Seema Pahwa: 'Koi Baat Chale' can help youngsters discover the riches of Hindi, Urdu literature

We have seen her, we have loved her and yet there is something new that Seema Pahwa has to offer everytime she lights up the stage and/or screen – shuffling between theatre and cinema. A theatre veteran, actor-director who explored her directorial skills with 2019 release ‘Ramprasad Ki Tehrvi’, will be seen in Zee Theatre’s ‘Koi Baat Chale’, a series of dramatic readings of a collection of six stories based on the acclaimed writer Saadat Hasan Manto’s short stories. Speaking to WION, Seema Pahwa opens up about her experience of being involved with such a unique project, Manto in this age and how the post-pandemic world poses its own set of challenges for artists.

Here are the excerpts of the conversation:

WION: What is ‘Koi Baat Chale’? How will it benefit the audience?

Seema Pahwa: Many youngsters today are not familiar with the literary legacy of our country and naturally gravitate towards Western literature, films, and popular culture. Projects like 'Koi Baat Chale' can play an important part in reaching out to young people and initiating them into a discovery of the riches of Hindi and Urdu literature and of stories in various Indian languages. 'Koi Baat Chale' is an anthology of dramatic narrations. It features stories by authors like Manto, Munshi Premchand and Harishankar Parsai andwill be read by Manoj Pahwa, Vineet Kumar, Vinay Pathak, Sadiya Siddiqui and Vivaan Shah.

We are in the digital period, where we listen less, surf channelsmore, consume visual content compulsively.These dramatic narratives canrekindle the joy of reading and of taking the time to listen and absorb. Once upon a time, our grandparents would tell us stories but even that has changed now, so if a series about storytelling comes on television, maybe the younger audience will be more receptive and inculcate the habit of listening.

WION: How do you find this format? Does an actor need any additional skills to do justice to this medium?

Seema Pahwa: An actor usually gets used to the action-reaction method as it is believed that acting is all about giving a reaction to an action. But there is one more dimension to storytelling and it is the imaginary world that a writer has created.This has to be depicted through the voice and expressions of an actor because we cannot create it visually and are only narrating it. So painting this world is a challenge for a solo performer. The narrator has to embody a writer's voice, his point-of-view and also play the characters present in the story. To do this simultaneously is a big challenge for any actor.

WION: Since the series begins with literature by Saadat HasanManto, how do you feel about India-Pakistan exchange of art?

Seema Pahwa: The exchange has been going on forever. When we talk about the literature of the subcontinent, be it in Urdu, Hindi or Punjabi, it belongs to all of us and not just to India or Pakistan. Before the Partition, there were no divisions as 'Toba Tek Singh' beautifully conveys and even today Urdu stories are a part of Indian literature and Hindi literature is read in Pakistan as well. I think this synergy has helped maintain our relationship with each other. If we don't talk about political aspects then literature is what keeps humans connected to each other and India and Pakistan have always been a part of each other. It is through these stories that we get to know each other more closely and learn how similar Pakistan and India are to each other.

WION: Manto in this age - Is his work relevant today and how?

Seema Pahwa: If we revisit Manto's stories that were written at the time of Partition or where he is talking about the lives of sex workers, we will find that the issues he is addressing do not belong to the past. These stories are still relevant because the emotions invested in them are universal and timeless. You cannot define them as old or new. What we feel sad about, the losses we grieve, are common to all humanity across time and they will remain the same in the future too. That's why when we read the stories of Manto or Ismat Chughtai or Munshi Premchand, they seem as relevant today as they were in the past.

WION: Seema ji, you are a TV personality and have done some incredible work over the years. How do you feel the audience's consumption of entertainment has changed post pandemic?

Seema Pahwa: The time we have spent in 2020-21 has definitely changed our personal and creative lives. Most people now prefer to work from home which is good and bad in its own way. This is also a matter of disappointment for artists who, for so long, have been working so hard to attract the audience to the theatres but now the frequency of people making time to step outside and buy tickets to watch theatre or films has reduced. The sense of community that films generated where everyone would enjoy them together has also decreased as most people want to be at home and sit, eat, drink, and watch movies.

This is why we now need the small screen and OTT streamers to bring our content to a larger audience. OTT content, in particular, provides diverse entertainment at home but I feel as human beings, we also adapt to anything quickly and if we have adapted to consuming entertainment at home, we will also start going out eventually to enjoy live entertainment and cinema the way we once did.

WION: As someone who's been a part of films sincea long time. What's your understanding of films tanking at the box office.Why do you think that is happening?

Seema Pahwa: It is hard to predict what will click but I feel people are looking for something authentic and emotionally honest regardless of the format, language or genre.

WION: What does it take to make a hit project, apart from goodcontent?

Seema Pahwa: I think honesty is very important while creating something. What is my intention to do any work? That is the most important question. If your intention is only to earn money in the name of entertainment, you will strive to put formulaic spices in your work to make it saleable. This dilutes the honesty towards cinema, theatre or telling any story. As an artist, it is my responsibility to give you my 100% and invest everything I have into the story I want to tell so that it reaches you. It is not that money is not important but the primary creative impulse should be honesty.

WION: Is there anything else that you would like to tell us about your experience working on 'Koi Baat Chale'?

Seema Pahwa: I think it is off to a great start. The digital aspect I think will hugely contribute towards creating an interest in theatre and good storytelling. Even without a lot of visual elements, people may find that tuning into a solo performer telling a story can be engaging and entertaining.The atmosphere we created is not filmy because the format has its limitations and yet the story told in a singular fashion has so many dimensions and richness. It will be a new experience for people who have not yet discovered theatre and maybe such shows can draw them to live performances as well. They may discover that going to the theatre and watching a play can be an interesting experience.