‘Actors should write too’
… SAYS ARTISTE SAURABH SHUKLA, WHO WILL BE STAGING HIS LATEST PLAY BARFF IN THE CAPITAL. HE TALKS ABOUT HIS LOVE FOR DELHI, HIS BOND WITH KAMAL HAASAN AND MORE...
He’s an actor-writer-director whose multifaceted roles have won him the praise of the audience. Saurabh Shukla, who will be visiting the capital with his new play Barff, says that it’s all about the quality of work rather than the quantity.
As part of a unique two-day festival marking the beginning of summer fests for Delhi, Saurabh along with a few big names in theatre — Naseeruddin Shah, Rajit Kapur, Deepti Naval — are set to bring three plays in Hindi and English, with diverse themes and a stunning cast.
About the play, which he has penned and directed, the National Award winning actor shares, “Barff is set in the picturesque valley of Kashmir during the cold wintry months. It narrates a story that spans over one night wherein lives of desperate parents of an ailing child and an unsuspecting doctor are caught up in the whirlwind of conflicting questions of truth, reality and belief. It raises many questions and takes the protagonist on a journey to find the ‘truth of the other side’.” He adds, “While we have all seen different plays being presented on the stage — from philosophical, comical, political and social satire, emotional drama, etc. but what we haven’t seen or hardly seen are thrillers, and Barff is my answer to that.” Shukla’s love for Delhi is not unknown. Though born in Gorakhpur, he says, “Delhi is my home ground. I have wonderful memories of the capital. My education of theatre happened here. And I am thankful that I had the chance to be in the city and grow as an artist here. I had the opportunity to meet some great personalities here, whom I later worked under. Whatever I am today is because of them. Craft-wise, ideologically, Delhi has carved my psyche in my growing up years,” he says. From penning critically acclaimed movies like Satya, Raghu Romeo, Mithya to portraying several stunning performances in numerous movies, the actor has marked his presence in Bollywood. But the artist is no stranger to Kollywood as well. Even though Saurabh confesses to not knowing too many stars down south, Kamal Haasan, he says, has been his all-time favourite. “I really adore him. He is a tank of talent, a wonderful writer and a great friend. We shared a great bond while shooting for Hey Ram and ever since then, we have kept in touch. I used to ask him for a list of must-watch Tamil films. I have tremendous respect for his writing skills as well. I have always felt that his writing skills have helped him in emoting. I think not only directors, but actors should write too.”
Informing about his latest project with Kamal, he shares, “I have just wrapped up Shabash Kundu’s Hindi version with Kamalji. The script is his but I am doing the Hindi version, which is not a translation but an adaptation. A completely fresh script with improvisations et al. Kamalji is very close to me and even though I try and run away from writing, it was he who called and convinced me.”
The Delhi Theatre Festival will be held on April 29-30 at Siri Fort Auditorium
I am extremely close to Kamalji. I have tremendous respect for his acting as well as writing skills