Director Seema Pahwa: ‘Watching theatre content on OTTs might encourage a new audience to go watch live performances'

Director Seema Pahwa instructing narrator Manoj Pahwa on the set of 'Koi Baat Chale', dramatic readings by Zee Theatre.

Storytellers keep finding different means to tell stories and dramatic readings are one such artform. A new show called Koi Baat Chale by Zee Theatre will see six different stories by writers Saadat Hasan Manto (Toba Tek Singh, Hatak and Mammad Bhai), Harishankar Parsai (Ek Film Katha) and Munshi Premchand (Gulli Danda and Idgah) narrated by actors such as Manoj Pahwa, Saadia Siddiqui, Vinay Pathak, Vivaan Shah, Gopal Dutt and Vineet Singh. Director Seema Pahwa and her husband Manoj Pahwa — who is narrating Manto’s Toba Tek Singh — to know more about the project. Edited excerpts:

Seema Pahwa

Is this the first time you are helming dramatic readings of this nature, where the emphasis is more on the narration than visuals?

Seema: That’s right. I have done films, plays and short films but this is definitely a new concept for me. Dramatic readings are generally done on the stage in small, intimate set-ups. It’s a slightly different concept when it is done for the screen.

There are six stories by authors such as Manto, Parsai and Premchand. How did you choose the stories?

Seema: All these authors have written such beautiful stories which are still relevant today. There was no real aim behind choosing these particular stories. Some of them have been favourites and one has wanted to make them reach more people. I felt they all belong to different moods and have different flavours.

Manoj, as an actor you have done dramatic readings on stage. How different was this experience?

Manoj: Yes, we have done story readings on stage in compact and intimate surroundings. As an actor, the preparation I have to do remains the same because the soul of the story is the same. The difference here is in the technicalities. There are four cameras on the actor; a particular passage has to be read to a particular camera, etc. One has to tell stories in a way that reaches people.

Manoj Pahwa narrating 'Toba Tek Singh'.

How were the narrators chosen?

Seema: The stories came first and then we chose narrators according to the mood of the stories and the personalities of the actors. We had to see how their contribution could elevate the story because their personalities should fit the flavour and mood of the stories. All these actors are so refined that they can do justice to anything given to them but I felt they were right for their respective stories.

The pandemic and the lockdown made people look for alternative mediums for entertainment. With live theatre back now, do you think people would still be interested in dramatic readings on screen?

Seema: The OTT platforms received a major boost during the lockdown when people were sitting at home and seeking entertainment. Everything became available at the click of a button. I think it’s beautiful that they can also watch theatre content in this manner. Both things are possible. People may want to continue watching theatre from the comfort of their homes. The other thing is that a new audience might get created because there are many people who have not come and watched live theatre. They don’t know about the stories that are told there and how they are performed. After watching theatre content here, they might be encouraged to come and watch live performances.