Closing in on a 100

Hidayat Sami speaks to Sujata Chakrabarti about making a dramatic century and his new production

Some guys, they say, are just born lucky. Getting his first break in theatre at the early age of 19, in none other than Julius Caesar, a production by theatre stalwart, Naseeruddin Shah and climbing up the success ladder under the tutelage of Satyadev Dubey, has been a cakewalk so far.

And that’s not all — after 19 long years with Dubey, his debut direction, the much discussed All About Women is all set to be part of a carefully selected group of directions to be staged at the Prithvi Theatre Festival that interestingly has been dedicated to his favourite guru. 

Modestly, the 38-year-old, Hidayat Sami is too happy to inform, “I am just two plays away from a scoring a century.” Director, actor and light artiste, Hidayat has also been part of much acclaimed plays like Sunil Shanbag’s Cotton 56, Polyster 84 that stirred quite a storm when it travelled throughout the country. 

He says, “In my debut itself, I was acting alongside theatre badshahs like Benjamin Gilani, Akash Khurana, Naseer…And the best happened when Naseer prodded me to seek guidance under Satyadev Dubey.” Hidayat, who is often hailed among his peers as Satyadev’s protégé, however accepts the going got tough since then. He says, “It is a wonder how in 19 years I never once got fired by the man who the media regards as one of the most hated men of theatre.” 

We ask Hidayat if like most of his predecessors, he too considers theatre to be a social tool. After all, Cotton 56, Polyster 84 speaks in strong words against certain political leaders and gangsters has even been stopped by the police from staging, lest it hurts the sentiments of several political parties. He says, “Sad as it may sound, doing plays that mirror the bitter social reality is getting difficult these days. You don’t want any party or organisation to take a dislike to it. After all, theatre is a domain that gets zero security. Times are bad. You don’t know whose tolerance level  is what!”

Following the wise words of his teachers, Hidayat prefers to update his knowledge about theatre by constantly experimenting and working with fresh faces. Interestingly, Hidayat has just wrapped up the play Jake’s Women, where he let debutante director, Mrunmayee Lagoo take over the reins while he chose to be just a part of the cast. He laughs, “Mrunmayee has worked under me earlier too. That’s what keeps theatre refreshingly updated. You must learn to learn and unlearn what you have previously learnt!”

c_sujata@dnaindia.net