Feroz Abbas Khan brings 'Letters of Suresh' to India: It's the same format as 'Tumhari Amrita' but done in a completely different way I Exclusive

Feroz Abbas Khan

After a successful run across the USA, the play Letters of Suresh is set to make its India debut at the NMACC (Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Center) in Mumbai on May 9. The play by Rajiv Joseph has been adapted by ace playwright Feroz Abbas Khan for its premiere in India. Known for his grand productions like 'Mughal-e-Azam: The Musical', 'Civilisation of Nation' and 'Death of a Salesman', Khan is now set to experiment with a more intimate form of storytelling with 'Letters of Suresh'.

"It is a series of monologues apart from one direct conversation," says Feroz talking to mid-day.com about his upcoming play. "It is basically about four people yearning for a connection. It's a very beautiful play and it's in the form of letters and they are communicating with each other through letters and trying to make a connection. That's at the heart of the play."

"It's a very identifiable story. There are four stories of four different people. And their lives get intertwined with each other through letters," he added.

Despite having produced grand musicals and plays in the past, Feroz Abbas Khan is not skeptical about being able to the attention of the audience with a monologue-driven play. "Performance, acting, and word are the most powerful things in theatre. I could give you an example of my play. One of the biggest successes in the history of theater is Tumhari Amrita. What is it? Just two people sit and read letter. That's all it is. There are so many plays that are going on which have one long monologue. Again, one of my other most successful plays is 'Kuch Bhi Ho Sakta Hain' by Anupam Kher."

For Khan, 'Letters of Suresh' is unlike any of his previous plays that had grand production values. "This is very intimate. This is about the words and the actor. So it's a different experience for me. It's the same format like 'Tumhari Amrita' but done in a completely different way. 'Tumhari Amrita' was just two people reading letters. This is about four people performing the letters. It's lot about performance and reads good or better than what it reads".

Casting:

The Indian adaptation of 'Letters Of Suresh' also brings in an all-India cast. Khan feels that the casting came to him and fit well like the pieces of a puzzle. The play stars Vir Hirani, Palomi Ghosh, Harssh Singh, and Radhika Sawhney.

"There were actors who wanted to work with me. It started off with Palomi Ghosh. She's a very fine actress who has worked in films and OTT. Then the other casting that happened was with Vir Hirani (son of filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani)."

"Vir was someone who reached out to me and said he would like to work with me. And when I was reading this play, he was absolutely the right casting for it. So, I called him and I did his audition. He was just perfect for the job."

Khan had previously worked with Harssh Singh in his play Civilisation to Nation where he played the role of Jawaharlal Nehru. Radhika Sawhney, too, perfectly fits into the role in 'Letters of Suresh'.

'Letters of Suresh' will be staged from 9th May - 12th May in Mumbai at NMACC.