There was no way I would have said no to such a play,” says actor Rajeshwari Sachdev who is making her theatrical comeback after nearly 11 years with Gauhar, a play written by Mahesh Dattani and directed by Lillete Dubey.
The 135-minute play traces the story of Gauhar Jaan, one of the earliest women artistes who seized the opportunity that came with the advent of recording technology, and became the first Indian voice to be recorded for Gramophone Company in 1902. The gifted musician, who recorded over 600 records in more than 10 languages, was an Armenian Christian who later converted to Islam.
“She was a rock star of her times. She was someone feisty, who went against norms and took bold steps. She compressed ragas in just two-and-a-half to three minutes for the records — something all masters of that time refused to do,” says Sachdev, who plays the role of the singer in her younger days.
The play, which is based on Vikram Sampat’s book My Name is Gauhar Jaan!, also features Zila Khan, Denzil Smith, Anuj Gurwara, Danny Sura, Gillian Pinto and Parinaz Jal. It had opened on November 24, 2015 at the Prithvi Theatre Festival.
“We did not have much time to rehearse. But luckily, Vikram Sampath has done such a detailed study that the first thing I did was read the book. Naturally, it is impossible to show someone’s life who did everything with so much passion — be it singing, loving or writing — in just two hours; but we took one step at a time,” the actor, well-known for her role in filmmaker Shyam Benegal’s “Sardari Begum”, tells Metrolife.
However, Sachdev is quick to add that since she is not a trained classical singer, she did have moments that made her “shiver”. “It’s a play about a dancer and a singer, and I am not a trained singer. But despite having just a month, I wanted to give it a shot. I used to sit with our music person and rehearse during our shoots. And I am so glad I did it, else it would have been the biggest mistake,” he says with a hearty laugh.
She continues, “As an actor to be on stage is anyways challenging, and you learn each and every time. Even if you have played a particular part in the past, you are always going to present it in a different way each new time. The basics remain the same, but every experience is different.”
While her tryst with the world of theatre began when she was young, the artiste has also featured in films and on television. On asking about her preference, she says, “Each has its own charm”.
“In films, you know that you get to play a character only once, and hence you give it your best shot. Television, on the other hand, is a different ball game all together. Playing the same character, with the same amount of passion, day in and day out is difficult. But theatre is a medium in which you learn every day. Every actor should explore theatre once during their career. It gives you the adrenaline, no other medium can. You have to do theatre to understand the kind of stress, as well as exhilaration it gives,” she says.
Gauhar will be staged at Siri Fort Auditorium, August Kranti Marg on April 7 at 7.30 pm; and at Epicentre at Apparel House, Sector 44, Gurgaon on April 8 at 6 pm and 8. 30 pm.