On Naseeruddin Shah's 73rd birthday, here's a look back at his incredible journey with Motley

One of the most admired actors in the Indian film industry, Naseeruddin Shah, has built an unrivalled and distinctive legacy throughout the years. The veteran performer has demonstrated his acting prowess in Hindi, regional, and foreign films, regardless of the size of his role. Naseeruddin has repeatedly demonstrated his flexibility as a performer even on stage, with his theatre group, 'Motley'.

Ahana Chaudhury

First Published Jul 20, 2023, 1:29 PM IST | Last Updated Jul 20, 2023, 1:29 PM IST

In 1978, actors Naseeruddin Shah and Benjamin Gilani decided to produce plays they were fascinated about, beginning with Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot. As one of the most renowned theatre companies today, Motley was born. The 44th anniversary of Motley was marked by staging some of its most well-known plays, including Manto Ismat Hazir Hain, Einstein, and Aurat! Aurat! Up till the end of the month, Aurat!!!, Kambakht Bilkul Aurat, and Dear Liar will be performing in Bengaluru's Ranga Shankara.

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When asked, why he chose Samuel Beckett's 'Waiting For Godot' to begin with, he told Moneycontrol.com: Staging Godot and forming Motley was Ben Gilani’s idea. I had read the play in college, but couldn't make head or tail of it; at the National School of Drama, despite (Ebrahim) Alkazi's explanations, it remained incomprehensible. I wasn't in favour of attempting it, but Ben insisted, saying we should just feel our way around at first, the understanding would follow. It did, but only after we stopped trying to understand it and began to try doing justice to the words, and over the years, it's become part of our systems. It's not a play that can be explained, it has to be felt.

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Speaking about how they moved from being an English theatre group to performing Hindustani plays, Shah said that attempting something in Hindustani was his idea. Quoting him he said, "I was fed up with Motley being categorised as an English theatre group (synonymous with high-end South Bombay) and I also felt a strong urge to perform in the language I grew up hearing all around me." He added that as much as performing Ghalib was a surprise for Urdu poetry, discovering Ismat Chughtai was for Indian literature. "These stories have given the company a broader perspective on theatre in addition to exposing them to our nation's literature." he commented.

Commenting on the future of Indian theatre, he said that there are thousands of young people who work in theatre either creating or producing plays or simply learning the ropes. In Mumbai, numerous little theatre groups have popped up where new companies can stage plays affordably. Some of the young performers are doing fantastic work. The level of excitement and vigour they exhibit is quite impressive. Their work may be inconsistent right now, but if they persevere—and I believe they will—they will significantly alter Indian theatre in all respects since they don't seem to be motivated solely by commercial considerations.

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For his roles as Gulfam Hasan in 'Sarfarosh', the dim-witted commoner in Neeraj Pandey's 'A Wednesday', Iftikhar in 'Ishqiya', and Narayan Khobre in 'Kuttey', Naseeruddin is well-liked by millennials and Generation Z. The seasoned actor, however, has appeared in films outside of the arthouse genre. Along with helping to keep Indian theatre alive, his work in the field was crucial in developing him into a more skilled performer.

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