BENGALURU: Growing up, renowned actor Padmavati Rao was exposed to different cultures early on in life. So when she was offered the role of a conservative woman in Apne Ghar Jaisa, a Hindi production that will be staged at Ranga Shankara, JP Nagar this weekend, Rao was not only amused at the irony, but also felt that it was an exciting challenge. “I’ve been lucky enough to have been exposed to multiple cultures, including in my own family. So, it was challenging for me to understand the character and her narrow-mindedness. I don’t pick every project that comes my way. But the unique challenge that Apne Ghar Jaisa presented compelled me to do so,” says Rao.
A story of a middle-class family renting out a room in their house to help tackle monthly expenses, Apne Ghar Jaisa questions people’s normative beliefs and assumptions. As a symbolisation of such assumptions, Rao’s character undergoes a journey that shakes her beliefs on a fundamental level. “Her perspective doesn’t deserve to be judged. She’s been brought up in a certain way and she doesn’t know any better.
When she comes face to face with a situation that questions everything she believes in, she begins to look at other possibilities,” says Rao, who first made her mark in the Kannada movie Geetha (1981) alongside late actor Shankar Nag. In a career spanning four decades, Rao has worked with the likes of Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Girish Karnad.
Adapted by Anmol Vellani from Barry Bermange’s one-act play Oldenberg, Apne Ghar Jaise explores strong social themes, which according to Rao, are relevant now more than ever. “The play urges us to question our normative beliefs and assumptions of ourselves and others – the things we have been brought up with and which have remained unquestioned.
Those are the things that get us to explore and understand each other better, and to arrive at a theory of being,” she shares, adding, “The country is so diverse and full of so many communities and religions. It is time we look at how we’re going to become more accepting. The only way is if we learn to live together and coexist, and become nurturing of each other despite our differences.” Rao adds that ‘mouthing vague statements like ‘India is a diverse country’ wouldn’t work unless we learn to live the talk at an individual level.
Featuring just two characters, and a minimalistic set, Apne Ghar Jaisa was challenging for Rao in other aspects as well, particularly in getting the audience to be on the same plane as her character until the second character comes in. “It’s easy when you’re saying things that the audience would want to hear. But it’s challenging when you’re saying things that are difficult to understand and accept...getting them to be on the same plane and inviting them to look at things in a balanced manner.
But the writing was helpful,” she says, adding that despite the play being staged in Hindi, the version that her character speaks in the play is one that is simple to understand, making it accessible to Bengaluru audiences. “Even if you are someone who knows very basic Hindi, you will be able to understand the play,” she concludes.