Keeping alive a spirit of substance...

At a time when women in India are confronted with rape, molestation and fear, the diary of a young German girl - trapped in the ravages of the second World War - opens an altogether new window of interpretation. And, it is well-known theatre director Roysten Abel who has held the reins of a new theme emerging out of the original history of the story of Anne Frank.
Roysten was sure that the biding force behind the strong characters could only be rendered by women of the making of Zohra Sehgal, Shabana Azmi, Nandita Das, Anastasia and Mandakini - who play the main characters in The Spirit of Anne Frank."As soon as the proposal to do a play on the life of Anne Frank came to me from the Dutch embassy, I knew I had to think of a strong cast - and an all women cast at that - and the names that came to mind were of these women - superlative in their acting skills," says Abel.
Cut to the rehearsal scene where the leading ladies have teamed up to rekindle the undaunted spirit of a young and strong mind. The play traces a train situation where five women travelling in the same compartment start discussing Anne Frank. Says Shabana Azmi, who has found time for rehearsal between parliament sessions, "As a professional, this is an entirely new and challenging experience. It brings the woman''s gaze into focus, as to how women see things differently - that itself is cause for celebration. There is a spirit of triumph against adversity," says Azmi.
Zohra Sehgal, who plays a iron-willed teacher, is going strong. "Although I have been involved with some movies of late, coming back to theatre is a great feeling. I still feel young," she says with a chuckle.
Nandita is back from the US and is in the process of discovering her role even as the script has undergone a few changes. "At the moment, we don''t want to reveal too much about the play. Being an improvised story, it is constantly evolving," she offers. Adds Azmi, "This play is of the kind that will make the audience think."
The five ladies gracefully step into the skin of the respective characters they play. Experience, youth, commitment and intellect have found an unusual juxtaposition in The Spirit of Anne Frank. "Everyone is Anne Frank. The idea is that each woman embodies some of her spirit," explains Roysten. And that is the spirit which promises to conquer imagination through creative expression.
sanghitasingh@indiatimes.com