Nadira Babbar returns to the stage with a light comedy to bring smiles to a post-pandemic audience
The cast performs scenes from the play, Le Goli Kha
A young girl experiencing mental health issues is advised by her doctor to kill someone in order to feel better. The doctor also hands her a pistol so that she can follow his advice through and get better soon. While the plot of Nadira Zaheer Babbar’s play titled Le Goli Kha sounds outrageous and more along the lines of a scary thriller, it’s actually a light comedy that aims to bring a smile to the audience’s face. Written and directed by Babbar, it was first staged at the Prithvi Theatre in August 2022. Babbar, who loves being back on the stage post the pandemic, describes the experience as one of “coming back to life.”
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“In May-June 2022, I was thinking of writing a new play. I felt that there was a dearth of comedies and that’s how I decided to write it. I have written 14 plays, but it is a different experience each time. Comedy is one of the most difficult genres in theatre. Making people laugh is not easy,” shares Babbar, adding, “Once you start writing, the ideas keep flowing. On many occasions including this one, you get a better idea of things once you start rehearsing. You add bits and even remove some and keep improvising.”
The story revolves around the Chatterjee House. The members of the family find themselves in grave danger when Indu, their neighbour experiencing mental health issues shows up with a gun and the intention to kill someone. The house is filled with unusual characters and what follows is hilarity and confusion. Apart from a cast that includes veteran Hanif Patni, the play also stars Shivam Yadav, Maneeta Malik, Manav Pande, Nishu Aggarwal, Devesh Kumar, Debasree Ghosh, Manjari Mishra and Shrinivas Oak.
Babbar’s son, Arya Babbar also plays an important character in the production. “My children have been working with me since they were very young. They are extremely disciplined actors. Arya has been working with me since he was a child in children’s workshops and plays, and then again, in his teens. He liked this script very much. He plays an LIC agent,” Babbar reveals. The music for the play has been composed by Amod Bhatt.
On: December 27; 8 pm
At: Prithvi Theatre, Juhu Church Road, Juhu. log on to in.bookmyshow.com
Cost: Rs 500