Funny side of fake healers
Your Own Dog Won’t Bite you.
Your Own Dog Won’t Bite You,
At the Edge and other Cato Manor Stories, Beyond Calvary, The Lahnee’s Pleasure,
Botoo. Tell us about the play. The story revolves around Reservoir Hills housewife Madhu Jugmohun, who is a hypochondriac. She believes that her family is bewitched. Much to the disapproval of her transport tycoon husband, Jimmy, she calls in an exorcist named Masoodha Habibullah, to rid the household of the bad spirit.
She believes the bad spirit is to blame for her various incurable illnesses, the wayward behaviour of her son and the several breakdowns of her husband’s trucks. The events that follow are a roller-coaster ride of hilarity.
Are these concerns still prevalent in the Indian community, and was this the inspiration behind the production?
Yes, it seems that superstition and witchcraft are very prevalent. Expensive and garish newspaper adverts claim all sorts of miracle cures from winning back lost loves to winning the lotto.
What’s the reason for the catchy title?
In the 1980s, my friend Ramesh Hassen, who has since delivered several original hits that have done much for so-called “local” music, bemoaned the fact that it was difficult to make a living from the arts.
He quoted an Urdu saying which went, “if you haven’t got money, your own dog won’t bite you”. I thought what a great title!
Society’s skewed values and its obsession with superstition and money struck a chord and the play was born. Incidentally, Ramesh composed the original music for the comedy.
What are some of the lessons that can be learnt?
My plays are never didactic (intended to teach). Rather they are meant to provoke and open windows to the vast vistas of life. If in the process they change behaviour, well and good.
Does the production have lots of comedy and drama?
You can bet your life on it! On its first staging in the 1980s it was a smash hit. The critics hailed it as one of the best comedies in years.
Why should we watch it?
It’s a must for anyone who loves a good laugh. It should also provoke a rethink among the superstitious and the gullible.
You’ve been in theatre for many years. How many exactly, and are there plans to throw in the towel any time soon?
Well over 50 years. Theatre is in my blood and I will be in it as long as there’s breath in my body.
Your Own Dog Won't Bite You will be staged at The iZulu Theatre at the Sibaya Casino Complex from August 20-23. Bookings through Computicket.