While in Pune, I saw the play The Hare and the Tortoise written by S.G. Sathe and staged under the Kalopasak banner. I found the play a bi...
While in Pune, I saw the play The Hare and the Tortoise written by S.G. Sathe and staged under the Kalopasak banner. I found the play a bit tedious and the production did not grab me. What did get deeply embedded in my mind, however, was the premise of the play. The adage ‘Slow and steady wins the race’ is no longer valid in today’s day and age. It no longer suffices to merely possess sterling qualities and virtues. You must be able to skillfully flaunt them.
By now my stock had shot up after the thumping success of Chashme Buddoor. I was suddenly in demand, the flavour of the season. My phone rang incessantly. I started getting haunted by requests, messages, film proposals from big production houses and wannabe producers alike.
Based loosely on Sathe’s concept, I had written an independent screenplay. The storyline, incidents and characters, except for the hare and the tortoise, were completely different. Sathe magnanimously consented to my taking this literary liberty.
I had been fascinated by chawls since my childhood. The creed of ‘love thy neighbour’ charmed me. During my numerous forays in these crowded neighbourhoods, I had met many eccentric, lovable and unforgettable characters. One by one, they now surfaced in the...
