M. Zishan as Amritlal

M. Zishan as Amritlal

“A woman in a man’s world may be considered as being progressive but a man in a woman’s world is pathetic!” 

Amritlal was a freedom fighter. Post independence he dedicated himself and his wealth to nation-building. A Gujarati, who makes Bangalore his home, he is liberal enough to let his son learn Bharatnatyam and marry a South Indian dancer. But when he wants to pursue dance as a career, Amritlal draws a line in the sand. You will be shocked to see how far he can go to thwart his son's aspirations to become a professional dancer.

The father-son conflict that follows, unwraps the central question that this play poses – “How far can a man pursue his art in a culture that doesn’t view dance as an acceptable male vocation?”

I make my stage debut playing Amritlal who is a good bit older than me. To find my inner Amritlal I think of my grandfather, who in many ways, was an Amritlal to my father. 

- M. Zishan