Forty And Fresh

A group of youngsters, including the three children of Naseeruddin and Ratna Pathak Shah, has become an integral part of Motley, the theatre group run by the couple

- Priyanka Bhadani

There is an air of excitement at the Prithvi Theatre in Juhu, where Motley, the theatre group run by Naseeruddin Shah and Ratna Pathak Shah, is celebrating its 40th anniversary. The idea of Motley was born in 1978 at a small coffee house in Lucknow, when Naseer and actor Benjamin Gilani decided to produce plays that they were curious about. Their first was Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot. After a year of preparation, the play opened at the newly inaugurated Prithvi Theatre, under the banner of Majma, Om Puri’s company, because they had not yet come up with the name Motley. By its next staging a year and four months later, Motley was formed.

It is not a coincidence then that the 40th year celebrations of the theatre group began at Prithvi. But this time, it was not just the veterans. A group of youngsters, which included the Shahs’ three children, has joined Motley. The venue bustles with energy. Inside the auditorium, small groups are rehearsing from Manto... Ismat Hazir Hain, which is to be staged that evening; Naseer and Ratna discuss last-minute preparations.

Imaad, the elder son, practises a scene in which he falls from an elevated surface. He skids once and is reprimanded by his mother for not wearing appropriate footwear. In another corner, Naseer and daughter Heeba talk about fixing a light.