The urge to laugh

Amir Raza Hussain's latest play, The Urge, is a take-off from Shakespeare's A Comedy of Errors. Don't miss this laugh riot

The urge to laugh

Amir Raza Hussain's latest play, The Urge, is a take-off from Shakespeare's A Comedy of Errors. Don't miss this laugh riot

Amir Raza Hussain, theatre doyen, Padmashree awardee, and director of outrageously hilarious plays, such as Move Over, is going to be staging The Urge in Pune. The play is a variation of Shakespeare's famous play -- A Comedy of Errors -- in which Amir Raza Hussain and Virat Hussain have essayed the lead roles.

The Urge is a hilarious situational comedy

Known for elaborate sets and an uncanny ability to keep the audience in splits, talking about the unique selling point of the play Hussain says, "We hope that the audience will be in splits throughout the act and that is the USP of the play. It is not an adaptation of A Comedy of Errors; the only similarity might be the concept of confusion that ensues when people have a similar face structure."

Hussain, who has garnered nationwide attention with Stagedoor Productions and has showcased over a thousand plays is a 'purist' of sorts. Talking about the dwindling nature of theatre, he says, "I don't think it is dwindling. I don't have famous personalities in my plays and with the grace of God we have always had a great audience."

The Urge brings together a touching story and a hilarious rendition by the cast. When asked about the roadblocks he faced while putting together such a huge production, Hussain says, "One of the major problems is that advertising has become extremely costly. If I had Rs 20,000 when I first started theatre it would have been enough, today, however even with a lakh there is little I could do. This has an adverse effect on the number of people that come to watch our play. The better the advertising campaign for the play the more the audience."

Finally talking about his lack of interest in directing films, he says, "My expertise lies in theatre. Also we theatre wallahs like to think pompously of theatre and consider films as an easy way out." With a veteran such as Amir Raza Hussain and with a plot that bears a subtle resemblance to a classic, little can go wrong. So become a voyeur for a day, sit back and enjoy as a true theatre aficionado would.