Wrong Address

IN December last year,director Mahesh Bhatt,actor Imran Zahid and scriptwriter Rajesh Kumar discussed and debated the theme of their next play. Their last play,The Last Salute,in 2011,on the shoe-hurling incident that involved former US President George W Bush was a success,and this one had to make a mark. Finally,work began on Trial of Errors. “The play is about Muslim youth who are picked up every time there are bomb blasts in the country with no proof to back them. I play Rehan,an investigative reporter who gets embroiled in a case and is branded a terrorist by the authorities,” says Zahid. The play premieres today at Shriram Centre at 7 pm. The production has 20 more actors and will be staged in Mumbai,Kolkata,Lucknow,Hyderabad and Pune in the coming months.

The hour-long play has been written by Kumar,directed by Waryam Mast and produced and presented by Bhatt. “We followed a few stories in the newspapers,spoke to the families of the victims and have tried to show the trauma they have gone through. The play also comments on the hasty trials,” says Zahid. “Theatre can play an important role in the process of awareness and restoration. It can be a transformative experience,both for those on stage and in the audience,” says Bhatt.