Even before the first production was staged, all the eight shows, to be performed as part of 2024 edition of Kalaa Utsavam — Singapore’s biggest Indian festival of arts — were sold out. But the final knockout punch was yet to be delivered, and HuM Theatre did just that, and how!
At the iconic Esplanade Theatre Studio, 1,800 people not only watched but also rode the wave of emotions as a part of the play, as Daisy Irani Subaiah and her team brought to life the script her husband, Subin Subaiah, wrote, adapting Khushwant Singh’s popular novel Train To Pakistan for stage.
Shortly after the play, Connected to India’s Himanshu Verma sat down with actors Shrey Bhargava, Ashie Singh, Gautam Marathe, Daisy, and Subin, for an hour-long freewheeling roundtable, where several secrets were spilled. Subin and Daisy also played pivotal roles in the play, apart from taking on the extra roles of writing and directing, respectively.
Daisy says she had faced some resistance from people, who initially doubted her choice of staging the novel, whose backdrop is the partition between India and Pakistan in 1947. “People were like, ‘arey, Train to Pakistan, you know there will be subjects that are hurtful or sensitive. You know what Daisy, are you sure?’,” she says. For context, the subject of partition is still a painful piece of memory for millions in both the nations, and to several others from the Subcontinent who have moved to other parts of the world, including Singapore.
That, however, didn’t deter the veteran thespian as she admittedly looked beyond the conventional angle. “I kept on thinking… it’s about hope. It’s about love, it’s about faith. If anything, today we need, it’s that.”
“I think we need to look beyond this conflict,” she adds. Banking on her instinct paid rich dividends as the team received plaudits from critics and audience alike.
Daisy says, many people have also come up to her, urging her to travel the world with the play, thereby validating her choice.
Asked about his experiencing of adapting the play, Subin says, “I Felt like a thief with a very small bag.”
Watch the entire conversation below to know more about the play and what the makers have in mind regarding it.
