Lilette Dubey defies any Indian woman stereotype

It isn’t every day that you hear an actor calling their breed a bunch of masochists; but then it isn’t every day that you come across a talent such as Lilette Dubey, who defies any Indian woman stereotype – especially a Bollywood generated one. 

Whilst most her age have draped themselves in sober saris and coloured their hair grey to fit the on-screen profile of a mother hen to the male or female lead, the 50-year-old theatre veteran slipped into skinny jeans and a cleavage dipping corset to play the role of a fun-loving cougar in the film, “Kal Ho Na Ho.” 

Dubey, who will be in Dubai this weekend for the Tony and Pultizer award winning play, “August: Osage County” that she stars in and directs, dishes the dirt on her theatrical adventures in a career spanning 35 years, along with talking about her experience in working alongside thespians such as Judi Dench, Maggie Smith and Tom Wilkinson in Oscar-winner John Madden’s film, “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”, which releases across the UAE on March 29. 

–What prompted you to pick up the script of the Tracy Letts play and adapt it to the largely Asian mindset across India and Dubai? 

–Lilette Dubey: The play was a deviation from what my theatre company focuses on, which is providing Indian voices a platform to have their body of work showcased to a larger audience. 

It’s not something that has been sworn in blood, but more of a commitment we have made to back Indian talent. 

However, my daughter Neha saw the Tracy Letts play in New York on Broadway and rang me up to say it’s terrific and that I must do this. 

I guess after reading the script and being blown away by it, what struck me was the story’s universal appeal. It’s a story that is not rooted in socio political red tape, but rather holds true in an urban family milieu, be it Peru, Tokyo, Shanghai or Dubai. 

–With such a veteran cast of 11 that includes you, along with Sandhya Mridul, Kitu Gidwani, Suchitra Pillai and others on a single stage may have resulted in a limited scope to showcase their talents individually. How did you work around this? 

–It’s the script that helps you here. The characterisation of each is so superb, that you can’t help but draw from the richness of each and see them shine on stage. 

It is what you would refer to as an ensemble piece that may not allow the same number of lines for each actor, but sees the graph of each character so nicely nuanced that despite 11 of us on stage, each leaves behind a lasting impression. 

–A complex play such as “August: Osage County” make require a more mature theatre audience. Do you think a young theatre culture such as one in Dubai ready for a dark comedy such as this, with so many sub-texts at play at once? 

–I have been coming to Dubai with plays for the past 20 years and I can say that if this play can appeal to audiences in a small city as Jaipur, then I am confident that the international cosmopolitan culture that resides here is just as versatile. 

This play comes with no kid gloves on; in fact, here we go directly for the jugular. It’s got shades of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” and “A Streetcar Named Desire”. A broken combination of a dysfunctional family that is powerful, yet funny. 

So frankly, I am not worried about sub texts, because each person in the audience will take something from it that others may not. 

–After 35 years of theatre, do you still get nervous before you step onto the stage? 

–The day I stop being nervous is the day I will stop acting on stage. You need that nervous buzz of wanting to head to the loo before a performance; your blood pressure should be spiking with that sense of important excitement. 

If a stage actor does not feel that anymore that he or she just might as well hang up their boots. 

We actors are a masochistic breed who want to be judged by the audience; we relish the thought of stripping ourselves bare and leaving ourselves open to applause or ridicule. 

–Does the same zing come by acting in film? 

–A film can be fixed. If you give lousy takes, then you have the opportunity to clean up your act. On stage, if you bungle up, you have to accept it and move on. There are no retakes. 

I have worked in films where some actors have given up to 30 takes, muddling up the scene or not talking loud enough for me to even understand my cue. At such times I’ve been forced to say, ‘Hon, could you speak up louder? I am not senile; I just can’t hear you’. 

‑ So despite theatre being your first love, you still continue with films. Why is that? 

–Films are a different sort of enjoyment that as an actor, I also want to experience. In fact, director John Madden’s “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”, sees me play a small role of Dev Patel’s (“Slumdog Millionaire) mother, but because I was working with the director of “Shakespeare in Love” and working alongside thespians such as Judi Dench, Bill Nighy and Maggie Smith, how could I refuse? 

–While actors such as Frieda Pinto and Anil Kapoor went on to bag Hollywood projects post “Slumdog Millionaire”, you had the opportunity nearly a decade earlier with “Monsoon Wedding”, yet you stayed close to home. Why is that? 

–Right after “Monsoon Wedding” became a global phenomenon, everyone told me to hire an agent. But I am such a lazy lump that nearly 10 years later I am starring in yet another international film, but have yet to follow through on this. 

I do acting for the fun of it. “Best Exotic…” was a choice to work alongside such noted stars that I have greatly admired through my career; my next film is a Bollywood one, that sees me work with Rishi Kapoor in David Dhawan’s “Chasme Badoor” 

Talk about a difference here; but I only do this because I believe in the enjoyment of acting, and not because I want to be a film diva one day. 

*“August: Osage County” chronicles the lives of the dysfunctional Weston family, who congregate in Goa after the disappearance of the patriarch, Leon. 

Organised by Rangmanch, two shows will be held on March 16, at 6pm and 9pm at Madinat Theatre, with tickets priced at Dh250, Dh350 and the Dh500 categories. For more information, call: 04 3666 546

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