TOI: Double Debut- Rukhsar & Farukh

Double debut!

Real life couple,Faruk Kabir and Rukhsar are making their stage debut together.Deepali S Dhingra reports


Rukhsars surprising me even after five years! laughs film director Faruk Kabir.And the surprise stems from the director-actors observation of his wife during the rehearsals for their play.The real-life couple are making their stage debut with Falsafa and Faruk says Rukhsar,whos a film actress,was a revelation for him.Ive worked with her in my film Allah Ke Bande but that was a very small role.On stage,I realised she has so much voice-modulation, he says.But the comfort level while acting together was something they acquired after a few rehearsals.Initially,we would burst into laughter every time we said our dialogues,but with time,we got the hang of it, adds Rukhsar.
Talking about making her debut on stage,the actress continues,I wanted to do stage since long,but was just waiting for like-minded people to work with.When director Pawan Uttam approached me,I realised this is a team I am comfortable with.My character is beautifully etched in the story. The play,that also stars Sumeet Vyas,Abir Abrar,Imran Rasheed,BM Vyas and others,is a love story as well as a satire on society.Initially,only Rukhsar was approached,but then they thought it would be interesting to include me in the play, he says.Faruk adds that he would be involved in the writing process of future plays as well.Im writing a comic screenplay for a film,which I intend to show first as a play,in order to gauge audiences reaction, he says.
For the couple,acting on stage together has been an enriching experience,where they managed to discover more about each other and themselves.She has perfect timing and is a thinking actor, says Faruk while his wife,too,has discovered another side to his personality.She quips,At home,hes funny and always joking around but at work,its difficult to distract him. The initial stage-fright Rukhsar experienced has been replaced by a sense of confidence.Now I think I will be doing a lot more theatre in future, she smiles.
Falsafa will be staged at Experimental Theatre,NCPA,Nariman Point on May 6,7 pm.