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Journalism of Courage
MAYBE IT8217;S THE HANG-OVER of Monsoon Wed-ding, or a byproduct of Lilette Dubey8217;s obsession with stories that dissect human rela-tionships. The theatre actor is now planning trousseaus and prepar-ing guest-lists once again for her upcoming play The Wedding Al-bum. The difference is, this time she is pulling the strings from the director8217;s seat.
Looking relaxed in a crisp pair of trousers and a sleeveless blouse at her south Mumbai of-fice- cum-studio, the 52-year-old can easily juggle her reel and real lives: She is Devyani, a high-pro-file journalist, in Madhur Bhan-darkar8217;s Corporate. At the same time, she is the creative head at the Primetime theatre company, applauded for its original screen-plays and stage performances. Scripted by Jnanpith award-winner Girish Karnad, The Wed-ding Album is a comic drama, set around a south Indian wedding, complete with heartache and cold feet. 8220;I wanted to direct a contemporary play after Sammy 8212;which was about Mahatma Gandhi. Girish was nervously ex-cited because he usually does his- toricals and this was new for him,8221; says the friendly director who plays scrabble with the cast. Lilette actively interacts with her writers8212;be it Mahesh Dat-tani, Partap Sharma or Girish Kar-nad8212; to smooth out the edges.
It8217;s been almost six years since the prolific actor last faced a live audience in a new role after 30 Days in September. During her sab-batical from the stage, she8217;s gone the whole hog with 8220;supporting8221; roles in Indian cinema8212;from the free-spirited Rose Davenport in Zubeida to the hilariously 8220;sexy8221; older sister in Kal Ho Na Ho. And in Anjan Dutt8217;s Bow Barracks Forever she plays an Anglo-Indian woman waiting hopelessly for her es-tranged son in England to drop her a line and a plane ticket. But with The Wedding Album8212;in which she intends to star as well8212; Dubey is back to her true calling.
Some of her classics like Dat-tani8217;s Dance Like A Man are now part of theatre vocabulary. 8220;It was during Dance Like A Man that the thought of directing a film hit me,8221; says Dubey. She subsequently dropped the idea, which was picked up by Pamela Rooks.
Her first film as a director, yet untitled, scripted by Dattani, is fi- nally ready for the floors. Even as a first-timer, Dubey knew exactly what she wanted8212;Juhi Chawla and Jimmy Shergill as brother and sister; Esha Deol and daugh-ter Neha Dubey, who fall in love with the same man; the world of performing arts as the backdrop. She also made sure that the film is shot outside Bangalore. 8220;And as a woman director, I always explore relationships8212; this one views gender differences and women8217;s issues in the subtext,8221; she hints. But nothing can keep her away from theatre.
She is now busy celebrating 15 years of Primetime with a retro-spective in Mumbai. Some said the performance timings would clash with the World Cup. 8220;My husband and daughters are foot-ball fans. So to make sure they agreed to be a part of it, I sched-uled all the shows so that every-one could make it home in time for the matches,8221; she laughs. And with Neha starring in her film and younger daughter Ira back home from Yale University, and assisting on the project, her big screen entrance promises to be one for the family album as well.
