Nisa Shetty is taking the Akshara tradition forward by presenting the complex and layered youth of actress-socialite leela Naidu. Anjana Mahato reports
She was our first international face to be featured on the cover of Vogue magazine as one of the most beautiful women of the world. Actress leela Naidu did have a beautiful life, born to privilege and connections, swirling in the cocktail of high life. Yet underneath the shimmer was a putrid tale of tragedy, something that people perceived as an enigma. She didn’t really want to be mysterious as she hid her private life that was about her abuse, friendlessness, infidelity by a rich husband, the death of one daughter, caused by drug overdose, and desertion by another. Acting and her striking appearance were just a veneer for a life of challenges. And it is this story of dualities that young Nisa Shetty, granddaughter of thespian Jalabala Vaidya, brought on stage over the weekend through her play leela’s lila.
“We chose leela Naidu because not many young people know about her. I read her autobiography. She was referred to as the most beautiful woman who had gone through a lot in life. And she died alone. Her story had to be told because of its contemporary relevance. Despite her problems and hardships, she was fiercely independent and lived life on her terms. I think many young people can relate to her, identify themselves in her situation and still find the will to go on,” said director Anasuya Vaidya, who directed her daughter in this adaptation of the autobiography by Naidu and Jerry Pinto. “It unravels some of the mystery and shares some of the tragedy. There are excerpts from the film lila by Bidisha Roy and Priyanjana Dutta as well as from some of leela Naidu’s best known films such as Anuradha and The Householder,” added Anasuya.
The various stages of leela’s life are enacted in chapters across the stage. Nisa plays the young leela seated in front of her dresser, ruminating on life while doing her makeup. On the other corner is Kanika Aurora, who plays the older, tragi-comic leela, who is almost drunk every time. Between them is Sunit Tandon, who plays her acerbic, cynical but constant friend Sunil.
“leela Naidu was born to a French mother and South-Indian father. She belonged to a very high society well-to-do family. She was very much enamoured by films but was more of a socialite who was married at a very young age to hotelier Tilak Raj Oberoi. The marriage turned abusive and collapsed. She had twin daughters, both of whom she lost, one to drug overdose and the other to circumstance. leela’s lila tries to capture and unfold the different and complex layers of her persona and her irreversible condition of solitude. She did find emotional solace with her second marriage to poet Dom Moraes but found out through his poetry that he had cheated on her as well. This is a woman who tries but keeps on getting challenged by circumstances and that struggle is what we have tried to put together,” said Nisa.
The young actor is aware of her legacy and hopes she can at least match the versatility of her celebrated grandmother. “She played all 22 roles in the Ramayana and has broken barriers for women actors. I am just about getting there. We have to keep Akshara Theatre, which was started by my grandparents, going. Now it is a platform for promoting new talent,” she told us.
“I love doing the character of Sita written by my nanaji Gopal Sharman, who wrote it in a very contemporary manner. It is till date the only Indian play to make it to Broadway. Now we do it with full cast of about 12 people,” added the budding actress.
Talking about the evolving theatre culture in the city, Nisa said, “Theatre actors in Delhi are paid peanuts in comparison to their counterparts in Mumbai. We really need to change that. There is just a different energy watching a live show, you feel the emotions transmitted all around, be it as an audience or as an actor. There is a satisfaction watching theatre because of this live connection, the last minute improvisation and the impromptu changes once you have gauged the kind of audience. It is about many artistic interpretations and great fun.”
Asked about the connection between theatre and films, which most aspiring actors share, she said, “Young people see theatre as a stepping stone to the big screen because doing a play is not easy and the experience helps them hone their performance.” She herself would like to face the camera, too, some day. “It would be lovely to see myself on screen. No matter how many plays you do, you would still want to work in a film. Right now though, I am preparing for my new play Swan Song which will be directed by Zorian Cross.”
