DOUBLE Trouble

Interestingly,Aarya first created the fictional characters of Gorky and Tinku on social networking site Facebook a few months ago. He says,“Writing is my hobby. It’s a great stress- buster. I created these characters to entertain everybody. They proved to be a great hit. It featured crazy adventures like aliens taking over the planet and James Bond losing his plot.”

Enthused by the response,the actor thought of incorporating these characters in a play. But he decided to make them Siamese twins after acting in Farah Khan’s forthcoming film Tees Maar Khan. He says,“There are two characters in the movie who are Siamese twins. I was impressed by their characterisation.”

Gorky+Tinku Ke Kaarname is the first production of Performers,that is the sister concern of theatre group Ekjute. While Ekjute is known for its Hindi issue-based plays,Performers will be presenting performances in various languages that will cater to the younger audience. One might think that Aarya’s mother,veteran actor and theatre director Nadira Babbar,or sister Juhi would direct the play,but he says,“When I narrated the story to them,they laughed at me and said that they were not so crazy to direct it. I wanted mom to helm it but she said that she didn’t have such a wild imagination. She suggested that since I had written it,I was the best person to do justice to it.”

The actor,however,admits that direction is quite a tough task. He says,“It’s frustrating. It’s so difficult to handle people and want them to act in a certain way. But it’s completely my vision. I have not sought any inputs from my mother or sister.”

He is also happy that his directorial debut provides light-hearted entertainment. He says,“Today people are stressed and are looking for something that will help them forget their worries. What better way to entertain them than a mad comedy?”

Aarya also felt that Divesh was the natural choice to play Tinku as they share a healthy camaraderie off-stage that could be translated on-stage. “Both of us have been friends since the last eight-nine years and share a whacky sense of humour. The play is more like a celebration of our brotherhood,” he smiles.

Divesh,on his part,says that it was quite challenging to play Siamese twins. “When you are enacting such a role on-stage you have to match the energy of the other person. Physically,we couldn’t go in different directions and that proved a hurdle,especially since Aarya was also directing the play.”

Gorky+Tinku Ke Kaarname premiered at Prithvi Theatre,Mumbai on November 10.