Review from India Habitat Center Festival of Plays

December 09, 2010

Being Indian can be quite hard but it makes for great theatre

By Alolika Dubey  

THEATRE DIRECTOR and actor Lushin Dubey, who is one of the few veterans standing up for the cause of theatre in Delhi, doesn't think that the lure of money has driven die- hard theatre artistes of the city to Mumbai. " If you can run a good play for a long time then you make more money than by acting in TV or films, except for the lead roles," she believes. Dubey, who staged her well- known play, Salaam India , at the ongoing Old World Theatre Festival on Monday, should know better.

This was the 36th show of her play, inspired by Pavan Varma's bestselling book, Being Indian , and as expected, ran to a full house. Underlining her thoughts about the Mumbai- Delhi theatre dichotomy, she added, " Theatre is here to stay if media, corporates and theatre buffs join hands. If media co- operates, we can help in saving theatre from fading out from Delhi." It isn't a surprise that Salaam India , written by Nicholas Kharkongor, has struck a chord with the audience every time it has been staged. Presenting stories of four different families from various classes of society, it showcased the everyday trials and tribulations that common people undergo. Enacting a total of 16 characters, the cast comprising Dubey, Shena Gamat Saigal, Andrew Hoffland and Ashish Paliwal, did a brilliant job of bringing alive concerns of four different strata of the society. - The festival is on at the India Habitat Centre till December 12. Tonight's play is Bijon Mandal's Oedipus Rex . For ticket details, dial 43663080.