We meet Ratna Pathak Shah ahead of a play, when she makes some time for a quick chat, taking a few minutes here and a few there to instruct the light men and the carpenters on how to do up the set even as we try to catch a closer glimpse of her life. The usually elusive actor is alone in the hall and is comfortably perched on a bench poring over notes and getting the space ready for the night. A fan of the no-frills school with a clear What You See is What You Get Attitude, she takes on each question as she flits between her many roles. An artiste, creator, mother, wife, woman, socially conscious citizen… Of all the work you do, theatre, as we can all agree, appears to be closest to your heart. What about the theatre is it that you enjoy the most? After all these years, I continue to enjoy the challenges and the difficulties of theatre as a medium. Bringing something on to the stage is a very large process. One that we enjoy greatly and that is fascinating. The best thing about theatre is that you are dealing with some of the best writing in the world. Motley is among the only theatre crews in the country to perform Urdu plays. And these have found patrons even in South India, where the language is less common. How did you make this happen? Many people ask us if we are as comfortable performing Urdu plays as we are with our English ones. Honestly, to me they are both the same. No one speaks Shakespearan English anymore. And yet Shakespeare continues to dominate our theatre. How is Urdu any different? Having said that I find speaking Urdu as much a challenge and that is part of the fun. To be able to communicate to the audience transcending the language barrier. And I am happy that we managed to fill theatre seats. Language is such a sensitive topic in India, isn’t it? Certainly. We are a large country and while it is great that we are all able to carry on our linguistic roots, we must understand that for most people in the country English serves as the link language. I do not subscribe to the oversensitive, parochial view of changing names of roads and buildings and states. There are hundreds of other things to do. Who are some of your favourite directors? Satyadev Dubey is a wonderful director. As is Naseeruddin Shah., and not just because I am married to him. Both of them have been a huge influence.
There is a much larger talent pool available and good Indian writing too. This means that more people can now be accommodated. I am very hopeful about theatre's future
You have also been involved in various social causes over the years. What would your comment on the overall state of affairs be? Particularly for women. I would say that for a large number of Indians all the crucial parameters such as the access to a safe, dignified life – answers to fundamental questions remain unanswered. But I suppose in India we do have a distinct sense of what/who is dispensable. We have a fast and two people come and shoot this on TV and then move on. But I do think that we have made some strides in the quality of life for women. What women pre-Independence had was far lesser than what I had. Now what my daughter has is definitely more. There are more life choices. Even in terms of caste relations things have changed. In my opinion, the old time baggage needs to be dumped. What about theatre today? There have been significant changes. There is a much larger talent pool available and good Indian writing too. This means that more people can now be accommodated. I am very hopeful about its future because somewhere around 1974 I was told theatre was about to die. It has been given a new lease of life. Which is your favourite city to perform in? Bengaluru, undoubtedly. The people there are genuinely interested in theatre and have all the least hang-ups. The audience there comes out and watches all kinds of things. Editor's Note: Watch Naseeruddin Shah’s unique film, if you haven’t already, “A Wednesday” an Indian movie largely in English, with a superb twist at the end!
culturama | january 2012
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