On stage, age is no barrier, says Lilette Dubey

Lilette Dubey’s is a name that is much revered in both cinema and theatre circles. While her films like Kabhie Kabhie and Chalte Chalte have become cult hits, her theatre group Primetime Theatre Company, which she founded over 25 years ago has been part of iconic productions like Adhe Adhure and Dance Like a Man. Now, as she awaits the release of her upcoming film Sonata where she stars along with Aparna Sen and Shabana Azmi, the actress says that what cinema is doing today, theatre had already done long ago.

“Theatre gives one such immense freedom to express oneself however you want to. Today, a lot of people are commending the film since it is a different take than usual about three women edging towards the end of middle age. However, in theatre, no one would have questioned something like that,” she says, adding that it is perhaps because Sonata is adapted from a play that it transitioned so smoothly into its film format.

Lilette Dubey

Mahesh Elkunchwar, who wrote the play, had also asked her to be a part of the production several times, Lilette admits. “The timing was never right. I was always caught up with some project or other. But Mahesh is a terrific playwright and I would really love to do the play at least once. What’s interesting about the play is that it is a man writing about three women and giving such multifaceted insight into their lives,” she sighs.

Sonata revolves around three unmarried women, Aruna Chaturvedi, essayed by Aparna; Dolon Sen, played by Shabana; and Subhadra Parekh, a journalist, played by Lilette. Acting with two doyennes of cinema has been quite the experience for Lilette, who says that it was almost like a long party. “It’s amazing to have two women, who are your contemporaries, who have a similar background, working so closely with you. We loved spending time together both during and after shoots and the entire experience has been so enriching,” she recalls.

Despite having a blast on the sets of the film, the actress never dreamed that the movie trailer would receive the kind of adulation that it did.

“It’s about three middle-aged women in their living room chit-chatting. While I loved the concept and the play from which it was derived, I was surprised by the sheer number of people who loved it. We put it up on the Sonata Facebook page and within a day there were over 2.5 lakh views and everyone was raving about it. For an independent, low-budget film, it’s a huge deal,” she beams.

Another pleasant surprise for the makers of the film was perhaps the fact that the CBFC passed it with no cuts. Given the fact that the board has been extra vigilant of late, especially with regards to offbeat cinema, this, in itself, was quite the feat. However, Lilette says that this may be because the film does not subvert any standing narratives, despite being unconventional. “I think that the CBFC mostly targets films which have certain socio-political connotations. Since Sonata did not fall into those categories, we could go ahead with it,” she explained.

Despite the fact that she has an illustrious film career, Lilette still swears by her first love — theatre. “Theatre as a medium allows for immense exploration of forms and themes. I have played different ages in theatre and no one batted an eyelash. When you look at it through the lens of cinema, it suddenly becomes unique since it has not been explored before. On stage, age is no barrier,” she says.