Martial arts meets philosophy in Lillete Dubey's play about the life of Bodidharma, writes P.Ramakrishnan.
For many people, Lillete Dubey is the international face of Indian cinema, thanks to Mira Nair's Monsoon Wedding and Vanity Fair.
A noted wit off stage and on, her appearances in films, including some memorable Bollywood roles, have given her international reccognition.
"Someone mentioned that I'm in every other film and I was quite taken aback," Dubey says. "I've done about six or seven Hindi and three English films in the last two years. How is that every other film?
"It just so happens that the movies were high-profile stuff. They weren't all box-office hits, but the independent films like My Brother Nikhil [about Aids] and Morning Raga [about the death of a classical singer's son] made a lot of news. I just can't be part of any old rubbish."
Dubey has long been associated with some of the best plays from India, including Dance Like a Man, which she directed and acted in.
In Mumbai, as her driver races through the rain to drop her at a movie set ("guest appearance darling, I can't be the lead at this stage"), Dubey is enthsiastic about taking her latest English play, Zen Katha, outside India - starting in Hong Kong this weekend.
"Theatre is my true love," she says. "I'll never leave it and I'm so excited about bringing the play to Hong Kong. Thematically, so much of it is relevant in that part of the world. the story was told to me by writer Pratap Sharma, I was keen to direct this on stage."
Zen Katha traces the story of Dharma, a Pallava Indian prince, recounting his journey from India to the Chinese court in 525AD. Through his tumultuous adventures, including an encounter with Emperor Wu Ti, the peace-loving Brahmin prince-turned-monk founded martial arts and the philosophy of Zen at a Shaolin monastery.
"I was fascinated because its part of our historical legacy," Dubey says. "The founder of Zen and martial arts - all the kung fu, tai chi and everything - can be traced to Maha Malappuram, which literally translates as the city of great wrestlers. It's a part of Indian history that little is known about.
"Bodidharma was originally known as Dharma. When he was prematurely born he was sentenced to death. Born weak, blue in the face, he was thought to be a disgrace by his father, the king who wanted only fighters as sons.
"But a Hindu priest begged the king to hand over the child to him. The priest taught pranaya, yogic breathing skills, and taught him kallaripayattu, a martial art, to gain strength.
"This first part of his life in India, before he headed off to Canton, fell into place as the first act of the play. He left through the Himalayas to learn martial arts that would enable him to fight faster than breath, faster than thought."
The second act unfolds across the borders as Dharma attempts to better himself. "It reveals what happened after he met Emperor Wu, who was surrounded in court by yes-men and sycophants," says Dubey. "The ruler was an extremely pious man, and the monk annoyed him terribly. The king wanted to know how he'd be rewarded in the after life. The monk said nothing. His answer to everything was nothing. The concept of nothingness, Zen, infuriated the king and the monk had to flee."
Writing and research took the theatre production team that Dubey founded in 1991 years. "The very word Zen is derived from Dhyaan - meditation, sharp focus. When you're fighting or mediating, there must be focus."
The multicultural play posed multiple challenges, from casting to tightening the script while preserving the epic nature of the story. "It's a very visual production," Dubey says. "So, my actors had to learn martial arts for months - but just the basics."
Will Hong Kong audiences be treated to high-level martial arts? "They perform some," she says. "But they're actors who play martial artists. The audience isn't going to see the fireworks they might be accustomed to. But our sensei, who taught them the basics, wasn't shy in his praise."
Sunday, September 25, 2005
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