BENGALURU: Mahatma Gandhi is well-documented, but people don’t understand that he walked most of this journey hand-in-hand with Kasturba Gandhi. But her story still remains untold,” says veteran actor Zeenat Aman, about her performance in the play Dearest Bapu, Love Kasturba, which will be staged in the city on March 1. Aman’s portrayal of Kasturba Gandhi will mark her comeback in theatre, after 15 years, an experience that she calls both “wonderful and positive.”
Directed by Saif Hyder Hasan, the play looks at the life of the Mahatma through a different lens, one that is not often explored. “It’s a dialogue between the husband and wife,” explains the director, adding, “A dialogue of love expressed through letters, which are written by Kasturba to Gandhi after her passing.” The exchange analyses everything in their 60 years of marriage, from politics, marriage, family, children to sex, companionship and more. “We’ve always known Gandhi as the Mahatma, but here, he’s being portrayed in a man-woman drama,” he adds.
Calling it a love-story between the two, Aman recalls how “gobsmacked” she was when she was approached to play the character. “I’ve never had the opportunity to play someone like her,” says the actor, who is well-known for her roles in films like Hare Rama Hare Krishna, Don, Roti Kapda Aur Makaan and more. Accompanying Aman is Arif Zakaria, who plays Gandhi in the production, and says he was drawn to the different perspective the production aims to put forward. “Many of the philosophies Gandhi spoke about actually originated from his interactions with his wife,” he says. Rehearsals for the play began three months ago and had certain sequences that the cast found particularly challenging to deal with. Zakaria explains, “There are bits of delicate information that has to be rendered well since they are sensitive but endearing too.”
The play premieres in Mumbai on February 21, before moving on to other cities in India. “I’m looking forward to how I’ll feel after the first show,” says Aman, adding, “My sons haven’t watched any of the rehearsals yet so I hope the show is a wonderful surprise for them as well.” The play is a part of BookMyShow’s ‘The Great Indian Theatre Festival’ and will be staged on March 1 at Jyoti Nivas College.