'Tumhari Amrita' incomplete without Farooq: Feroz Abbas

Playwright Feroz Abbas Khan cannot imagine any other actor playing the part of the suave Lucknow Nawab Zulfikar Haider in 'Tumhari Amrita' after the death of his friend Farooq Sheikh.
Sheikh, Shabana Azmi and Feroz formed a team with the play which completed its 20 year journey in 2012 and has since acquired a cult status. Feroz feels it is incomplete without the actor, who died of a heart attack in Dubai on December 27.
"I feel my play is raw without Farooq. I have loads of memories of him with the play and all these are happy and fun-filled ones. I, Farooq and Shabana grew as human beings with the play. Right now, I can't think that any other actor can replace Farooq," Feroz told PTI in an interview here.

'Tumhari Amrita', starring Azmi as bohemian Indian painter Amrita and Sheikh as her childhood friend. Their 35-year-old relationship unfolds through the letters that they write to each other.
The play has only two characters reading out letters to each other, a concept Feroz initially thought would not work with Indian audience but 'Tumhari Amrita', an adaptation of A R Gurney's American drama 'Love Letters', surprised him with its longevity.
"I was completely taken aback when my play was received well by the urban India. I realise that if you try to connect your audience emotionally then nothing can stop you. I staged the play first time at Prithvi Theatre, Mumbai in February 1992 and it's still a hit," he said.

After his successful stint as a filmmaker with critically acclaimed 'Gandhi, My Father' in 2007, Feroz is all set to introduce his next film 'Dekh Tamasha Dekh'. The political satire will hit theatres on April 11.
"I am not a cinema person. I am more into theatre because I enjoy doing it. I make films when I want to say something which should reach to the masses. 'Dekh Tamasha Dekh' is a satire on our political and social system which will hit theatres right at the time of the elections.