It’s not easy living in a man-eat-man city like Mumbai. Actor Rajit Kapur, famous for his portrayal of fictional detective Byomkesh Bakshi in the eponymous 1993 TV series, plays a man dealing with that stress in this weekend’s comic play The Siddhus Of Upper Juhu, at Centrepoint Theatre, Ductac, Mall Of The Emirates. Kapur plays Balvinder, known as Bubbles Siddhu, a man on the brink of a nervous breakdown due to problems at work.
“It’s about a middle-aged couple living in a city and how the stress, its relentless buzz gets to them. It’s also a tongue-in-cheek look at relationships and what we do to ourselves in our pursuit for a good standard of living. We get into this rut when living in a city. While the husband is Punjabi, the wife is Parsi,” said Kapur in an interview with tabloid!.
The play, which takes place on October 15 and 16, stars Shernaz Patel, who has acted in supporting roles in films such as Guzaarish, will play as Bubbles’ wife.
For Bubbles Siddhu, the barking dogs, the noisy neighbours and the stress of unemployment trigger an emotional breakdown.
While many actors rely on being over the top while playing a Punjabi, Kapur, who has acted in films such as Guzaarish and Ghulaam, claim he has tried to tone down the gregariousness in this 100-minute English play.
“I am from a Punjabi family and I knew what’s required of me. It’s real, but a gregarious Punjabi can go sometimes over the top. I based a lot of it on my father and people from my dad’s family, his school friends... it was a combination of all of them,” said Kapur.
It’s not just exaggerated acting that he has distanced himself from. Kapur has also tried his best not to indulge in any cheap slapstick humour.
“We don’t believe in that kind of humour. This play has tongue-in-cheek humour and people living in the cities will be able to identify with it,” said Kapur.
As much as he detests slapstick comedy, the actor, who starred in Agnisakshi, the acclaimed 1999 Malayalam film set in the 1940s by director Shyam Prasad, also hates the capricious nature of Indian television serials. He claims he has rejected a few because of their last-minute work culture.
“It [the Indian TV industry] doesn’t really excite me. Unfortunately, the television in our country is unplanned. I can’t make a long-term commitment with somebody who’s making a serial at the last minute. Whereas television in other countries is more structured, they plan everything a year in advance. I get a lot of calls regularly for work in television, but they want you to start work, say the next week. I can’t work like that. TV works like that. But I don’t... My simple logic is input equals output, And I want to enjoy my food in a manner that I chew it first and not just swallow it.” said Kapur.
He’s currently working on Balki film Ki And Ka, also starring Arjun Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor. In January, the actor will be in the UAE to start work on an international feature, Solar Eclipse.
“It’s an English feature project and has a strong supporting cast such as Om Puri from India. It’s an investigative film set at the time of India-Pak partition. It’s based in real time, but the story is fictional. I am looking forward to coming there.”
Don’t Miss It!
The Siddhus Of Upper Juhu is on at Centrepoint Theatre, Ductac, Mall Of The Emirates, on October 15 and 16 at 8pm (gates open 7.30pm). Tickets, Dh100, Dh200, Dh300 and Dh500 on 04-3414777 and 04-4573212.
