Saurabh Shukla explores thriller genre in new play 'Barff'

Actor-director Saurabh Shukla has marked his second coming to the theatre after 18 long years with his new production "Barff".
Despite being set in present day Kashmir, Shukla says, the play is not a political commentary, but seeks to introduce the Indian audience to a new world of thrill and suspense.
"It is a very special play for me, very close to my heart. We have seen all kind of plays, we have seen social satire, philosophical plays and all kind of genres. What we haven't tried in Hindi theatre is a thriller. The very first point of excitement for me was that I am doing a thriller which is new for the Indian audience.

"While the story is set in Kashmir, it is not a political play. It is not a political comment on Kashmir's situation. You must also understand that no story or no human being is free from the politics of the land. So obviously that reflects in this story as well, and you are free to take out your own interpretation," Shukla told PTI.
The play, which will be staged on the concluding day of the Delhi Theatre Festival on April 30, was first written as a film script.
While it did not make it to the silver screen, the production is replete with a visual quality that is regular in films but rare in theatre.

"It is very visual, because it was essentially written as a film script and was later adapted for stage. The film script obviously had a lot of visual quality to it.

"So we worked really hard with the set design, stage craft and the lighting, and effects that we created on stage, which you normally don't see in an Indian theatre production. People are doing similar work with foreign collaborations, but this is completely homegrown," says Shukla, who has both written and directed the play.
Returning to theatre after almost two decades, the actor of "Satya" fame says he finds nothing much has changed over the years apart from technical developments.

"I don't think much has changed. Passionate people are always passionate in any era. Back when I was starting, there were people who loved theatre, they were very good at what they did. There are such people today as well.
"Technically things have changed, newer lights have come, newer techniques have come. Theatre has become more expensive because the world has become expensive. There is much bigger involvement of corporate and money," Shukla said.
Talking about the increasing space for parallel cinema in the mainstream film industry, the National Award winning actor feels that the line separating the two types of cinema has blurred.

"You have to understand the line between parallel cinema and commercial cinema has blurred. It is a misconception that the films that have newer themes are not working. Films like 'Barfi', 'Jolly LLB' and 'Jolly LLB 2', all these movies are made on fresh stories and they are making good money," he says.
The two day theatre festival that begins on April 29 at Siri Fort Auditorium here, will also see 'A Walk in the Woods' by Naseeruddin Shah and Rajit Kapur, and 'Ek Mulaqaat' featuring Shekhar Suman and Deepti Naval.