Abanti Chakraborty' s play, Siraj Ebong, which she both wrote and directed, breaks away from typical portrayals of the Bengal nawab Siraj-ud-Daulah. Instead of focusing solely on the nawab, it highlights the pivotal roles of the people around him: his wife Luftannisa, mother Amina Begum, aunt Ghaseti Begum, soothsayer and Murshid Quli Khan’s daughter Azimunnisa, and Mir Zafar.
In this drama, politics becomes just a symbol; it is the interpersonal relationships that are under the radar, with the hunger for power at the centre of the play. Actors Shaheb Bhattacherjee and Susmita Dey play Chhote Nawab Siraj and his Begum, Luftannisa, respectively, and create magic on stage, just like their onscreen characters Kothha and Agnibha/Agni/AV, from their recently concluded television serial, Kothha. We speak with them about their debut collaboration on stage and more.
Tell us a little about your play, Siraj Ebong.
Shaheb: Only a few plays have been written on the Bengal Nawab Siraj-ud-Daulah, and among those, most explore the political dynamics. But in this play, we explore the personal dynamics of Siraj—with his mother, Amina Begum, his aunt, Ghaseti Begum, and his wife, Luftannisa. It is the perspective of these three women and the influence they had on his life.
Our director has got into the skin of the characters and kind of explored why they acted like that, what their situation was, and so on. I won’t say the play tries to justify anything, but it is an attempt to reason the events. So, we have just tried to give a voice to the voiceless.
How special was it, and how difficult was it to get into a historical character?
Shaheb: For an actor, the challenge in doing a character like this is both difficult and fun, because interpretations of this character are already set in the audience’s mind, in books and in history. Even when I played Topshe, the same challenge was there. The character’s interpretation was there in the books, in people’s minds, and also in films. And it is the duty of the actor to determine how close you can get to the perception of people and what you can add to it.
That is how I also look at Siraj because he is a dynamic character. And for a young ruler of his age, it is easy to be impulsive and to be easily manipulated, and I would not blame him for something like this. I would rather say we wouldn’t understand him because we are not in his situation.
Susmita: This is my first time acting on stage, and getting a character like Lutfannisa was a huge responsibility. I have read a little about Lutfannisa. She was a dedicated lover. A maid before, and then a queen—Siraj’s Begum. Throughout the prep, I have realised how big a deal it was for a maid to become the nawab’s wife.
What challenges did you face when you were acting on stage for the first time?
Shaheb: I would like to answer this on behalf of her. Acting has a regulator. When you are on a big screen, you act accordingly. When acting for OTT, since people are mostly watching you on mobile screens, you have to be very specific with your expressions, and when on stage, your body language changes completely so that you can convey your feelings to even the last person in an auditorium. So I think that it is a little challenging for her to regulate that.
Shaheb, do you regularly do theatre?
Shaheb: I have been associated with theatre since 2014, more than a decade now. I always wanted to do theatre because I am not a trained actor. I had been a child artiste, and then I started doing television serials. But I always wanted to practise acting through theatre. Actors too need to practise, just like any other professionals. We watch films, web series, or whatever that would enrich us. But at the end of the day, this whole process, also to an extent, enhances the muscle memory, things that the brain needs to be taught, so that in given situations, the brain gives automatic reactions.
Especially in a medium like television, where a character fluctuates on TRP and keeps evolving every day, this process helps a lot. We keep picking up nuances, not just from other characters we see but also from people around us. Actors are keen observers, and that is also a practice. It helps us a lot, and the versatility increases manyfold. Your spectrum to think as a character increases.
I am associated with Behala Batayan, though I couldn’t do theatre last year because of my busy shoot schedule. And now, another new Bengali daily soap is starting soon, so I will get busy again. However, Siraj Ebong was like a comeback show for me.
Your onscreen pairing, Kothhagni from the Bengali serial Kothha, got immense love from the audience. How important is offscreen bonding for great onscreen chemistry?
Susmita: You know it is not just the hero and heroine; it’s about a team that propels a show. Even if you take the Avengers or Marvel films, the chemistry is not just between two people but a host of people, and whenever they all come under the same frequency and their wavelengths match, the teamwork becomes magnificent.
So yes, be it between just the lead pair or the entire serial/show/film, if you share a great bond, that will definitely reflect on the screen.
As you are turning back to the world of daily serials, would you miss working with Susmita?
Shaheb: I am playing a police officer in my next serial, Ganga, and I am paired opposite Hiya Mukherjee, who was last seen in Geeta LLB. So after our popular pairing, this would be a new challenge to be acceptable to the audience.
Honestly, when we started shooting for Kothha, we never thought that we would have to be a very popular onscreen pairing; it just happened over time. We just tried to make the characters as realistic and relatable as possible so that people start believing in them. Not just Susmita, I will definitely miss the entire team.
Siraj Ebong has its third show on April 10 at Gyan Manch.
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