Himalayan News Service

Kathmandu

Directed and produced by Sundiip Sikcand, he also acts in ‘My Best Friend’s Wedding’. An easy-going person who is open to inputs from the others, this is his fourth play. But why does he spell his name that way? “It’s plain numerology,” he laughs. Working in Balaji Telefilms rubbed off on him admits the creative head. Besides plotting out the plot and direction of the serials for Balaji, Sundiip has also acted in ‘Kaahin Kissii Roz’, ‘Dil Ne Janne Se’, ‘Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki’ and ‘Qayamat’. He is at the moment working on ‘Karva Chauth’.

Believe it or not, Sikcand was in the garment industry for 11 years before he realised that he had “absolutely no business sense”. He got into theatre and the first play he produced ‘Lose Screws’ was “very hideous”. It takes a lot of guts to go on but Sikcand did it and his second play ‘Ask What Father Says’ was a major success.

Track down to his career in the teleserials: “I always wanted to work behind the scenes. Once I began to work on stage, work just came. I met Ekta Kapoor and working with her is very exciting. Workdays sometimes stretch to 18 to 19 hours. It is very interesting to see a story seen on paper come alive.”

Another in the caste, Kajal Shah throws in her claim to fame, “I’ve been into films, serials and Gujarati dramas. This is my first English play.” Hold your breath because that’s not all — “I’ve acted in ‘Shakalaka Boom Boom’, ‘Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin’ (she’s Mulchandani’s wife), ‘Kya Hadsa Kya Haqeeqat’. Films? I’ve acted in ‘Hadh Kardi’ and forthcoming this April is ‘Uff! Kya Jadoo Mohabbat Hai’ directed by Manoj Bhatia.”

What’s working in Jassi like? “The whole team is so good, warm and welcoming. I just entered a month back. Jassi is a very cute, down-to-earth girl in real life and very pretty.” According to them, this April Jassi ventures out of her shell and the transformation begins. There are 325 episodes chalked out that are guaranteed with a definite end.

Nisha Sareen, the one who adds chaos to the confusion that is already blown out of proportion in ‘My Best Friend’s Wedding’ has been acting since she was three! “Acting is like in my blood,” she shrugs, “My mom teaches drama and things.”

Shivani Tanksale has been in the theatre world for eight years having started off in college. She has acted in numerous plays that have travelled on to America and UK. Just stepping into the silverscreen, Tanksale has done a spoof on ‘Lagaan’ for Sahara TV called ‘Thakaan’ with Johnny Lever. On a larger scale, she had a tiny part in ‘Escape From Taliban’ starring Manisha Koirala. Tanksale plays Manisha’s husband’s sister who is in Afghanistan. “Just a scene for the experience,” she adds.

For Zarine Farooq, this is her first professional play. She has acted before but only in college or school level. Don’t underestimate her though, she was the Miss Personality in the Femina Miss India Contest in 2002. “I did a bit of modelling and the Miss India experience was a lot of fun. I really don’t know about my personality though. They mark you from Day 1 to the end. I guess I won because I was the least threatening, was just there having a fun time and was helpful. I really don’t know.”

Another model in the cast is Ayaz Khan who was the runner-up in the 1998 Gladrags. He has done ad campaigns for Gillette, Nescafe, Titan, Alto and need he say more? He is in his final year of LLB, “soon I’ll be able to sue the director,” he adds. With his sharp tongue and wit, he’s called the “crudest” but don’t underestimate the acting powers of a model because both he and Zarine come highly recommended by the director.

Khan quips that he got into modelling for the pocket money and really, acting before an audience is very different from all the fashion shows. “It’s fun if you do it well otherwise you want to kill yourself. It’s great and you get to travel.”

The others disagree about wanting to kill themselves. “We just have lots of fun and we get along. It’s a very supportive team. We bond on a personal level and look back only at the collective performance,” they say. This is their 24th or 25th show, the director has lost count, but on January 26, they complete a year. Actors in a play that has been a success throughout, they find every new show a new challenge. “It’s a different charge, the audience keeps you on your toes and you grow with every performance.”

‘My Best Friend’s Wedding’ will be travelling to Malaysia, UK, Singapore and Dubai. After three shows in Pune, they were called back for a fourth. It’s nothing like the Hollywood movie or it’s Bollywood translation. A totally chaotic Punjabi play, it is the thing if you want a laugh riot.