Love Always:
The first thing that strikes the audience while watching Motley’s new production of Old World, is the enjoyment Naseeruddin Shah and Ratna Pathak Shah radiate by just being on the stage, and even more, by acting with each other. When they dance in a scene later in the play, there is an almost audible “Awww” of admiration, because sparks seem to fly. After Dear Liar, which they made their own and performed for years, they have picked another two-hander that suits them perfectly.
Ank’s, Hum Dono, Hindi adaptation of the same Russian play by Aleksei Arbuzov (translated into English by Ariadne Nicolaeff), was recently revived. No matter which language the play is performed in, and what changes are made, the basic plot of an autumn romance retains its charm, warmth and humour. Motley’s Old World, directed by Arghya Lahiri, stays closer to original, with some deft alterations.
The classic manic pixie dream girl here is a bit overage, but full of joie de vivre—the 65-year-old Parsi woman, Zenobia Sumariwala, has been admitted to a sanatorium run by the grumpy 75-year-old Dr Rashid Qureshi. When they first meet, he has a list of complaints against her, by other patients in the ward, and she quickly pooh-poohs the lot. (Of course, she will jump out of the window if the doors are locked!) Zenobia is argumentative, eccentric (dropping Parsi phrases and malapropisms) and curiously reluctant to share any details about her life. It takes her time to confide in Dr Qureshi. She is perhaps what the doctor was missing in his solitary days, after the death of his wife. His daughter lives in Japan and is not inclined to visit. Zenobia, who has enough problems of her own, still takes it upon herself to draw Dr Qureshi out of his self-imposed monastic existence. Even he is surprised when she persuades him to dine at a restaurant and dance afterwards.
The Russian play was set after World War ll; in the Mumbai production, there are references to the 1971 war against Pakistan, to the Godhra riots, and to the 2002 film Parzania, in which a little Parsi boy goes missing during the riots and is never found. (Naseeruddin Shah had starred in the film.)
Gradually, it becomes clear that both are lonely and scared of age creeping up on them, it’s just that their approach to life at this stage is different—hers is to fill up the remaining years with joy, his was—till he met Zenobia—to wallow in solitude.
Most plays about ageing are morose and depressing; Old World balances the poignancy with wit. And today, when so many senior citizens are enjoying good health and a prolonged lifespan, a play that encourages a connection between two made-for-each-other people immediately hits its target. The production is enhanced by an interesting set design by Dhanendra Kawade–though all that fussing with the multi-sided structure was not really needed, and the elevated platform on one side of the stage looked precarious. What is expected from Old World and is achieved (of that there could never be any doubt) is the wonderful chemistry between the Shahs; and they perform as if the play was written for them.
(This piece first appeared in mumbaitheatreguide.com)
