Muavazey - the opening weekend

Its Done..the curtain has risen
the last weekend was the opening weekend of my third play with naatak "Muavazey"
The lasting image in my mind -an image of the entire "muavazey" team holding hands bowing to an appreciative audience ....


"Audition calls for naatak's nth production" the email headline screamed
"Should I , Shouldn't I ? "
"Idiotta What a stupid Question"
So ,sure enough on a languid saturday afternoon , i find myself at the naatak auditions for the third time
"Wow , A lot of the old timers here!"
PC my hellos to the familiar faces and get seated in a group of 40-50 people
Do my bit , and watch the other actors do their parts, amazed at the versatility of some actors.
I do the nail biting thing and hear my name being called out, manage to keep a straight face ..
"Listen to the director " , i say to myself as i struggle to focus
dialogues/motions staring at me like a double headed hydra ..the task before me..to separate these conjoined twins ..give each a life of its own and yet make them sing in a harmony that resonates with the audience
Goofups galore ..when Gen sa'ab says "bastiwalon ka roop badal denge " instead of
"basti ka roop badal denge" and when I rush in saying "Sir Sir " but forget the remainder of my dialogue
I end up exhausted at the end of every rehearsal ,as i am sure the others did too
most of us had to portray multiple roles ..me,myself , and yours truly Doh had to do three ...trying to imagine out and live for a space of two hours what those individuals would do in the given situations.
Saturday ICC milpitas -Opening day
Jittery and nervous would probably be the right way to describe the average temperature of the ward
two hours pass by in a whirl
Murphy happened ...the phone-ring contraption that had been rigged up bailed out midway ..Kudos commisioner sahab for the kewl ...
scan the audience for familiar faces ..find many ..thank them for coming
get a lot of grief and geese for my manglu act.. the manglu act involved ,besides other things, appearing in front of a hundred and fifty people in a banian and a chaddi( Yes the dhari waala ,complete with naada et all)
Next week we take our act to san francisco and berkeley ..damn excited
naatak has never done a play there, should be fun ..
well that's that
in my own little way, I feel like part of the big picture when i act
That picture(Michaelangelo i think) ... On the ceilings of one of the hallowed cathedrals ..when God touched Man with his fingertip
Nothing so grand as God in my case ..
But ever so often that act of living somebody else's life,fleetingly though ,helps me empathise ..that's the spark ..when two lives collide .. for a tiny ethereal second opening that window , offering a glimpse into each others's existence ,real or imaginary ... leaves me happy or sad .. or grateful or dissatisfied .. reminding me I'm human in my proud moments ..and yes That Im Human at my low points too..

a loud stentorian voice
"ACTORS ARE DELUSIONAL!"