1994: Saalgirah: Saalgirah evokes immediate identification and a contrived fantasy that the couple will get together. Casting Kiran and Anupam Kher together is a practical decision. They share hotel room and there is no tension in adjusting rehearsal dates. What is attractive about Anupam Kher is that he is keen to return to theatre at a time when he is at the peak of his film career. Many critics view Saalgirah as a sequel to Tumhari Amrita. I disagree, there are similarities but they are not an extension of each other. Amrita evokes nostalgia and the writing is almost poetic while Saalgirah evokes identification.
1997-1998: All the Best / Chaar Din Pyaar Ke / Mahatma v/s Gandhi: I launch two productions directed by outsiders All the Best (Hindi) my most successful play and Chaar Din Pyaar Ke. It’s around this time I see Marathi play Gandhi and I sign Naseeruddin Shah, Kay Kay and Mrinal Kulkarni for the key roles. The rehearsals are in progress but two weeks prior to the show we realize that the play isn’t working. There is no novelty about the script considering all the three (Hindi/Marathi/Gujarati) versions of the play are running to packed houses. We need to do something drastic to save the play, so we take a break and I rewrite the play. It works this time. Our journey all over South Africa is an unforgettable experience of my life.
To be continued