Of course, as most things unplanned in life, Ratna Pathak Shah’s directorial debut A Walk in the Woods too was also an unplanned one.

“It actually came to me than me having to go about looking for a play with the intention of directing it. Naseer (Naseeruddin Shah) was actually working on it and realised somebody from outside could have a better perspective and direction while working on it,” says Ratna. Considering the collaborative creative forces at Motley, Ratna says that it wasn’t really difficult to be in the director’s chair as it’s made out to be.
“At Motley, we’ve always worn different hats and I’ve been involved in various aspects right from acting to costume designing, set design and lights, backstage help and so much more. So, each of us comes with that experience and idea of what really goes into the play,” she says adding an exception, “Just that this time everybody looked at me for making that final call. But something that I realised for the first time was the amount of physical concentration that went into the craft. It’s tremendous and it definitely is quite challenging to don the hat of a director. Direction is an extension of all that I’ve learnt.”
Adapted by Faisal Rashid and Randeep Hooda, A Walk in the Woods is about two diplomats, who take a private walk in the woods in the middle of peace talks, and break the ice over an informal conversation.
Considering most bilateral meetings set out to achieve a breakthrough amidst muddled negotiations between their two countries, the play looks at the various possibilities and questions that arise out of such talks.
The historical context of the play is an interesting one.
In 1982, towards the end of the Cold War, the diplomats Paul H. Nitze (from the US) and Yuli A. Kvitsinsky (from USSR) left their official Geneva sessions for an informal walk in the woods and achieved a breakthrough, only to be rejected by their respective governments.
Lee Blessings’ play uses that event to create a fictional situation of a special kind of meeting, uniquely pressured and bound by geography, history and professional etiquette.
The most seeming and obvious choices in the contemporary context for South Asia would be India and Pakistan given the history of turbulence between the two countries. Yet the relationship continues to swing between hope and despair while people in both the countries find varied ways to connect with each other. Ratna says that the play has been adapted sensibly keeping the core issues in mind, which she isn’t ready to divulge.
“I can’t really reveal what problems about the two nations have we exactly looked into, but the current affairs are definitely going to be looked into. But what really appalls me is the price the common man has paid through generations,” remarks Ratna.
The play features her husband Naseeruddin Shah and Rajit Kapur in the role of the Pakistani and Indian diplomat, respectively.
How was it directing the theatre stalwarts and the husband?
“Oh, we’ve been friends for so many years, so there was no breaking that ice or all that jazz. And as I said, we’ve always been so collaborative that we eventually helped each other through the play as we usually do. And both Naseer and Rajit were extremely co-operative,” says Ratna.
Given the political context in the two countries now and the way our bilateral talks have taken place, Ratna says that the play has taken a critical approach towards the politicians and their way of executing things, but she says that one can’t blame the governments entirely.
“No doubt, the political parties are responsible for all the mess to a large extent, but one can’t deny that the common man is also influenced by them. After India won the World Cup in cricket, people were out on the streets cheering and celebrating for India. Naseer and I were driving to see the celebrations and suddenly we came across this group of people who kept shouting ‘Pakistan Murdabad’ and that disturbed me. Moreover, we didn’t even play them in the finals. It was so shocking and disgusting to see that on our streets on a night when the rest of India was swelling with pride and celebrating here was a bunch of people defaming Pakistan for the heck of it,” says Ratna.
She says that given the strained relationships between the two countries, she was quite surprised and happy to see the hospitality in Pakistan when she visited the country recently.
“At this peace forum, everybody there was so welcoming that it really broke my misconceptions. I realised they are so much like us and wondered if we would be able to treat them with the same kind of hospitality. People were genuinely happy to see us,” states Ratna.
“It is time to do away with this jingoistic attitude we all have from both the countries and stop flexing muscles at every given opportunity,” she adds.