It8217;s Just An Ilusion

quot;We talk openly only in theories. This is because we have liberated minds but conservative lifestyles,quot; says an embarrassed Shi...

quot;We talk openly only in theories. This is because we have liberated minds but conservative lifestyles,quot; says an embarrassed Shiela to her Parsi friend Ruby, who, while discussing her love for Ramesh, is excited about the new underwear she has bought.

Naseeruddin Shah watches Mahabanoo Mody-Kotwal Ruby and his wife Ratna Pathak Shah Shiela go through the daily drill of rehearsing for Motley8217;s latest, A Romance for Ruby, with razor-sharp eyes. The play opens the Prithvi Theatre Festival starting in November. quot;Very bad. You two seem to be unfamiliar with the lines,quot; says Shah caustically, chuckling the next moment. quot;Two years ago I would have yelled. I am getting old and don8217;t have the energy now. Probably, I8217;ll make a record by going through this without screaming at anyone.quot;

A Romance for Ruby, directed by Naseeruddin Shah, has Kotwal playing the lead as Ruby, a Parsi woman who fabricates a story around Ramesh, her illusionary lover. Ruby is a defeated middle-aged married woman, having drawn anemotional naught from her husband Firdaus. And her friend Shiela is a middle-class Maharashtrian and a small-time playwright using her boyfriend Deepak to go to all the exotic restaurants, with Deepak reciprocating the need to be in the artistic circles, even in a small way. quot;Four years ago, when Aruna Dixit sent me the play, I immediately knew I wanted to stage it.quot; It is also multilingual. quot;Nobody speaks only Hindi at home. Or for that matter Gujrati. It8217;s an interesting mix with a language as valid as English.

Besides the story line, that too was a reason why I fell for the play.quot;Between two rounds of tea, A Romance for Ruby8217;s rehearsal goes on without Shah shouting in hopelessness even once. Unruffled, what with his actresses not remembering the lines, he quietly rolls a cigarette with loose tobacco and takes a puff, all set for the next scene. quot;Your uneasiness must begin the moment Ruby says the ship is in the dock8217;,quot; says Shah, directing Ratna. quot;Or when we are talking about the trip to Karnal,quot; theactress pools in. Shah agrees over the scene which is to be a turning point in the play when Shiela discovers Ruby8217;s lie. Confusion between perfumes Poison and Intimacy, or quot;colon,quot; as Ruby calls it, gives it away, leaving the Parsi woman shattered. She sees her fantasy slipping from her hands like sand.

quot;In this scene moves are of no consequence, emotions have to come out. Worry about Ruby. She8217;s breaking into pieces, don8217;t let her go around the bend,quot; Shah directs Ratna, asserting that over the next few days they have work on this difficult scene. quot;But by tomorrow you have to get the lines.quot; After tips from Shah on gestures, movements, emoting and little details on where and how to stand, Ratna and Kotwal decide to rehearse the earlier part of the play. quot;We know the lines for this,quot; says Kotwal. She continues: quot;We live in the same home as strangers. It8217;s been years Firdaus hasn8217;t kissed me.

quot;You are looking down all the time, look straight,quot; says Shah, agreeing that gestures help, but head movementsshould be reduced. quot;Keep generating the energy without that.quot;

Another round of tea and coffee is ordered and arrangements for the next day8217;s rehearsal are made. Clothes, shoes, cups, tray and kettle8230; a serious thought for everything, with unadulterated dedication.

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A Romance for Ruby, at Prithvi Theatre, Juhu. On Nov 3. Time: 8.00 pm. On Nov 4 . Time: 6.00 pm and 9.00 pm.