Nadir Khan’s new play is the coming-of-age story of three boys who face love, loss and heartbreak along the way which metamorphoses them into adults, says MANSI BHANSAlI
Friends are the real jewels in a person’s life. They are the ones on whose shoulders we can lean and express our real emotions. Nadir Khan’s, latest play Anand Express is an ode to friendship. The play revolves around the journey of three boys and within the time frame that it is stage, it encapsulates emotions like loss, tension and humor. The audience embarks on an on an emotional journey with the actors who bid farewell to their deceased friend.
The Aditya Birla Group’s theater initiative Aadyam in collaboration with Rage Productions will be presenting Anand Express on 8th and 9th July at Kamani Auditorium, Delhi. the play written by Carl Miller is based on the book Ostrich Boys by Keith Gray. It has been adapted by Akarsh Khurana for the Indian audience and directed by Nadir Khan.
Khan has worked with Goldhawk Productions to produce his first BBC radio drama, A Suitable Boy in 2001. Khan says he decided to take up the script of Anand Express for several reasons. He says, “It was a fresh and exciting script, very different from what I have done before. It deals with young adults at a time and age when they do not have much. That’s why I found the script something to work upon and interesting”.
Khurana is the man behind scripting The Ostrich Boys in an Indian landscape. “Akarsh and I have worked together before on many occasions. We know each other very well. Rage Production and Akarsh too go back a long way. When the question came up about scripting the Indian version of The Ostrich Boys, we narrowed down on Akarsh as the best person to pen it, ” says Khan.
What did Khan have in mind while casting the boys for the playIJ He says, “When you are casting for a particular role, you always try to find who will fit it and also bring something new to the character. Therefore, a director always has many things in mind while casting for a particular role. And that’s how I choose Sukant Goel, Vivaan Shah, Siddharth Kumar and Chaitanya Sharma.”
Since the play has been adapted from the play The Ostrich Boys which has been adapted from the eponymous novel Khan elucidates the ways in which Anand Express is different and similar to the original one. He says, “The basic structure and the story of the play are same. It’s just been contextualised to the Indian setting. Even the characters and their journey are similar to the original play. But, we do have very interesting set designs and have used elements like unique projections to enhance the storytelling of the play on the stage.”
Khan has tried to manage and balance all the emotions in the play so that he can bring out the best out of his characters. He says, “A story can be told as well as you can and be as true to the text and the script as you can possibly be. Any script needs many layers and many different things that characters are going through, otherwise, it would be quite boring. This one has many different layers of complexities be in terms of what are boys going through and it’s not just a one-dimensional story, so we tried to be as true to the script as possible and tell the story as truthfully and as in as excitiNg a manner as possible.”
On asking about the difficulties he faced while showcasing the play, he answered “It was a very challenging experience but in a good way because it was a very different script for me that I have worked upon in terms of how it is structured. It’s a very linear but not naturalistic or realistic and goes back and forth in time. I haven’t directed this kind of a script for a long time. I was happy to accept that challenge”.
Anand Express is a coming-of-age story of a teenager. He believes, “The play unfolds the challenges a teenage faces during his transition to adulthood. Generally, when you are young you wear your heart on your sleeve and get excited by life. Everything appears in black and white and things are much simpler but as you grow older, you understand there are repercussion to what you do and there are grey areas in the world and it is at this point when these start to appear. It’s a journey to adulthood, basically”.
Khan not only directs but is also acting, and is the lighting technician and stage manager. Being a multi-talented man, he answered, “Of these, my favorite would probably be directing because I think it’s very challenging and interesting. One can constantly improve with each show and each new experience. As a director, I always want to see the play grow and also help me in my growth.”
Talking about his upcoming projects, Nadir responds “I’ve not much planned for now. Currently, I’m focusing on my running play Anand Express. My previous play 12 Angry Jurors is also being staged in Bangalore. Something will turn up definitely for the later part of the year”.