MUMBAI: Actor Sushant Singh, who plays MF Husain in the play Husain Ki Kahani Husain Ki Zubani, is outraged at the circumstances that prevented the painter from attending the inaugural show of the play.

The play chronicles Husain’s life and opened last Saturday at Prithvi Theatres, Mumbai.

Sushant, who is pretty disappointed with the Hindu fundamentalists, said: “Husain saab’s son, daughter and granddaughters attended the show... much to my delight. But Husain saab couldn’t come. Apparently members of a Hindu radical organisation from Delhi have offered a reward of some lakh rupees to anyone who cuts off Husain saab’s hands for painting ‘Bharat Mata’ without clothes.”

Sushant is livid. “We thought such diktats were peculiar to one community. I guess we Hindus want to prove we can do what the others can. Anyway Husain saab’s absence was the only sore point on the opening night. His granddaughters were reduced to tears.”

Sushant plays the painter from age 20 to 52. “So I am on stage for almost two hours non-stop. I go through various changes in my look, body language and speech in front of the audience. It was a challenge that put the fear of god in me on the opening night, especially since the august gathering included the likes of Gulzar saab, Waheeda Rehman-ji and Shabana Azmi.”

But he is satisfied with his performance. “Fortunately for me, my performance went off smoothly... no hitches at all. Even my wife Molina, who is my greatest critic, liked my performance. I had to hold the fort almost by myself except for the first 45 minutes when another actor played the adolescent part of Husain saab’s life.”