“P A T R A M I T R O”
Written & Directed by Naushil Mehta
Performed by Darshan Jariwala & Arundhati Nag
Adapted from the English Original of A.R Gurney’s “LOVE LETTERS”
Staged on 14 & 15 June/2007 at Prithvi Theatre, Bombay
Conversation with Naushil Mehta
Ankur B. Saraiya (AS): what inspired you to write this play?
Naushil Mehta (NM): I had no money. It was an inexpensive production. So I wrote and produced it.
AS: How did Jawahar and Kalpana come into existence?
NM: I had not seen Javedsaab’s ‘Tumhari Amrita’ but had heard immense praise for it. I wanted to see it, but am glad that I did not get to; as I got to start ‘Patramitro’ on a clean slate. In a way… Jawahar is’ or rather aspires to be’ the kind of a man that Jawaharlal Nehru envisioned India should have. Hence, I gave the character the name Jawahar. I have grown up in a world where Nehru was very much respected and his ideas were considered to have a lot of weight. And Kalpana? Well, Kalpana was the logical progression from that word, Kalpana was JAWAHAR NI KALPANA (Jawahar’s imagination); the dream that India had.
AS: The idea behind using the script of the play as an on-stage prop?
NM: I see the years flying off and lying at the feet of the actors who’re reading the text, letting the letters go after they read them. The language used to convey feelings intended so much... and so little of it actually reaches the other person... I enjoyed that image... the idea of the set being constructed as the play goes on... as the puddle of language... at the actors’ feet.
AS: You change the combination of artistes many times. Why?
NM: It’s a very easy play to produce; you just need 6 days of rehearsals with good actors. Whenever I have found two good actors willing to do the play, I have staged it. I haven’t written this play keeping a particular cast in mind. A.R Gurney has written in the introduction to ‘Love Letters’ that dozens of combinations of actors have performed it. I love that idea. I read the play quite accidentally. If I hadn’t read ‘Love Letters’, I wouldn’t have thought of writing ‘Patramitro’. I think he’s written a brilliant script. Gurney’s play really travels well through different cultures and I was really quite pleased participate in the journey such a wonderful play.
AS: What inspired you to cast Arundhati Nag for the play after knowing that she hadn’t performed in a Gujarati Play for almost 3 Decades?
NM: Arundhati and I have been friends for more then 3 decades; and we hadn’t yet managed to work together. We were looking for something to work on together. This was a simple production and she happened to have a block of time free at that point. Even Darshan (Jariwala) happened to be free and so the play came alive. I enjoyed working with her very much and am looking forward to do more work with her. It’s important for me to thank Darshan Jariwala for his participation. When I began writing the play against the impossible deadline of just four weeks to the opening, Darshan was the one who pushed me to complete this play. He would meet me once every evening to see my progress with Jawahar and Kalpana. Without his constant encouragement, this play would not have been possible.
AS: Are you looking forward to some other couple performing this play?
NM: I am not really looking for a new couple but if I find somebody interesting then I would certainly want to do it. I did this play for fun (laughs)… and if an opportunity to stage this play again with different actors comes up, why not?
Conversation with Darshan Jariwala
Ankur B.Saraiya: (AS) How did you feel while playing Jawahar?
Darshan Jariwala: (DJ) Well… I felt great!
AS: You have performed this play with three different co-artists, who was your favorite?
DJ: All of them had their own unique way of doing the play. Unfortunately, I was unable to see them while performing. In the play I face away from Kalpana. I was just able to hear their voices. From what I heard, I could make out their distinct styles and the newness that they brought to the play.
AS: The part of the play that you liked most?
DJ: The thing I like about the play is that it is an adaptation from A.R Gurney’s English ‘Love Letters’.
AS: You did play an active part in the writing process also….
DJ: No, not actually. I followed up very enthusiastically with Naushil so he would finish writing the play in time.
AS: Do you really look forward to perform this play with yet another co-artiste?
DJ: I don’t worry unnecessarily about working with different actors. For me, the play is more important than the co-artiste.
Conversation with Arundhati Nag:
Ankur B. Saraiya: (AS) What was interesting about Kalpana?
Arundhati Nag: (AG) The fact that she is an extremely self-willed woman. I would even call her God’s own child. (laughs).
AS: You came all the way from Bangalore to perform. Why?
AG: It was easy yet difficult. To speak a language after 29 years is the best experience. That too, with an actor like Darshan whose Gujarati is so good; and a writer-director like Naushil whose Gujarati is at its best. It was just the right time to do it.
AS: It’s almost three decades since you performed in Gujarati. (Arundhati laughs). Did you find it difficult in recollecting the language or were the words still familiar to you?
AG: In a way, I had never gone away. But it was not an easy task to perform in Gujarati, when for all these years I had been working in Kannada theatre. Sometimes, a Marathi or Hindi influence would creep into my diction, but Naushil was there to correct me and with rehearsals, my Gujarati improved.
AS: What was tougher, the character or the script?
AG: Actually, neither. For me what was tough was getting the finer points of the language right and getting into the rhythm of the language... which took me about 2-3 days. Initially, I came to Mumbai for a week and that was the toughest time. It took me 4 days to get into the rhythm of the language. Every language has its own rhythm. So that was the tough part. Once you get into the rhythm of the language, you are almost 75% fine.
AS: You have performed Javedsaheb’s “Tumhari Amrita” also?
AG: I have done it in Kannada.
AS: Tell us something about “Tumhari Amrita” in Kannada?
AG: It was completely different from what Naushil has done with PATRAMITRO. Naushil has woven the script into the Gujarat map. So he has Baroda School of Fine Arts, he has Gulam Mohammad Sheikh and Bhupen Khakhar. Bhupen is portrayed as though he were a person close to the characters. In ‘Tumhari Amrita’, there is a Hindu girl and a Muslim boy. It has been placed against the backdrop of Aligharh Muslim University and Banaras Hindu University. This isn’t the case with PATRAMITRO. Naushil has, on the contrary, based PATRAMITRO in post-partition India right from the era of Nehru to that of Rajiv Gandhi. A complete political background has been created by him. The background of Patramitro hence becomes very different from that of ‘Tumhari Amrita’. I did not even question Naushil about the character of Kalpana.
AS: So, PATRAMITRO is Naushil’s own interpretation of ‘Love Letters’.
AG: Yes, absolutely. The author has his own way of creating the character. Naushil has done that and I haven’t ever questioned his creativity.
Me and my team would like to thank Mr. Naushil Mehta, Mr. Darshan Jariwala and Ms. Arundhati Nag for providing us there valuable time for the interview.
Interviewed by
Ankur B. Saraiya
(Date: June 25, 2007)
