Popular Indian actor Paresh Rawal is back in London, Leicester, Manchester, Birmingham and Croydon to perform on stage a successful Hindi play- “Dear Father.” It is hailed as a comic and emotional thriller. Raval plays the dual role of a father and a policeman- something only he can pull it off, exuding his natural sense of humour and humanity. Originally staged in Gujarati and directed by Dinkar Janiplay, the play's plot is equally fascinating.
It is the story of the Mankad family- Manu, the father, his son Ajay and daughter-in-law Alka. The play depicts a realistic theme that explores the conflicts that emerge in almost every home in India or Britain from the relationships that exist among the older and the younger generations.
The Mankad family is like any other family. Ajay is a lawyer and Alka teaches mathematics in a college. They live an ordinary life with an average Khushi (joy) and an average Ghum (sorrow) as Ajay comically points out in one of his dialogues. But their ordinary lives with apparent average joys and sorrows are suddenly affected by a shake-up in the form of Alka cunningly accusing dear father Manu of creating a conflict between the young married couple and thereby sowing the seeds of division in the father-son relationship.
Interestingly, Alka is far from a kind of villain of the play. In fact she is the one who makes sure her father-in-law takes his medicines regularly and personally gives his insulin injections every day. And so on, the drama develops with typical moments and incidents that shape ordinary urban lives. It takes in realities of marriage, soaring bills, manipulative lawyers, corrupt politicians, etc.
Moreover “Dear Father” probes into some actions, some secrets and some mysteries that we all at some stage or the other seem to hide. With well-directed pace, filled with an enjoyable comic sense and combined with characters' emotions, the play is sheer entertainment all the way.
And perhaps the most entertaining is the Father himself played by Rawal. Promoter Safdar Hussain, who staged a number of Bollywood and other shows in the UK, said: "Paresh Rawal is one of Indian theatre's most gifted artists. He has a natural stage presence and is totally at ease in his comic roles. I am sure the Asian community will enjoy this family orientated play."
Talking about the play, Raval said: “A good play should remain in your heart even after the curtains come down. There are some things that inspire you so much that you want them to be part of your life.”
Place and timings: Fairfield Halls, Croydon, Friday, 10 Oct 8.15 pm; Demonfort Hall, Leicester, Saturday 11 Oct, 7.30 pm; Eventim Apollo, London, Sunday, 12 Oct 7.30 pm; Tower Ball Room, Birmingham, 18 Oct, 8 pm; O2 Apollo, Manchester, Sunday 19 Oct 7 pm.
