A Man For All Seasons
Ratna Pathak Shah made her directorial debut with A Walk in the Woods, starring Naseeruddin Shah and Rajit Kapur. Lee Blessing’s original set during the Cold War with two negotiators, from the US and USSR trying to find a way ahead for a peaceful future, lends itself perfectly to an adaptation with present day situation between India and Pakistan. Faisal Rashid and Randeep Hooda’s adaption is excellent, and they bring in a lot of references (Bollywood, cricket) and nuances that are easily identifiable even by those who don’t know or care much about the murky world of diplomacy. The relations between India and Pakistan are in a strange grey zone, where the people have great love for a common culture and language, while political leaders and military heads battle over so many contentious issues of which cross-border terrorism is just one.
At such a time Jamaluddin Lutfullah (Naseeruddin Shah) from Pakistan and Ram Chinappa (Rajit Kapur) India meet in neutral Switzerland to negotiate peace. Lutfullah (the word Lutf or enjoyment in his name seems indicative of his nature) is an old hand at the game, while Chinappa comes to the table as a raw and optimistic bureaucrat, who believes that talks can solve every crisis.
While it becomes clear quite quickly, there is really no political will to solve the bigger issues, the play becomes more of a verbal and emotional pas de deux between the two men, and year after year, they end up taking a walk away from the formal negotiation set up, to the same bench in the same forest and try find meaning in a hopeless pursuit.
The play is funny, warm, poignant and completely gripping, for which the director and the two brilliant actors can take full credit. Nothing but the best can be expected from Naseeruddin Shah, but Rajit Kapur matches him every step of the way. Elegant costumes, a simple set, evocative light design, unobtrusive sound and minimal use of music lets the focus remain on the actors and the words they speak, with clarity and expressiveness.
Ratna Pathak Shah made her directorial debut with A Walk in the Woods, starring Naseeruddin Shah and Rajit Kapur. Lee Blessing’s original set during the Cold War with two negotiators, from the US and USSR trying to find a way ahead for a peaceful future, lends itself perfectly to an adaptation with present day situation between India and Pakistan. Faisal Rashid and Randeep Hooda’s adaption is excellent, and they bring in a lot of references (Bollywood, cricket) and nuances that are easily identifiable even by those who don’t know or care much about the murky world of diplomacy. The relations between India and Pakistan are in a strange grey zone, where the people have great love for a common culture and language, while political leaders and military heads battle over so many contentious issues of which cross-border terrorism is just one.
At such a time Jamaluddin Lutfullah (Naseeruddin Shah) from Pakistan and Ram Chinappa (Rajit Kapur) India meet in neutral Switzerland to negotiate peace. Lutfullah (the word Lutf or enjoyment in his name seems indicative of his nature) is an old hand at the game, while Chinappa comes to the table as a raw and optimistic bureaucrat, who believes that talks can solve every crisis.
While it becomes clear quite quickly, there is really no political will to solve the bigger issues, the play becomes more of a verbal and emotional pas de deux between the two men, and year after year, they end up taking a walk away from the formal negotiation set up, to the same bench in the same forest and try find meaning in a hopeless pursuit.
The play is funny, warm, poignant and completely gripping, for which the director and the two brilliant actors can take full credit. Nothing but the best can be expected from Naseeruddin Shah, but Rajit Kapur matches him every step of the way. Elegant costumes, a simple set, evocative light design, unobtrusive sound and minimal use of music lets the focus remain on the actors and the words they speak, with clarity and expressiveness.
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