Paresh Rawal will be Godse in US

MUMBAI, MAY 3: The Marathi version may have been yanked off the stage. But a Hindi translation of playwright Pradeep Dalvi's Mee Nathuram...

MUMBAI, MAY 3: The Marathi version may have been yanked off the stage. But a Hindi translation of playwright Pradeep Dalvi’s Mee Nathuram Godse Boltoy (I am Nathuram Godse Speaking) will now tour American cities in late June. Character actor and Bollywood baddie Paresh Rawal will play the part of Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin in the Hindi avataar, titled Gandhi Godse.

The play is being widely advertised in the US as a A Powerful Drama Banned In India’ and Touring India With Special Permission For Limited Shows’, said US-based sources. Jaysukh Ravrani, who produced the play’s Gujarati version Gandhi Ke Godse, is said to be the driving force behind the US tour. The troupe, called Performer, is asking for a whopping $10,000 for each show, added sources, and is slated to hold about nine to 10 shows of Gandhi Godse in different parts of the US.

The only know face in the cast is Rawal, who began his acting career on the Gujarati stage. Two US-based companies, VACHIKAM (Chicago), acultural group, and channel TV Asia are organising the tour in the capacity of exclusive sponsor’ and presenter for the shows’, respectively.

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Rawal, confirming his role, told Express Newsline that donning Nathuram’s Tihar jail uniform hadn’t made him one bit nervous. “I do not think that it is a provocative play. Rather, I think that it is a thought provoking play,” he said. “Gandhi Ke Godse, the Gujarati version of the play, had been well received and there were no problems even when it was on stage for 60 shows,” he reasoned.

Rawal added that he had not agreed to the role to float any particular thought or ideology. “I do not belong to any party. A lot has been said and discussed about Godse’s philosophy behind the act. Yes, I am extremely interested in Nathuram the character, but only as an actor,” he stated.

All of the one hour and 50 minutes of the original play will be used in the Hindi version. Rehearsals for the play are almost over except for act two, addedRawal.