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Play to show Nehru in new perspective
Most people know Jawaharlal Nehru as the first Prime Minister of India. Now, Pramila Le Hunte will reveal to residents the “least-explored” side of Nehru. Hunte has given shape to a play — Nehru: His Inner Story — which will be staged at Epicentre on July 3.
Most people know Jawaharlal Nehru as the first Prime Minister of India. Now, Pramila Le Hunte will reveal to residents the “least-explored” side of Nehru. Hunte has given shape to a play — Nehru: His Inner Story — which will be staged at Epicentre on July 3.
“It took me a year to understand Nehru. I read his autobiography. I also read hundreds of books about him. Only after I was certain I knew him, I started writing the script,” she said.
She faced another challenge: finding the right person for the lead role. “I had to work hard. Most people don’t know all the aspects of Nehru. Everybody knows him as Chacha Nehru.”
Hunte said she has been researching on Nehru’s life. “I spent a lot of time with Vijayalaxmi Pandit when I was a student at Cambridge, while she was the high commissioner of India.”
This play, she says, is not about the standard life of a standard politician. Instead, it is about an English gentleman in a sherwani. Dilip Shanker, who plays the lead role, was Nehru’s critic in some ways. “But while enacting the role, I found the man interesting,” he said.
