I thank India for giving us Gandhi: Iraqi shoethrower

“I am pleased to see that the the actors have accurately portrayed the plight of the Iraqis suffering during the US campaign. They have been able to empathise with our suffering,” he said,through his translator.

The play,written by scriptwriter Rajesh Kumar is largely adapted from Al Zaidi’s book on the Iraq war The Last Salute to President Bush,was performed by actors from the Asmita Theatre Group. The idea was conceived by filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt four months ago when he approached playwright Arvind Gaur to direct the play for him.

The play opened with Bhatt reading out a letter that he had addressed to President Bush in 2008,refusing an invitation by the White House for a prayer breakfast at Washington DC. “I could not eat breakfast with a person who is single handedly taking lives of innocent civilians in Iraq,” read Bhatt.

The play comprised songs about the atrocities committed on the civilians in Iraq,America’s foreign policy against Iraq and the torture meted out to “prisoners” at Abu Ghraib. The story was punctuated by video feeds from US news networks,which aired the Iraq war live during the conflict.

The character of Al-Zaidi was essayed by Delhi-based theatre actor Imran Zahid,who has also bagged the protagonist’s role in Bhatt’s next feature film,Chandu.

Although well-conceived,the execution of the play faltered in many places,with actors fumbling on their lines and the video feeds not corresponding with the scenes on stage. The climax was the depiction of shoe-throwing incident at the Prime Minister’s Palace in Baghdad.

“I would like to thank India for giving birth to my idol Gandhiji. I take inspiration from his words that if you have a strong will then you will have freedom,” said Al-Zaidi,after the play.

Once the curtains went down,Al-Zaidi was the first in the audience to stand up and applaud.

To Osama’s killing in Pakistan,he commented diplomatically,“With him gone,there is no difference. The killings have not stopped.”