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Journalism of Courage
Sitting on a rehearsal of Salesman Ramlal, Manjiri Kalghatgi notes that the emotions that drive Arthur Miller8217;s Death of a Saleman endure both time and translation
For director Feroz Khan it is a new step. Even though he has successful plays like Tumhari Amrita, Salgirah and Gandhi Vs Gandhi under his belt.
In the midst of this emotionally charged interlude, the director too is on his toes. quot;I want some energy out here. The words should be clear, like the click of typewriter keys.quot; With one scene neatly wrapped up, they slip into one of Miller8217;s famous flashbacks. Ramlal8217;s successful brother from Africa 8212; Motilal Sanjeev Wilson 8212; is visiting the family. Once again,Ramlal who regrets his refusal to join Motilal in Africa dons his mask of exuberance, trying to pretend that all is well. There again, the director appears centrestage, issuing instructions. quot;No gestures for words; more energy!quot;
In the midst of putting together this two-act saga, Khan talks about the structure of his venture and why he ends up doing Western plays. quot;There are great ideas in Indian writing but the modern playwright has not come of age where the structure and form of plays are concerned.quot;
When Khan first read Death of A Salesman, he was convinced that unless it was Indianised, doing the play would remain a mere academic exercise. So, when Imtiaz Hussain was asked to do the Hindi adaptation, the brief was very clear: The play should be a complete Indian experience. Miller8217;s protagonist Willie Lowman became Ramlal, his wife Linda Ganga, the neighbor Thadani with a Sindhi accent. quot;By using the commonest names in the country, we wanted to ensure that viewers could truly identify withthe characters. While maintaining the quality of writing that Miller8217;s work deserves, I have ensured that this is not just a direct translation. The assumption is that almost nobody in the audience has read the original play,quot; explains Hussain. Stuck with the image of a comedian, Kaushik says playing Ramlal is a challenge that also offers immense creative freedom. quot;In real life, we often come across people like Ramlal who believes that the world would realise his worth only after his death. Even in death, he wants to be a provider for the family believing that the insurance money would go to Bharat. Ramlal commits suicide. The money doesn8217;t come, nor is there any sign of the crowds he hadenvisioned at his funeral,quot; says Kaushik. Emotion and family melodrama have proved their popularity with Indian audiences. As Khan says, quot;Arthur Miller is not trying to be clever. He writes straight from the heart.quot; And 50 years later, he still touches the heart 8212; with his simplicity.
Salesman Ramlal at the ExperimentalTheatre, NCPA. On July 1. Time: 6.30 pm.
