My first break

Sabira Merchant was already a mother of three when a desperate urge to act prompted her to seek a career in theatre. The year was 1963. ...

Sabira Merchant was already a mother of three when a desperate urge to act prompted her to seek a career in theatre. The year was 1963. quot;I got somebody to take me to the most happening couple in town 8212; Alyque and Pearl Padamsee. They asked me, How are you any different from 2,000 other women who want to act8217;?quot; To find out they decided to give her an audition and Merchant found herself competing with school girls for the part of a 14-year-old child! quot;It was a play called The Word and we were asked to read two pages. There was a situation one had to act within and react to.quot; After a three-hour wait, she got the part.

quot;The play was performed at a dental college and there were no seats 8212; they had used wooden packaging cases for chairs. My entry to the centre of the room, which was supposed to be the stage, was very interesting. I was supposed to come dangling from the roof on a rope!quot; And for her dramatic effort, she got instant recognition in the form of rave reviews.

Ever since, she has been an activemember of the city8217;s theatre fraternity 8212; presently she8217;s acting in Pearl Padamsee8217;s Betrayal. quot;My personal favourite from all my plays is Streetcar Named Desire for which I won the best actress award. The other part I remember is that of a crippled woman in a British play called Duet For One 8212; the entire play is about six sessions this woman has with her psychiatrist.quot;

But despite being a well-known theatre personality, Merchant is still best remembered as the hostess of Doordarshan8217;s most popular quiz programme of the 8217;70s and 8217;80s, What8217;s The Good Word?. quot;I was doing a British comedy when a Doordarshan producer asked me if I would be interested in doing this show since I was very good with spoken English. I told him I would because I8217;m happy to give anything a chance.

They had planned to run the show for just one year, since they felt beyond a reasonable time frame, the programme becomes the personality.quot; While that did happen, What8217;s The Good Word? had an uninterrupted run for 15 years!And yet,Merchant, one of the few celebrities of the Doordarshan era, is conspicuous by her absence from the small screen at the height of the satellite boom. quot;I8217;m considering a few offers right now, but the money is an issue. I really want to do something like a debate-driven programme with college students.quot; While she waits for that to happen, Merchant is busy conducting courses on speech, diction, public speaking and etiquette. In fact, she has to her credit the task of training several Miss India8217;s on stage presence and public speaking.

quot;It is a very rewarding job and I hope to now take my skills to corporate houses.quot;