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.”

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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.