| Apara Mehta's (Savita of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi) balancing act with theatre and TV continues. On November 21, the actress features in Feroz Bhagat's new Gujarati play, Kem Cho Majama, which opens at Tejpal Auditorium.
Written by Pravin Solanki, after brainstorming sessions with Mehta and Bhagat, the play takes on the delicate relationship between a girl's father and her mother-in-law.
"We wanted to take on a fresh subject," says Mehta. "What happens in a situation when the in-laws are thrown together? Especially in families with an only child; who looks after them when their children pass away?"
Adds Mehta, who thought up this concept while experiencing severe air turbulence on a flight, "I am an only child, and I wondered who would care for my mother, as I don't have a father. After my father's death, my mother lives with me, my daughter and my husband.
There are funny and not-so-funny situations." The play explores this slice of life and more. "There is emotion and comedy in it," says Mehta, who has stuck to playing Savita in Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. Savita is part of me
"Savita is now part of me, and I share a fantastic rapport with my screen daughter-in-law, Tulsi (Smriti Z Irani)." Ironically, as reported in hitList on November 5, Tulsi is set to bump off Savita on the show next month. The track is slated to bring into focus the issue of euthanasia, or mercy killing.
Says Mehta, "I came to know about it after I read it. I haven't been told anything about the mercy killing bit. At present, I continue to shoot as usual for Kyunki." But if there is mercy killing, what's the illness she will suffer from prior to that?
"I have yet to fall ill. I am only an actress, so I have to go by the producers," says Mehta. "In fact, we have had meetings about the second leap and discussed the look. At the moment, I have no clue about Savita's exit. It will take me a long time to get Savita out of my system.
"This was a character I have lived for over 1,000 episodes," says the actress, also seen as Naseem in Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin recently. "I took on Jassi because it was a very positive role. It was also the first time I was playing a Muslim character."
Post Savita's departure from Kyunki, will she concentrate solely on theatre? "I will take it as it comes. I am not yet thinking about life after Savita. Theatre is something I began with and will continue. Kem Cho Majama is just opening, and plenty of shows have been lined up."
Incidentally, the Mehta-Bhagat combo has been seen in several plays, like Aa Paar Ke Pele Paar, Adhura Toi Madhura and Aapnu to Badhu Private Limited.
"We have turned out to be a good pair on stage. In the last few years, we have come up with plays with innovative concepts. Both of us can play anything, from a middle-aged to an elderly couple as long as the stage is set."
shaheen@mid-day.com |
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