In the promos for Happy Birthday Sunita, Shabana Azmi is dressed in a shalwar kameez and looks the part of a cheerful Indian mother. But audiences familiar with the National award-winning Indian actress's work know there is always more to her characters than meets the eye.
The English-language production – by the actor and writer Harvey Virdi and the director Pravesh Kumar – is coming to Ductac on Thursday after a successful run in the United Kingdom. Azmi plays Tejpal, the head of a dysfunctional Punjabi family who come together to celebrate her daughter’s 40th birthday. The tale, says Azmi ahead of the premiere in Dubai, is heartwarming, while her character acts as a catalyst for change.
The actress also opens up about how theatre can be a platform for social change, shooting for The Black Prince, a biopic about Maharaja Duleep Singh, at Althorp, the family home of Diana, the late Princess of Wales, and her desire to see a revival of her popular epistolary play Tumhari Amrita, which she performed in with late actor Farooq Sheikh until last year.
All the comedy aside, what is the play about?
As the play progresses, you start to realise that everyone in the family is pretending to be someone other than who they really are. They have all worn masks. And at one point the mother (Tejpal) announces that she’s had enough of roleplaying. She’s done everything that she could, and now she is going to follow her heart. This obviously comes as a huge shock to the family because they’ve never regarded her as anything other than their mother. They have never really seen her as a person and they can’t believe that she wants to pack up and leave.
What drew you to the script?
It is a well-written comedy and my character has many layers to it. What also interested me about the project was Rifco Arts as a company. They have transformed what is largely a Bollywood audience into theatregoers by telling stories they can relate to about their own community.
What is the best part of playing Tejpal?
When you see Tejpal, the way she dresses and carries herself, you immediately stereotype her to be the typical Punjabi housewife. But through the play, you start to see glimpses of her real self and you start to think that there is something more.
Is there an underlying message in the play?
It is a light-hearted comedy with a heart-warming message. And the message is that it is never too late to follow your dreams. And this is something that resonates with everyone. So in that sense, it is a universal theme.
Tell us about an experience you remember from rehearsals?
In the play, Goldy Notay (who plays the daughter-in-law) is very fussy about what she eats, which is actually very close to what she is like. She would constantly try to change my ways, with little success. I would eat the quinoa salad she recommended and then sneak away to eat McDonald’s. But recently when I was shooting, I found myself naturally wanting to eat something healthy. So it looks like she’s managed to convert me after all.
Do you think theatre can promote social messages?
I grew up in a theatre family. Both my parents [the poet Kaifi Azmi and the stage actress Shaukat Azmi] were theatre artists and activists. My father was the president of the IPTA [Indian People’s Theatre Association] for a very long time. So quite naturally coming from that background, I have strongly believed in the power of theatre to create social change while being entertaining. These days, what we pass off as entertainment is coarse. It is perfectly possibly to entertain without crudity and vulgarity.
Tumhari Amrita had its final show last year. How do you remember that time on stage with the late actor Farooq Sheikh?
Farooq and I went back a long time. He was my senior at St Xavier’s College in Mumbai and together we started the Hindi Natya Mandal [a performing arts club] and won acting awards right through our college years. I shared an extremely warm and loving relationship with him. It was a shock when he suddenly went away. I would really like the play to be revived. It is still a bit raw for all of us, but I hope that at some stage Feroz [the director Feroz Abbas Khan] revives the play with a fresh new cast.
You’ve said Amrita was a character you enjoyed playing the most in your career? What makes a character so special?
Amrita is very unpredictable. She is someone who burns the candle at both ends. One cannot help but empathise with her. She is vulnerability and strength at the same time.
Similar to Amrita, do you think Tejpal, your character in Happy Birthday Sunita, will resonate with the audience?
Although Tejpal is nothing like Amrita as a person, her character will definitely resonate with the audience.
What other projects are keeping you busy nowadays?
I have just finished shooting for The Black Prince, in which I play Rani Jind, the mother of Maharaja Duleep Singh. It was a great experience to work with the Sufi poet and singer Satinder Sartaaj, who plays the lead in the movie. It was also very exciting shooting at Althorp, the Spencer family estate where Princess Diana grew up. I'm also working on Jazba with Aishwarya Rai and Irrfan Khan.
Happy Birthday Sunita runs at Ductac from today until Saturday. Tickets are priced from Dh200 and are available on www.ductac.org
