Actors attend panel discussion at The Embassy of India.
By Jay Sood
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BELTSVILLE, Maryland: Mera Woh Matlab Nahi Tha, a family play starring veteran Bollywood actors and theatre artists Anupam Kher, Neena Gupta and Rakesh Bedi, was staged in front of a full house here on August 21.
It was the eighth show of the play’s current US tour, and thespians Kher, Gupta and Bedi gave a stellar performance. Speaking at the end, Kher admitted that this was their best show so far.
The play opens in Lodhi Garden, Delhi, where Hema (Neena Gupta) is waiting for Pritam (Anupam Kher) on a park bench. The couple is meeting after 35 years before they got separated due to family circumstances.
Most of the play is performed on a park bench with a wide projector in the backdrop. As the couple goes down memory lane, the audience sees the antecedents on the screen.
The show keeps the audience hooked till the very end. Various emotions and experiences that these high-school sweethearts share brings all colors of life: youth, love, romance, family, circumstances, separation and reunion.
Kher’s versatile performance makes the play a reality. Though this is Neena Gupta’s first come-back after nine long years, the actress gives a flawless performance.
Rakesh Bedi’s sporadic appearances as a casual jogger in the park bring lighter moments into the play. The audience burst out laughing during Bedi’s short interruptions to the couple’s memory lane. Bedi is also the writer and director of the show.
In the Washington-Baltimore area, the play was promoted by Udeshi Inc. and MS Entertainment. Nationally, the show is being promoted by Rajender Singh and the Houston-based Star Promotions Inc.
The three actors are scheduled to perform in at least a dozen more cities in the US and Canada before the tour concludes on September 17.
“The show was sold out a week in advance,” said Kirit Udeshi of Udeshi Inc. “It shows the popularity of Kher, Gupta and Bedi, who didn’t disappoint the art lovers of the Washington-Baltimore area. This was one of the best plays we have brought to this area.”
On August 20, the artists participated in an interactive discussion panel discussion, “The Contemporary Scene: The Links Between Indian Theater and Cinema,” at the Embassy of India in Washington, DC, on August 20.
The three actors answered questions from Udeshi, who moderated the event, and the audience. Watch the discussion below:
1 Comment
The title ‘Woh Matlab Nahi Tha” means “That is Not What I Meant” contrary to what the translation in the Ad’s :”We Never Say What We Mean” !