'The Lion In Winter' strolls in town

Caught in a society where swank and sensation easily overtake matter, there are a few consistent actors and quality theatre groups that dazzle in the performing arts arena. In this context, veteran director and playwright Aamir Raza Hussain and his production house ‘Stagedoor Produtions’ are like a breath of fresh air as they come knocking on the doors of the City and bring their play ‘The Lion In Winter’.  The jolly, ever-smiling couple, Aamir and Viraat,  have made Bengaluru their home and describe the City with the excitement of a child in a candy store.

In her cheerful voice, Viraat says that she loves the greenery, weather and large Gulmohar trees while Aamir lauds the South Indian filter coffee.

Their plays range from Quixotic, politically ridden scripts such as ‘The Fifty Day War’ and ‘The Legend of Ram’ to ones that tap the collective consciousness like ‘The Mousetrap’. Their refreshing plots and ethereal costumes make the work a delightful watch as they give the intelligent audience what they look for — consistency and calibre.

For Aamir, the objective of theatre is to entertain rather than educate and ‘The Lion In Winter’ does just that, with its bouts of fun and poignancy. It is a period drama which has a strong relevance even today because of its emphasis on conflicts within the family, relationships and the connect that it has with the audience.

The elegant couple say that they enjoy a certain creative licence while taking a play from history as their plays aren’t adaptations or recreations. Aamir adds, “We add and subtract scenes and give the characters a humane touch so that the production is identifiable with the audience.”

One who has witnessed the highs and lows of theatre in the past, he comments on young theatre groups today and how they mushroom and wither away in no time —
either because of lack of commitment or training.

Describing the current generation as one that wishes for immediate success without hard work, he is upset that younger groups don’t exercise their creative engine
effectively. However, he still believes that amateur theatre groups will soon take the professional route, “just like how it has happened in our political space where there are professional actors,” he chuckles. “Groups should invest and reinvent with the times.

Actors migrate from stage to screen for money and recognition which is not bad, but what kills theatre is that actors believe they can become actors by learning online without training. This spoils theatre as the audience watching the play will disregard the art itself.”

‘The Lion In Winter’ will be performed on October 2 at ITC Windsor Hotel, Golf
Turf Road and is supported by Aircel.