Lillete Dubey brings women-centric plays to town

Theatre director and actor Lillete Dubey is bringing two of her plays to Bengaluru this weekend. Titled Gauhar and Salaam Noni Appa, both the plays are based on strong female characters.

Gauhar recreates the life of Gauhar Jaan, the first Indian singer whose voice was recorded on the gramophone. “The play was inspired by Vikram Sampath’s book ‘My Name is Gauhar Jaan’. Gauhar’s story has remained relatively unexplored. She was a fascinating woman, a true prodigy. Her story is important to music history,” Lillete says.

The play has been written in English and Hindi by Mahesh Dattani and the cast includes Girija Oak, Neena Kulkarni, Denzil Smith, among others. It premiered in 2015.

Salaam Noni Appa is a comic drama featuring Lillete in the lead role. It is an autumn romance based on a short story from Twinkle Khanna’s book ‘The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad’. The play revolves around Noni Appa, a widow, and her sister Binnie. “They remind you that at the end of the day, you live for yourself. You are not here to live by societal norms. It is both funny and emotional,” she says. Lillete will be joined by Yatin Karyekar, Jayati Bhatia, Rishi Khurana and Gillian Pinto on stage.

“Both the plays are about breaking stereotypes,” she adds.

Gauhar on December 16, and ‘Salaam Noni Appa’ on December 17, 3.30 pm and 7.30 pm, at Ranga Shankara, J P Nagar. Tickets online.