Actress Sheena Bhattessa started out in the Hindi film industry with such people as Bobby Deol and Saif Ali Khan, and mastered tongues of French and Hindi as she moved on. It is only then fitting that her first foray into the world of Shakespeare should be a celebration of culture: starting from the 29th of October, she will play Juliet in Ben Power's cosmopolitan rendition of Romeo and Juliet at the prestigious National Theatre:
“I am thrilled to be playing Juliet” she told us. “It's the first time I’m performing Shakespeare so I have loved the challenge and developed a new found love for the language and the plays. We have a multicultural cast from India to Pakistan to Nigeria; Montague vs Capulets are Indians vs Africans. Disputes, love, politics- these are all themes that every audience will relate to. This is a play that any culture can understand.”
The play uses the setting of an anonymous modern metropolis to explore the idea of forbidden whirlwind romance: 'In just over an hour, to be set up for marriage by your father against your will, fall in love with someone else, get married, ‘falsely’ kill yourself, then actually kill yourself is a lot to go through” elaborated Bhattessa. “It was certainly a challenge I wanted to embrace and take people on this journey with me. I want to add my own take on Juliet as well. This character has been played many times and I would want to make it ‘my own Juliet.” This attitude encapsulates the spirit of the production. Shakespeare's original lyrical verse will be exploded with singing, dancing and bright colours all round: “some of the dance and bits of music may be familiar” gushed Bhattessa. “In fact, the accents by some of the characters are something everyone will recognise and will hopefully see some comedy in what is otherwise a tragic love story!”
Working with a cast who bring such eclectic personalties has been the most motivating part Bhattessa said: “and I have always dreamed of playing one of Shakespeare’s most famous characters.” Having already been part of an Oliver-award nominated cast in the Tricycle Theatre's 'The Great Game' which was later performed for The Pentagon in 2011, we have no doubt she will also do the great bard justice: “My parents always stressed education as the most important thing. As long as I had this, I could try any profession that gave me joy. They taught me respect and hard work; if people are taking time out of their lives to watch a play, a TV show or a film, I'm going to give 110% to give them the best experience possible.”
