The sequel to Far Pavilions will be staged in Mumbai

LONDON: Over the last 27 year it has gone from a best selling novel to a $10 million TV mini-series and then a very popular West End stage musical — now it is getting a sequel! The Far Pavilions, an Indo-British romance set during the Raj, has surprisingly got a sequel two years after the original author MM Kaye died.

Fireflies written by Michael E Ward, friend of Mollie Kaye and producer of the West End production of The Far Pavilions, takes off where the first novel ended. Ward, who has gone to India to fulfil the last wishes of Kaye and scatter some of her ashes in Rajasthan, the land she called home, also hopes to entice Indian actor-turned-director Amol Palekar to direct his new venture.  Ward spoke to Sajeda Momin in London just before he left for India.

Have you spoken to Amol Palekar yet about him directing your new play?

Yes we have had one meeting and he has expressed his keenness. I have already sent him the script and plan to meet him in Mumbai so that I can discuss my vision for Fireflies with him. I really want him to be the director because he has just want I am looking for, and think he is brilliant.

Why a sequel to The Far Pavilions?

Mollie Kaye charged us (Ward and his wife Elaine) with taking forward the baton as if we were in a relay race whereby the wisdom of ages past is handed down through the generations. It is such a good story and the sources of the inspiration run so deep. But it will be completely new production and is written in the present tense rather than the past.

So what is the plot of Fireflies?

It starts 3 years after where The Far Pavilions ends. The regiment in Kabul is decimated, and Khan Sahib is being taken to India. In fact in this play the father figure of Khan Sahib is the pivotal character and the love story between Ashley, the English soldier and Anjali the Indian princess, is seen from his perspective. Khan Sahib tries to unravel the mystery of what happened to them and why.

You plan to mount the new play in India first, produce it in Mumbai, and then bring it to the UK and the rest of the world on tour. Why do it that way round?

Fireflies is based completely in India and I want the story to be told by Indian voices. Indian actors will play all 9 characters and all of the present tense is set in India. The British elements or references to The Far Pavilions will be in flashbacks, and all the music theatre in Fireflies will be done in flashbacks too.

Do you have any actors in mind to play the role of Khan Sahib who has been played by Omar Sharif in the film and Kabir Bedi in the play?

It is a very important part in Fireflies and a very big role. There are a handful of actors who I think would do justice to it. Naseeruddin Shah would be wonderful for the part, just as Anupam Kher would be too.

Have you approached them yet?

I am waiting to finalise the director first before I approach them. Perhaps that will happen in this trip.

What about the other characters?

They have to be actors who are experienced in theatre, and Indian theatre has some fantastic actors like in Marathi or Bengali theatre. That is not to say that I am ruling out Bollywood film stars. Some of them love the stage and have come from a stage background. I hope to make a shortlist when I am in Mumbai this time.

Four of the English characters including that of Ashley will of course have to be played by English artists particularly as it requires them to have experience of music theatre.

Apart from the meetings for Fireflies, your trip also has another very emotional purpose.

Yes, my wife and I will first be going to Udaipur to scatter the ashes of our dear friend Mollie. The auspicious time has been given as sunset on Saturday 4 March. So this will be done at 6.22pm. Mollie loved India and though she lived till the age of 96 she never got to see the musical of The Far Pavilions. Despite her age she worked very closely with me on the production. It had taken her 15 years to write the 1000 page epic.

When do you hope to have Fireflies ready by?

I want to kick off the play in India by January 2007 and then bring it the UK by the middle of summer.