Das capital of theatre!

The dusky beauty is here and all set to explore theatre the way she likes it. Nandita Das, who is bringing her play Between the Lines to town with her husband Subodh Maskara can’t wait for the Bengaluru audience to see the play. The actor, director and scriptwriter of this stage performance talks about how motherhood sowed the seeds for the plot and how the play has blossomed and been appreciated across the country.

She says that the storyline stemmed from the everyday challenges that a woman faces and how though the world says she has a choice, that choice is only valid on paper. “I conceptualised the play last year when my son, Vihaan was still young. With him, I realised the things that every mother has to handle and take care of; her work, family and her own life. Besides, when it comes to parenting, gender equality really doesn’t exist because there are certain things that only a mother will or can do,” she insists.

The play is set in contemporary India where educated and affluent couples are caught between modernity and the traditional world. It explores the relationship between a lawyer couple, who has been married for 10 years. One day they accidentally end up being on opposite sides in an attempted murder case. Shekhar is the prosecutor and Maya, the defense lawyer. As they fight the case in court, their personal life starts getting impacted. Nandita admits that considering she was sharing the stage space with her husband, a lot of their own relationships comes alive through Maya and Shekhar’s characters.

“He made doing the play a piece of cake,” she smiles. The couple has taken their work to Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai and are now eyeing more cities.

She says that the story is something that every couple will relate with. “I have had couples come to me after the performance and tell me what they saw on stage was in fact their own story,” she explains. The play broaches topics that a couple deals with on an everyday basis, no wonder it resonates with many. Apart from theatre, Nandita is also shooting for a Spanish film. “It is a woman-driven film in which all the main heads are women,” she states.

Speaking of films, we can’t help but ask this geography graduate about her choice of films. She feels that staying away from commercial films wasn’t a conscious decision. “Before movies happened, I was very active with my social work and street plays. I think the work I did before joining movies has influenced my choice of cinema,” she quips.

The play 'Between the Lines' is being staged at Chowdiah Memorial Hall on December 19 .