‘Riding Madly’ takes many exciting twists and turns
Life is a smorgasbord served with the right mix for us to endure and enjoy. But Bollywood actor Naseeruddin Shah chose to dish out humour in a larger portion in his theatrical presentation of Riding Madly Off In All Directions, adaptations of Canadian humorist Stephen Leacock’s works, at Ductac, Mall of The Emirates in Dubai, on Friday.
The presentation — because it was not a play that we were watching — is a collection of five themes dealing with diverse subjects with an undercurrent of humour.
True to its title, Riding Madly takes you on a ride in several directions looking minutely at such mundane things as somebody asking the other for a matchstick to light his cigar, to finding faults with children’s stories, and playing spoilsport with impish delight at a magic show.
Shah, who says he was captivated by Leacock’s writings, brings his whole family onto the stage for this ensemble. It introduces us to his children, Vivaan, Heeba and Imad. His wife Ratna Pathak Shah is an actor Ratna Pathak, Heeba and Imad Shah. of repute herself both on the big screen and on TV and she excels on stage, too.
Their performances were stupefying, especially in the humorous look at math problems where the a, b and c jump to life. These characters take on different names — x,y,z — in algebra and graduate to a more complex alpha, beta and gamma in The Human Element in Mathematics. The presentation of a, b and c as characters in shadows on the projection screen on stage is a novel idea.
The Man In Asbestos, enacted by Shah, takes the cake. It may not fall under the genre of humour, but it looks at life in a different Naseeruddin Shah. perspective. The last act, a 40-minute part soliloquy, part dialogue captivated the audience. Unlike facing the camera, where an artist gets several chances for a perfect shot, Shah has accomplished it flawlessly with a range of emotions even though the character looks bereft of any feelings.
Thankfully what Riding Madly Off In All Directions lacks is slapstick comedy. It doesn’t throw you into splits but elicits a few chuckles at the occasional brilliant moments. The props were minimum and the costumes not too extravagant.