It’s important to empathise with the character: Naseeruddin Shah

What were the challenges in putting up this production in such a short duration?

It was not difficult to memorise the text. And the physical resemblance is evident. But to understand everything that the character was saying and the German accent was a challenge.

Did you seek the help of a scientist to understand the play better?

Yes, my friend Atul Gurtu, a particle physicist and Suhasini Muley’s husband, tried to explain the basics of the theory of relativity and quantum theory that Einstein talks about in the play. I won’t be able to understand all of Einstein’s work in another 60 years and I don’t have that much time. But then an actor has to simulate the character. I don’t need to study physics for five years to play this role. It’s more important to empathise with him.

Did you read up on Einstein or his biographies?

There was no time. I will be reading these books now. This is why I say, the process of understanding a play starts when you start performing it.

Unlike most of your theatre productions, Einstein has an elaborate set. Why is that?

A bare stage would not have worked for this play as a lot would have been left to the audience’s imagination. There are some books he refers to during the show. Depicting this would not have worked if we had one or two books on stage. Considering Einstein’s level of intelligence, he must have been reading all the time. So we imagined there would be at least 200 books in the room. We believed that it was important to visually establish the space.

Why did you think of using video projections during the play?

That is meant to give the audience information. When Einstein talks about his contemporaries, we wanted to add flesh to the name. Since no one knows much about his family, we thought of showing their photographs. We have projected images of Hiroshima when he talks of his guilt over the atomic bomb and the fact that his research was used in making the atom bombs.

Is there a process in internalising the script and character?

There is no process. You have to work on it like a dog. You will have to know your line so well that if someone wakes you up at 3 am and gives you the cue, you should be able to respond. You should make the lines your own to the extent that the thought which provokes the characters to say them actually occurs to you.

What inputs did the directors, Ratna Pathak Shah and Arghya Lahiri give you?

They were able to look at the performance from the outside. Thus, they could guide me where I was going wrong or doing unnecessary things. I have always admired Arghya’s lighting. He is a very imaginative lighting designer. He also had lots of suggestions for the settings, performance and music.

You love performing for a young audience. Do you want to take the play to schools and colleges?

Absolutely. I hope to associate with Sanjna Kapoor’s group Junoon and perform in schools, colleges, universities and other educational institutions. We will be travelling with the play and have already been invited to perform in Delhi.

Is your theatre group, Motley, working on other productions?

We are planning a tribute to Krishan Chander, a great Hindi writer, to mark his 100th birth anniversary year. We are reading some of his works at Prithvi Theatre on November 22 and wish to make it a full-fledged production some time soon.

alaka.sahani@expressindia.com