1991: Eva Mumbaima: is inspired from the West Side Story which in turn is borrowed from Romeo and Juliet. Once again, the opening night is a disaster. The audience is unprepared for the high-level energy exuded on the stage, unprepared for so many characters and sets. I’m thinking of closing down my company when a friend suggests I give it one last shot before I down the shutters. A miracle happens, the auditorium is packed with youngsters and the chemistry is perfect. The show is a success finally and we are traveling all over India.
1992: Tumhari Amrita: A friend gives me the script of the English play Love Letters. I give a copy of it to writer Javed Siddiqui and another to Shabana Azmi. The Hindi adaptation is ready in a month but the last letter evades us. Two nights before the show, actors Farooque Sheikh and Shabana Azmi want to know where is the final letter. “It will come,” I reassure them. It does and the finale is outstanding! The pauses between every letter reflects the passage of time. It’s my most difficult and emotional play.
To be continued