This heartfelt play in Hyderabad takes you through the journey of a family stuck in different time zones

“What is the use of success if you cannot share it with the people who you owe it to?” says Mohammad Ali Baig, the director and actor of Sunset Sunrise as we begin our conversation on a sunny morning. A play, written by Noor Baig, to commemorate the 40^th death anniversary of Qadir Ali Baig, it is about a techie, who gets a job in the US to honour his parents’ wishes. Although he fulfills his parents’ wishes, and takes care of their financial and other needs, he is physically not present with them. His absence is painful both for the parents as well as for the techie himself. 

Mohammad Ali Baig continues, “For Indian families, the idea of success is to be in a straight-jacketed profession and get a job abroad. There is also always a comparison of what ‘Sharmaji’s daughter or Reddy’s son’ is doing, and the child is always pressured to fulfil the parents’ dreams.”

In this play, “the female character is the hero”. The female protagonist, Mamata, the mother, makes multiple sacrifices since childhood; for her father, her husband and then, her son. While the son is growing up, Mamata, her husband, and her son make multiple sacrifices for each other. “While both sides are victimised, no one is the culprit,” the director says. 

Interestingly, Mohammad Ali Baig got the inspiration for this play from an interview he watched online about an Indian-American working in the IT industry. The interviewer asked him if he misses his home back in India, and he replied saying that this is his home, he has built a life in the US, and this is his home now. “The whole family goes through a dilemma which was the concept I wanted to portray,” he says. 

Rashmi Seth says she could resonate with the character of the mother she plays. “She (the character) takes initiative to learn new things including learning new apps to communicate with her son who is living abroad. I resonate with this character to the extent that she is independent minded and yearns for more in life than just fulfilling her responsibilities.”

Vijay Prasad, who plays the father, adds, “It’s the story of almost every Indian family whose children live abroad. My daughter is in Canada...”

Talking about the title of the play and the interesting climax, the director says that Sunset Sunrise symbolises the time zones of the two countries. When the sun rises in one part of the world, it sets in the other. He also says that the title signifies a certain change in the life of the mother. Watch the play to know more.

Tickets at ₹590. September 29, 7.30 pm. At Novotel HICC, Hitech City.

Story by Ananya Mehta