Noted Indian theatre, television and film artist Lillete Dubey is in Goa with her three theatrical plays to be staged at Club Mahindra Varca resort from December 2-4. Taking time to speak to TGLife, the actor, director and owner of Primetime Theatre Company elaborates on how humour has been an un-erasable lifeline in all her works and why she is here to amuse the Goan audience
What is a better way than to spend the December weekend evenings watching plays at an amphitheatre set on the backdrop of greenery with Lillete Dubey in the lead roles? As we know, Lillete and theatre are synonymous. This association is a long one, of more than four decades and lead roles in 60-plus productions. The audiences in India and abroad need no introduction to her as an artist or a director.
In Goa on several occasions, be it for her performance at Kala Academy or the launch of Serendipity, Lillete, now in her sixties, is still very much alive and kicking. Vocal about what she prefers to choose in her characters and humour being the lifeline in most of her scripts, the actor in her feels that life has too many faces to offer but laughter and joy are what one must offer to the world.
“This is the prime reason to select Twinkle Khanna’s short story as my script for ‘Salaam, Noni Appa’ which is about two sisters, both of who have lost their husbands and are in their late 60s when one of them falls in love with a young yoga teacher in the second inning of her life,” shares Lillete.
Embarrassed by the thought of facing society, with a cocktail of shame and guilt, the elderly woman finds herself at a crossroads. She is perplexed and does not understand whether she should follow her heart or face the criticism that may come from her own family and the people around her.
“I liked the theme, so we dramatized the story, and arranged the narrative in dialogues for our play where I am playing Noni Appa. Jayati Bhatiya is in my sister’s role and Yateen Karyekar is playing the young yoga teacher,” briefs the actor whose message is clear that life never stops, there is no retirement age and autumn romance can happen at any juncture to anyone and is okay. The play, peppered with humour and drama, has already hit the stage with 50 shows.
The second play that will be staged in Goa is, ‘Vodka and No Tonic & other stories’ picked up from Shobha De’s book ‘Lockdown Liaisons’. The third play is Mahesh Dattani’s classic hit ‘Dance like a Man’ staging its 660th show. With drama, humour and emotions on the platter, this hit play has travelled continents and received much appreciation from the viewers. Sharing that all three plays have humour because that’s what matters most to her, Lillete adds, “But more than that, it is about offering Club Mahindra members as well as the larger Goa audience a unique and immersive experience for which the company is known.”
Lillete who acted in her first film at the age of 47, bagged many impressive and memorable roles since then. Marking the differences between acting on-stage and on-screen, Lillete underlines a common thread between the two – enter the character, feel the emotions, and express through your body language. “The actors cannot pretend any role, because the audience can easily pick up whether it is coming from the heart or is superficial. Acting should be spontaneous, with real feelings expressed authentically,” she asserts.
“In cinema, you have to pull back a lot,” she adds as the actor only has to feel the character and the rest is done by the camera - catching the minute expressions and reaching out to the viewers.
“That privilege is not there in theatre because the audience is sitting far away. So, the actor has to use gestures, body language, emotions, expressions and words to reach out to the audience’s hearts. These two are different forms of acting. It is more exciting, yet challenging to perform on the stage,” she feels.
The actor has to drop his personality, wipe out his identity, re-enter his stage character and live that role till the curtain drops. When on stage, all personal problems are to be brushed aside, and forgotten while giving your 100% in theatre performances. “While shooting films, there can be retakes. The option of postponing the shoots in an emergency is available. There is scope to polish the acting and improve the shot. But on stage, there is only one shot. One single moment, which one has to live and express. And no matter what, the show must go on,” she firmly believes.
For her, nothing substitutes theatre – not film, not television screen or OTT platform. “Doing theatre is like being on a never-ending trip. It will be like that for me forever,” feels the woman that gave an Indian voice to English theatre. Primetime Theatres completed 30 years and Lillete is working on a unique project ‘Jaya’ – the victory – a musical montage of the Mahabharata which she will be directing. “We are breathing life into this long-cherished dream project that would soon take shape and hit the stage,” she hints.
