences. In a very simple way, Premchand depicts how our humanity and empathy define us and not our status.”

Will be aired on January 22.

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