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The Director's Cut
Arundhati Raja
Was it not difficult to deal with a script that has a distinct local flavour in the dialogues? And one that demands a single Indian actor to play two men belonging to different races?
Yes, Buks is coloured and the Author is white. But this is not a problem because we don't play them as South African in speech or appearance. The audience can readily understand the play even when we don't emphasise ambience and race. No, I have not Indianised the play. I never do that with any play. If I like a script and feel that it works, I go ahead with it. That conviction is important. I don't want to spoon-feed the audience. They are intelligent. Fugard has been produced and appreciated all over the world.
Do you suggest the location through the sets?
If I try to put up a gum tree I would localise and limit the play. My sets are absolutely minimal — two crates and a bench. Even Fugard says they must be so. Spareness ensures an immediate identification with the theme. The neutral sets make the play universal — this could be happening anywhere, any time.
But the political implications?
The play deals with a very human problem: the generation gap. The old want to hang on to old ways, the young want to change them. A global theme.
Precisely because there are only three characters - and two actors, casting would have had to be just right.
Yes. It's a challenge to display the emotions in this play, many of which are internal, and communicate them to the audience. Jagdish (Raja) has the experience to play the men. Nandini Rao has worked with us before. And she could sing, which is essential for the role. I won't deny that initially I was worried, especially as we premiered the show on a huge stage. Just two actors and all that vast space! But they were intense and carried the audience with them. I hope they'll do it at The Music Academy too.
On August 9, 7.15 p.m.,
The Music Academy
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