Introducing the Director

However,this unspoken division of labour between the first couple of Mumbais theatre has been broken for A Walk in the Woods,for which Ratna has turned director. Naseeruddin and Rajit Kapoor comprise the cast of this two-actor play,and as they rehearse,Ratna gives tips to improvise a scene as well as offers her interpretation of dialogues or a sequence. I am not used to being the person everyone turns to for answers. So I am taken aback once in a while. Also,at Motley,we tend to have a collaborative approach. It is a constant process of exchanging notes and ideas, she says.

Ratna did not start out as director of A Walk in the Woods though. Initially,Naseeruddin was supposed to direct the play with Faisal Rashid and Randeep Hooda in the cast. Later,they realised that the plays subject required senior actors. The original play traces the developing relationship between two arms disarmament negotiators,one Russian and one American,in the midst of the Cold War. They are replaced by Indian and Pakistani diplomats in Motleys adaptation. After Naseeruddin and Rajit were finalised to play these characters,the actors toyed with the idea of directing the play themselves. But they needed an eye from the outside and objective inputs. Thats when Ratna stepped in. I would like to make some point out of the play,something the viewers can take away. This is what I like to do when I am watching a play, says the 49-year-old.

Notwithstanding Naseeruddins prodding,Ratna has deferred direction for long,even though she has directed a few childrens plays in the past. Now,after taking the plunge,she finds directing a wonderful process,even though it has increased her workload,as she still takes care of the sets and costumes. With the première taking place at Mumbais National Centre for Performing Arts NCPA a day before Naseeruddins 63rd birthday,the play has special significance for Motley. After its opening run at NCPA till July 22,more shows are scheduled at Mumbais Veer Savarkar Hall in August and in Bangalore later this year. The Shahs wish to travel with the play,including to Pakistan.

Ratnas new avatar does not come as a surprise. She grew up among theatre heavyweights,being the daughter of late Dina Pathak,a stalwart of Gujarati theatre and a Hindi film actor,and the niece of Shanta Gandhi and Tarla Mehta,both reputed theatre artistes of yore. But it was legendary theatre director Satyadev Dubey who influenced her dramatic sensibilities the most. Ratna came in contact with Dubey when her mother started working with him in the early 70s. After debuting with the Indian People Theatre Associations Mitti Ki Gaadi,and acting in plays by Om Puris group Majma,Ratna began focussing on doing plays produced by Dubeys group,Theatre Unit,which became her learning ground. He made plays come alive the way I had never seen before. His work was extremely gripping and believable. Though by todays standard,the acting then was more dramatic than realistic,Dubey managed to draw out the truth of a play. It was during rehearsals of Sambhog Se Sanyas Tak 1975,a popular farcical play written and directed by Dubey,that Ratna met Naseeruddin. They married in 1981.

Prior to that,in 1978,she joined the National School of Drama NSD,and during her stint there,Motley was born with the production of Waiting for Godot. Ratna,who was holidaying in Mumbai then,remembers going around with a hat collecting money after its shows at Prithvi Theatre. After staging Waiting for Godot for three years,when Motley did its second play,Anton Chekhovs The Bear,Ratna was back in Mumbai and played the central character of a mourning widow in it.

In the 80s,Motley was not very active and Ratna worked extensively with Dubey,who was Naseeruddins favourite director too. Under his direction,the couple did some remarkable plays such as Dear Liar and Antigone. Her association with Dubey also made her love words and ideas which have been at the core of most Motley productions. Dubey liked ideas rather than emotions. And an idea can be best expressed with words. Thats how my training has been, she says.

With all her training and expertise,Ratna should have taken up direction much earlier,thinks Deepa Gahlot,head of programming for theatre and films at NCPA. According to her,Ratna has established herself as an actor at ease with drama and comedy. Being married to a towering figure like Naseeruddin Shah,there is a risk of being overshadowed. Now,the timing is right for her. She can step out of his shadow and come into her own, she says.

The first round of applause for Ratna comes from the cast. Naseeruddin calls her patient and unobtrusive,while Kapoor appreciates her objectivity. Naseeruddin says,Those who never expected her to direct a play will be quite astonished to see her work. However,according to him,Ratna and Kenny Desai have practically co-directed two previous Motley plays The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial and By George. Ratna,though,denies it. We just filled in when Naseer was absent, she says.

Even though Ratna calls theatre her world,she has also appeared on television and in films. When the small screen was not taken over by the saas-bahu sagas,she acted in some interesting shows,such as Tara and more recently,Sarabhai vs Sarabhai. Of late,films such as Jaane Tu8230;Ya Jaane Na,Golmaal 3 and Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu have shown her comic timing. She still gets television offers,but other preoccupations and the mediocrity of TV shows have so far stopped her from accepting them.

Till showbiz interests her,there is always theatre. Motleys calendar is marked with shows and travel till early 2013. While Ratna says she has not thought of what she will direct next,Naseeruddin wishes her to direct him in Samuel Becketts monologue,First Love. Ratna,however,is oblivious to this wish. I have no clue about it, she says. But given her admiration for her husbands love for acting,she instantly warms up to the idea. It would be interesting to observe him rehearse and enact the monologue, she says.

The uniqueness of the Shah family lies in their passion for theatre. Ratna and Naseeruddin may have their difference of opinion,but they agree to a great extent on crucial matters. Theatre is also a tool to connect with other family members their sons Imaad and Vivan as well as Heeba,Naseeruddins daughter from his first marriage. They all dabble in theatre. The fact that we enjoy working together is a blessing. How many families can count such a blessing? she says.