Safdar Hashmi’s niece makes directorial debut
Saba Azad, who has acted on screen in Dil Kabaddi, directs Lovepuke that’ll show in the city.
Saba Azad, niece of legendary playwright Safdar Hashmi, the founder of theatre group Jana Natya Manch, will make her directorial debut with Lovepuke, a play on love, sex and all things romance. Says Azad, “I’ve been doing theatre since I was a kid but I never gave a thought to directing until this play came into my hands. A friend recommended it to me and I loved it so much that I knew I had to direct it and not just act in it.”
The play, which has been adapted by Azad from New Zealand’s Duncan Sarkies’ script, is about four couples that represent everyone from the hopeless romantic to the boy and girl next door. Played by a young cast including Imaad Shah, Preetika Chawla and Ishaan Nair, Azad says the play isn’t a commentary on whether love is good or bad, but a comic take on “what really happens in love”.
Azad, who has founded a new theatre group called The Skins to produce the play, says directing the play has been a ball. “It’s a very young cast, so we’ve had a lot of fun rehearsing the play. I’ve known most of the actors of the play for many years, and all of them are so talented that my work is cut into half,” she smiles.
The play debuts in Mumbai on Thursday, and Azad plans to take it to Delhi and Bangalore post November. In the meanwhile, Azad is likely to be busy donning one of the many hats she juggles – that of a rocker, model, contemporary dancer and film actress. She made her debut in the movies with Dil Kabaddi opposite Rahul Bose in 2008, has performed on stage with Blackstratblues, The Vinyls and The Boudreaux Navigators, and has performed at the Kala Ghoda festival as a dancer last year. “I’m constantly jumping from one medium to another,” smiles Azad. “It’s an organic process for me – I love the arts.”
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