Naseeruddin Shah, Ratna Pathak to give Pune a peek into the ‘old world’

In Old World, written by Russian playwright Aleksei Arbuzov and and translated by Ariadne Nicolaeff, Lahiri directs ace thespians Shah and Ratna Pathak Shah, who play two elderly people who become friends because they are kind to each other. “The play was structured around a series of kindnesses that I found very evocative and appealing,” says Lahiri.

Naseeruddin is a doctor of a reserved nature while Ratna is his spirited opposite. The play will be shown for a week, from July 23 to 28, at Shreeram Lagoo Ranga – Avakash, Hirabaug Chowk on Tilak Road.

“There is a prevalence of old age homes in India, whether they are for medical reasons or they are retirement campuses for well-to-do people. Why are they mushrooming? It’s because senior citizens don’t have company. More than anything else, safety, health and care aside, they need company,” says Lahiri.

Famous as a light designer in India, Lahiri is also a writer and director. His contribution to the stage ranges from mentoring at Thespo, a youth theatre community and movement, to co-directing Naseeruddin in Einstein. “Scripts that I pick for theatre are usually because they represent an emotional journey that I feel compelled to investigate and see how I might do it justice. Or, it could be a story that affects me, touches me and I am not sure why and I want to, therefore, spend time unpacking it,” he says.

Over a decade, Lahiri has developed a close artistic relationship with the Shahs, for whom he has acted, lit and directed as well as helped design sets. “When you are working with actors of the calibre of Naseer and Ratna, who have great experience and ability, the director’s role becomes that of the first audience. I was there to hear and receive, to help them investigate matters they wanted to investigate, and see that the whole play was pulling working towards the same direction,” says Lahiri.