KISHWAR LOVED HANSRAJ’S CROWD
Audience’s response to the doublemeaning jokes in her last Delhi play was amazing, says the actor
Actor Kishwar Merchant’s various character portrayals in her acting career spanning 18 years are sufficient to prove her mettle. But, it’s difficult to believe that she was once fearful of performing on the stage. “I used to get scared thinking dialogue bhool gayi toh (what if I forget the dialogues)? But then one day, one of my friends was doing a play and her husband was directing it. She called me to offer a character and I said I can’t do it. [However, on their insistence] I played a double role — of a rural woman and a chic woman. So after saying no to theatre for very long, I finally did a play,” says Merchant.
All set to head to the Capital to be part of an upcoming Hindi play titled Wrong Number, the actor sounds elated at the idea of performing for a receptive audience. She says, “The last time when we performed in Delhi, it was at Hansraj College. It was exciting that we performed in Shah Rukh (Khan)’s college, and the response was really good even though it had a few double meaning jokes. We did two shows in Kanpur before performing in Delhi, but those jokes were not understood in Kanpur. So, it was amazing to get that response in Hansraj, and we really found the audience reaction to be motivating and inspiring.”
Having been part of popular TV shows such as Hip Hip Hurray and even reality show Bigg Boss 9, Merchant makes it a point to continue doing theatre. “It’s been almost 12 years now since I acted in the first play. I keep going back to theatre because I want a change from my regular routine. We [actors] definitely need a change; that’s why when a play is offered, and I like the role, I just take it up because it keeps me motivated. Otherwise, it gets so monotonous,” the actor adds.
Travelling to Delhi, however, has another perk. “When in Mumbai, I really miss Karim’s. I’m a Muslim toh I can completely understand ki wahan ka khana kitna achcha hai. Especially the Nalli Nihari,” says Merchant, adding: “There was this one time when after [doing a] play we went to eat and wahan par Nihari thi hi nai (Nihari wasn’t available there). But, they specially got it made for me when I said mai itni dur se ayi hun ye khane ke liye (I have come from so far to specially eat this dish) and you are telling me that I’m not going to get it! Sometimes we have perks of being an actor”.