Photograph: Kind courtesy Ila Arun/Instagram
Want to watch a play from the comfort of your home?
Peechha Karti Parchhaiyan, starring Ila Arun and K K Raina, is now a teleplay, streaming on Zee Theatre.
An adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s classic drama Ghosts, Ila has written the play hand adapted it to the backdrop of Rajasthan’s Rajput families.
It explores a woman’s internal conflict with family secrets and personal boundaries, and her haunting shadows of the past.
Ila speaks to Patcy N/Rediff.com about her experience on the play and also looks back at her career in the movies.
Your character Yashodhara Baisah in Peechha Karti Parchhaiyan embodies Indian women shackled by responsibilities, tradition, society and so many other elements, and wants to break free.
IMAGE: Ila Arun in the play Peechha Karti Parchhaiyan.
You have set the play in Rajasthan. Is it because it is where you hail from and you could use personal references?
Photograph: Kind courtesy Ila Arun/Instagram
What made you come to Mumbai from Rajasthan? Was it marriage or movies?
IMAGE: Anita Kanwar, Soni Razdan, Ila Arun, Annu Kapoor, Kulbhushan Kharbanda and Satish Kaushik in Shyam Benegal’s Mandi.
You have had a long association with Shyam Benegal, with whom you have worked in Mandi, Trikal, Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda, Bose: The Forgotten Hero, Welcome to Sajjanpur, Well Done Abba and television serials like Samwidaan and Bharat Ek Khoj. What is your bond with Mr Benegal like?
IMAGE: Ila Arun and Sridevi in the song Morni Baga Ma Bole from Lamhe.
How did you get your first big break in Bollywood with the song Morni Baga Ma Bole from Lamhe?
IMAGE: Kareena Kapoor in the song Choli Ke Peeche from Crew.
After facing so much criticism for the song Choli Ke Peeche from Khalnayak, your song was used recently in Crew. How did you feel about that?
IMAGE: Ila Arun and K K Raina in the play Peechha Karti Parchhaiyan.
Coming back to your play, K K Raina and you have a theatre group called Surnai for the past 40 years. You write and he directs. Tell us more about this solid working association.
IMAGE: Ila Arun, Param Singh and K K Raina in the play Peechha Karti Parchhaiyan.
How was the play transformed into a teleplay without losing its charm?
