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Sense of perspective
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Renowned actor and writer Tom Alter tells AYESHA MATTHAN religion should not be used either as a wall or a weapon
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Photo: Murali Kumar K.
Question of intent Tom Alter believes in the importance of maintaining one’s artistic integrity
Ruddy-faced, masked by a salt-and-pepper beard and impeccably clad in a brown suit and black t-shirt, Tom Alter had just finished watching the third day of the Test cricket match between India and Pakistan. “It was a bit slow, but we have a goo
d team”, he says.
In between mouthfuls of buttery ham and chicken sandwiches and pots of strong English tea, he says: “The last plays I acted in were ‘Maulana Azad’, an adaptation of William Dalrymple’s ‘City of Djinns’ and ‘K.L. Saigal’. Though ‘City of Djinns’ was performed 17 years after the travelogue was written, it still remains significant. “It was a daring production and it addressed issues like the 1984 Sikh riots, Partition, Delhi’s segregation as a city and corruption. Dalrymple loved it.”
Alter who has been acting in television, features and on stage since 1974 believes that the plays he acted in have been “Indian, original, powerful and have all had something to say”. He adds, “They’ve dealt with everything from history, religion and mythology to prominent figures like Buddha, Maulana and Swami Vivekananda.”
“The press keeps on talking about big names in art and literature. That is fair enough, but there are so many people who we don’t know about who deserve to be written about.” He says that for seven days at the Mysore Association Mumbai, he and his friends brought together a seven-day festival of plays called ‘Raahat’. “We performed eleven plays in Urdu, Hindi, Bengali, Punjabi and English of well-known writers like Tagore, Mirza Ghalib, Maithili Charan Gupte and others but nobody knew about it. But the way things are going in Indian theatre, I am happy to be a part of it.”
“I am also acting in three movies. ‘Foto’ is about a young boy who aspires to become a film director, ‘Cycle Kick’, has football in the background and ‘Shadows’ is about the effect of the Tsunami in the Andamans.”
With the growing rise of fundamentalism in the world of arts, Alter says, “Fundamentalism has been in existence for 3,000 years – the Jews started it before the Christians and Muslims took over, and the Hindus are now practising it. I don’t think religion should either be used as a wall or a weapon.”
He believes that religious groups should not take offence as it only shows their weakness. “You should be strong enough to argue rather than behave childishly.”
He continues, “I am sure that no artist uses his art deliberately to maliciously attack anyone. I feel that artists should and do act responsibly.”
“What is unfortunate is we resort to physical violence before we even sit and call for a discussion on the issue – we’ve stopped doing that and it’s a dangerous path we’re walking. ”
Alter feels that it’s important to maintain one’s artistic integrity and calibre and “not be swayed by doing commercial roles”. “That is the real test – and I feel that Naseeruddin Shah has achieved that.”
“I missed ‘The Blue Umbrella’ and ‘Gandhi, My Father’”, says the artist. “It disappeared before I wanted to watch it.” “Life is too busy,” says Alter who enjoyed reading Khaled Hosseini’s “Kite Runner”. “I also enjoyed reading John Grisham’s ‘Innocent Man’ and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay’s biography and yes, I sleep when I can.”
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