BY SONAL S LADVA
FULLERTON, CA-A method in madness was displayed outside the Plummer Auditorium September 13, evening with hoards of people trying to get to the will call window, the regular entrance, the special entry from the exit door.All this because a star team comprising of Anupam Kher, Neena Gupta and Rakesh Bedi...
FULLERTON, CA-A method in madness was displayed outside the Plummer Auditorium September 13, evening with hoards of people trying to get to the will call window, the regular entrance, the special entry from the exit door.All this because a star team comprising of Anupam Kher, Neena Gupta and Rakesh Bedi...
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were performing to a completely sold out show called ‘Mera Woh Matlab Nahi Tha.’ In a build-up to the evening’s performance, Bhalinder Bhalla of the Charity Trust, DeeMas, stated that he had seen the play earlier and was excited that the audience would experience the same emotion as he did after the show. He was also pleased that his brother, Virender, and he had teamed up with the Association of Los Angeles Physicians of Indian Origin (ALAPIO) to present the show, which would benefit the free medical clinic started by ALAPIO, whose convener Dr. Bharat Patel said,” with the help of donations from the community, our organization is funding the operation of this free clinic which is open two days a week. We also provide free surgeries at the Beverly Surgery Center every three months.” Dr. Patel was joined by his colleagues Dr. Parvin Syal, Dr. Ninna Patel and Dr. Shehnaz Habib to promote this cause. Based in the post Indo –Pak separation era, this was a story of two childhood lovers, Pritam Kumar Chopra and Hema Roy who after a hiatus of 35 years decide to meet to find out the truth behind their separation. In those three days of their early morning meetings in Lodhi Gardens in Delhi, they discover a lot more about each other’s life and their spouses. In the midst of laughter, humor and simplicity, we discover masked poignancy that seemed all pervading in their lives. The essence of ‘Mera Who Matlab Nahi Tha’ is also to convey the paradox in human communication; we did not mean that, and, yet we say it repeatedly or we never say what we really mean. In the multiple layers that unfold in their relationship, their friendship remains untarnished. The communion of Mirza Ghalib and Tagore were evident with the Shayaris, Balli Mara (the street that Mirza Ghalib was born in) and the Lodhi Garden backdrop with Neena’s Bengali Cotton Sari and her “Katadura ami basate habe”(How far do I sit?)query. Kher and Gupta’s stellar performances are aptly reflected in the transitions made between their past and present. The stage was simple, yet superbly set with just a bench and some sparse furniture. The characters of Hema’s parents played by Himani Shivpuri and Anjan Shrivastav and the young Kher and Gupta were all flashed on a screen lending to the beauty and reality of the present. Among the cameos played were Rakesh Bedi and Satish Kaushik who did justice to the comedy aspect of the play.Gupta surely creates magic despite returning to stage after a decade, breaking down in an emotional scene in the second half. At the end of their performance, Kher spontaneously asked the audience that gave them a standing ovation, to be seated for a bit. He took the opportunity to thank the audience in the US on completion of their fiftieth show in So Cal. He then went on to introduce the entire cast and crew and played the master emcee for the last five minutes. The “Mera woh Matlab Nahin Tha,” team celebrated their 50th performance with select supporters of ALAPIO and DeeMas at the Spice Affair Restaurant in Beverly Hills, before departing for India later in the week.
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