Suchitra Krishnamoorthi rocked the show in the 90s with her portrayal of the cute and kind-hearted Anna in Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa (1994) and also with her pop songs. In the previous decade, she carved a niche for herself after her third novel, Drama Queen, became a runaway success. 3 years later, in 2016, she adapted the book into a play of the same name. It also became a hit, which was not a surprise. After all, the material is quite spicy, features names of prominent Bollywood celebrities, and most importantly, is quite relatable.
After a break due to the Covid restrictions, Suchitra Krishnamoorthi is all set to once again present Drama Queen on stage. On Saturday, April 16, the 75 minute-long one-actor play would be staged at St Andrews Auditorium, Mumbai. And that’s not all. A day later, she’ll share the stage with Shekhar Suman for another play, Ek Haan.
Bollywood Hungama exclusively spoke to the evergreen charming actress while she was doing the rehearsals for Drama Queen along with her director, Randhir Ranjan Roy. This writer got a chance to witness first-hand how Suchitra has gone all out to ensure that semi-autobiographical material entertains viewers thoroughly.
When asked how is to perform 2 plays belonging to 2 diverse genres almost back to back, Suchitra flashed her wonderful smile and said, “I am very excited to be back on stage. We are all happy to be alive post-Covid and getting back to action. It’s like an exaggerated, fictionalized slice of my life. For me, that’s exciting. As an artist, it is challenging to do something so different. In fact, when Randhir offered me Ek Haan, I told him, ‘Are you mad? I can barely speak Hindi. You are offering me something in Urdu’! However, I took it up as a challenge and I am glad I did. I think you need to do things which you think that you can’t do.”
The poster of Drama Queen promises that the play is a refreshed version. Suchitra, on this, explained, “We have added animation, which will be projected on the screen at the back. Besides, we have also added fresh songs.” She continued, “My paintings will be shown on the screen. We have animated Ma, Nana (Suchitra’s father), Pankaj (Suchitra’s friend whom she gets attracted to).”
One of the biggest tracks in Drama Queen is Suchitra Krishnamoorthi’s tu-tu main-main with her mother. Her father and daughter Kaveri also feature in the novel prominently. So what was their reaction when they must have read the book, considering her parents’ conservative stance?
She explained, “Initially, my parents were very reserved. Mind you, now everything is very open. 9 years ago, when I wrote this book, this genre was very new. So, initially, they had apprehensions. When my mom came to see the play for the first time, I was very nervous. But her laugh was the loudest in the hall. I was so relieved. The whole thing is in good humour. And I have made fun of my own insecurities and notions that we have been brought up like not being able to look after yourself, that you need a man in your life and get married etc. So I have actually turned these things on their head and made fun of it, and hopefully, emerged out of it!”
The beauty of the novel is how Suchitra Krishnamoorthi unapologetically reveals what lengths she went to woo men, after her divorce from filmmaker Shekhar Kapur. The actress stated that the reactions of the audience have been fabulous, “I have had women clutching my hands and crying. What’s also great is that people laugh and have a good time. Some have even told me that even two days after watching the play, they have been still laughing! So the intention is that audiences should have a good time. Even the whole section about my phobias, I have made it artistic. The new, refreshed version is funnier.”
What has also struck a chord is Suchitra Krishnamoorthi opening up on how her mother stopped her from entering films and compared actors to prostitutes. She also speaks about her sister being shamed for being at a bus stop because ‘only prostitutes loiter there’.
Suchitra agreed and said, “Maybe it doesn’t exist so much in the cities but girls are brought up with so much fear about their sexuality. There’s so much fear about their confidence and the diktat to conform to societal norms. And it’s something I wanted to break out of it through my writings. And I wanted to do so not by accusing anybody but just by laughing at it and wondering ‘Main yeh dusro ki bakwaas mein kyun fas gayi’.”
Suchitra also said, “The only way to tell harsh truth is through humour” and added that “A lot of people have said, ‘Even my mother is the same’ or ‘This is our story’. I guess a lot of us were raised like that, in a very strict, sexually repressed and fearful environment.”
In the middle of the book, Suchitra Krishnamoorthi raises laughs as she mentions how she tried to persuade Ram Gopal Varma, Karan Johar and Nagesh Kukunoor to marry her. She also asked director Ken Ghosh to help her find a suitor. Suchitra said, “Ram Gopal Varma, Karan Johar, Nagesh Kukunoor and Ken Ghosh have all been very sporting. It all happened in jest and I have fictionalized a lot.” She also revealed, “Also these are all public figures. You cannot just name them. So I had to get their signatures on the NOC document.”
Drama Queen, the novel, was released in 2013. A few months later, the song ‘Drama Queen’ featured in Karan Johar’s production, Hasee Toh Phasee (2014). Suchitra guessed that “Karan must have really liked the title of my book”. When asked in lighter vein if he plans to sue him, she laughed it off and said, “Well, it’s a generic term,” implying that anyone can use it.
Is Suchitra still looking for true love? “No, I am done,” she retorted and also added, “I am so happy. That’s why I feel writing this book was like a catharsis. You grow up thinking that you need somebody but now I feel that ‘Oh my god, I am sorted’!”
As for who’s her current crush in Bollywood, she replied, “Thanks to Covid and the resulting isolation, I’ve forgotten everything. Once I start socializing, crushes aur romances wapis shuru ho jaayenge!”
A 2020 Netflix show, Masaba Masaba, featuring Masaba Gupta and her mother Neena Gupta playing herself, was eerily similar to Drama Queen. Suchitra Krishnamoorthi agreed that even she felt that there was a resemblance, “Yes, it’s very similar. I feel that they must have read my book as it’s exactly the same.” She also made it clear that she’s ready for a digital show on the book, “I hope Netflix contacts me!”
Suchitra is not just acting, but also singing songs in the play. Interestingly, she has even written the lyrics. She emphasized, “I have kept the songs very simple. It’s only intended to move the story forward. So, I am not trying to show off my singing skills. And it’s all live singing. So we kept it as it goes with the mood of the play.”
Drama Queen is being produced by Drama Queen Creatives. Suchitra revealed, “It’s my company. I am producing the play now. I plan to do a lot more stuff, starting with this.”
As we came to an end to our discussion, it was time to bid goodbye on a funny note. In the book, Suchitra is gifted not one but two dildos by her friends. So has she got any more sex toys from her pals ever since the book came out? “Thankfully, not”, said Suchitra as she once again laughed out loud and signed off.
Meanwhile, Suchitra Krishnamoorthi is also looking forward to her Amazon Prime show, Guilty Minds, whose trailer was released on April 8. It’ll be released on April 22. Margaon - The Closed File is her other show this year.
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