The play is a social satire depicting events that unfold after a happily married couple, invites guests to their new flat. Tension mounts when a surprise visitor arrives to stir things up and lives and emotions threaten to spiral into chaos. Says Shilpa, “There is so much in this story that is relatable. Be it the seemingly affluent couple with EMIs to pay, a troubled TV star, or an ambitious actress with stars in her eyes. There is such immaculate timing in the ways things happen in the story. Nothing is as it appears and the play makes you laugh and also think. It touches on so many issues through humour and demonstrates how unreliable imagined realities are. ”

About working with Mahesh Dattani, Shilpa says, “Mahesh sir’s plays have always been personal favorites of mine. In fact, his ‘Final Solutions’ and ‘Tara’ marked my stage debut with Asmita Theatre Group in college. The audience’s reaction to these plays was always stunning. Working with him was a fantastic learning opportunity and the rehearsals and the shoot were seamless. Even though this was my first teleplay, I felt very comfortable with the format, thanks to him.”

Talking about the teleplay format, she says, “Even though I have worked on stage and in cinema, it was very rewarding to deconstruct certain notions about acting before attempting to construct a character. This was not exactly a live medium like theatre but it offered a new way to tell a story. Theatre is so rich in literature and emotions that it must be modified for a new generation. As an actor, this was an exciting territory to delve into. I find it fascinating that Zee Theatre is bringing a huge canvas of literature to life via teleplays without sacrificing the soul of theatre. About ‘The Big Fat City,’ I would say that it is a riot of laughter interspersed with thoughtful reflections. Watch it and expect to be entertained.”

The play will be screened on TataPlay Theatre, Dish & D2h Rangmanch Active and Airtel Spotlight on May 14th. It also stars Bhavna Pani, Mansi Multani, Nissar Khan, Sid Makkar, Anuj Guruwara and Deepal Doshi.

The post Shilpa Shukla says, “The story of ‘The Big Fat City’ is a perfect representation of Mumbai’s turmoil”! first appeared on Latest News, Breaking News, National News, World News, India News, Bollywood News, Business News, Politics News, Sports News, Entertainment News - CineBuster.

Says Shilpa, “Zee Theatre’s ‘The Big Fat City’ was my first teleplay and I loved the whole journey. To work with Mahesh sir was a dream come true for me as I have acted in many of his plays when I was in college. His scripts are remarkable and so is his process and I just showed up for the rehearsals without even reading the play! ‘The Big Fat City’ also has a wonderful cast and we would meet every morning and rehearse till evening before we got into the filming process. It was a very fulfilling experience as there’s always so much to learn and unlearn, so much to deconstruct before attempting to construct, so much to give and receive.”

About the teleplay format, she says, “Theatre in its essence is very much a live medium. Words cannot describe the magic of “right here right now” that is collectively felt by the artist and the audience. Having said that, I also feel that theatre is so rich in literature and emotions, that it must be adapted for a generation that is not aware of its magic. If they don’t come to the theatre, we can take it to them and hope that they do not let the art form disappear after having tasted its magic.”

Shilpa believes, teleplays have different grammar and adds, “As an actor, it is definitely an intriguing space to explore. How we bring to life the vast canvas of literature, characters, and conflicts in a teleplay without losing the essence of theatre, is always going to be an interesting challenge.”

‘The Big Fat City’ also stars Bhavna Pani, Mansi Multani, Nissar Khan, Sid Makkar, Anuj Guruwara, and Deepal Doshi. The story begins when an apparently happily married couple, Niharika and Murli invite guests to their new flat. Tension mounts as a surprise visitor arrive to stir things up and a fatal climax seems imminent. The audience is left asking the question, “How many will survive the night?”

The post Shilpa Shukla says, “Zee Theatre’s ‘The Big Fat City’ was my first teleplay”! first appeared on Latest News, Breaking News, National News, World News, India News, Bollywood News, Business News, Politics News, Sports News, Entertainment News - CineBuster.