‘Dear Father’ is a hindi play featuring Paresh Rawal, who makes a comeback to theatre after almost 16 years. It is one of the longest running plays in India, having been performed more than 200 times over the last decade. For me, the play defines Paresh Rawal as an actor of strength, an actor of courage, beyond doubt.
‘Dear Father’ features Rawal in a double role – one as an ailing father who is neglected by his son and daughter-in-law, and the other as a police inspector, who tries to instil some sense into the young couple, in respecting their father. The premise of the story is very simple – the son and daughter-in-law are so busy in life’s rat race, that they neglect their father’s ‘primitive needs and desires,’ to the extent that the father passes time by looking up the obituaries in the newspapers and calling up random people to offer his condolences. Humorous, yes. But there is a subtle message there – the father felt so neglected that he just wanted to talk to someone; his son and daughter-in-law were too busy to even talk to him. The first half of the play ends with a huge argument between the son and the father over the pettiest of issues.
The Paresh Rawal-in-the-inspector-avatar is brought on in the second half, when it is learnt that the father has gone missing, and the young couple is charged with his murder. Over the course of the next one hour, there are several twists and turns in the plot, whereby the inspector plays mind games with the couple, in order to make them realize their neglect towards their father. The father, however, returns towards the end and is greeted whole-heartedly by the young couple.
The play is about wit, humor, style and substance. Although around 2:45 hours long, there is never a time when the audience feels bored. The presence of only four characters on stage ensures that the story is simple, without confusing the audience, while focusing solely on the message at hand. The son and daughter-in-law are played by unheard-of theatre actors, Chetan Dhanani and Mrinmayee Godbole respectively, who carry off their parts with aplomb, and in a play featuring Paresh Rawal, make their presence felt, which in itself deserves respect.
The message of respecting and loving our elders has been portrayed in many of our films in the past, but it has never been delivered with as much punch as it is in ‘Dear Father’. One can connect with the characters of the play easily and it is a tribute to the creators of the play for being able to impart such a message, so brilliantly.
My recommendation? Run to get a ticket at the first opportunity you get to see this play.