Hush Hush, The Godfather and To Kill A Mockingbird: How SETU Created Hush Hush, Playing This Weekend in Watertown, MA

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By Rahul Nair

WATERTOWN.MA–Two shot dead in a restaurant. That’s the gist of what happens in Coppola’s iconic scene in The Godfather where Michael Corleone takes out Virgil “The Turk” Sollozzo and Capt. McCluskey in the Italian restaurant. It is sourced from a poorly written page (page 152) from the original source material – Mario Puzo’s book of the same name. What is a very banal page-worth of action described using cliches galore is turned into a historic cinematic sequence that happens to be studied very closely by script writers and film students to this day as an example of how to create tension and release in a scene. An illustration of turning a challenge into an opportunity by an incredibly skillful auteur when transcending media.

Other great examples abound as well, such as Sorkin’s modern stage re-adaptation of Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird where he revisits Atticus Finch’s inherent flaw (of condoning overt and systemic racism) by reframing the entire narrative using a racial lens so as to modernize its context for the 21st century audiences.

Why are we talking about these challenges? This is the context around Stage Ensemble Theater Unit

(SETU)’s stage adaptation of the popular Bengali story Chhadobeshi by Upendranath Ganguly. The original story revolves around a hilarious case of mistaken identities and is one of Ganguly’s most famous works. It was first adapted into a Bengali film in 1944 starring Chhabi Biswas and remade in 1971, again in Bengali, this time starring the superstar Uttam Kumar. Then Hrishikesh Mukherjee put his own inimitable spin on it in the guise of the 1975 Hindi film, Chupke Chupke (which means “very quietly” or “hush hush”), starring Dharmendra and Amitabh Bachchan (in the very same year that the pair starred in another diametrically opposite the definitive cult film, Sholay).

Chupke Chupke became a Bollywood classic, pioneering the “comedy of manners” genre in Hindi cinema, and was famously followed by others such as Golmaal and Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron. What made it a classic? Chhadobeshi (also spelled as Chhadmabeshi or Chhadwabesti) is a Bengali word that literally means “disguise” or “masquerade”. On its face, the story is very simple and presents a classic comedy of manners – a newly married Botany professor Abanish Sen gets jealous of his wife Sulekha idolizing her brother-in-law, Prasanta. To test Prasanta’s ability to recognize impostors, Abanish pretends to be a driver named Gaurhari and proceeds to act like he is having an affair with Sulekha right under Prasanta’s nose. Abanish’s friend Subimal also gets involved in the prank by pretending to be a fake Abanish.

The titular masquerade leads to a series of comical misunderstandings and situations where Prasanta is completely fooled. In the end, Prasanta realizes Gaurhari was Abanish all along, but takes it all in good humor when the truth is finally revealed. When you look deeper, the story celebrates open-mindedness, progressiveness, and breaking free from regressive societal norms, all while delivering an entertaining and timeless comedy. Beyond the literal meaning, the “masquerade” symbolizes the subtle and understated way in which the film challenges societal norms and advocates for progressive thinking. The pranks and deceptions happen “hush hush,” without being overtly preachy or confrontational.

The story gently mocks regressive mindsets like the obsession with English, gender stereotypes, and the colonial hangover, all while maintaining an entertaining and lighthearted narrative. It presents subversive possibilities like a married woman running away with a servant, her husband starting a new relationship and engaging in bigamy. Illustrating what could happen when societal foundations are shaken, making a statement about the impracticalities of being too rigid or hung up on tradition.

When talking about the challenges up for SETU in adapting Ganguly’s story to the stage, there are a couple of things to consider here.

The first has to do with the classic way of adapting a story for the stage that begins with picking a good story. The ideal source material for adaptation to the stage has a focused plot, strong dialogue, a manageable scale, resonant themes, and dramatic potential to engage audiences in a live theatrical experience. But determining which elements to retain and which to omit or streamline is a daunting task. Stage productions have inherent limitations in terms of set design, lighting, and special effects compared to film or television adaptations. Overcoming these constraints while maintaining the novel’s scope and impact is a formidable task for the creative team.

Subrata Das

“I edit every play to make sure the length and content is appropriate,” says Subrata Das, SETU co-founder and director and script editor of the play. “For Hush Hush, I took content from the dialogues in the Bengali and Hindi films and the original novel and then added some of mine. I try to make sure the humor is not offensive, is not targeting a particular community.”

To pick the right story to adapt, Das says he reads plays and watches movies daily, and “if something resonates with me then I explore it further. There are a few things that need to happen though — the play must have enough relevant social messages and a gripping story with enough dramatic elements to keep the audience engaged. Then I work out any copyright hurdles and start editing. Sometimes, we do go by the theme first, like ‘evils of casteism’ and ‘love in India.’ In all these, art is our priority, and any messaging is subtle.”

A big reason behind picking Chhadobeshi as source material was that after years of doing serious plays heavy on social commentary, SETU wanted to try its hand at comedy. “I thought the story would appeal to audiences across all ages and there are enough comedic elements. I gave it a catchy name – Hush Hush. Comedy is tough and an individual’s sense of humor can be very culture specific. Gratifyingly, Ganguly’s Chhadobeshi is very deep in content, dealing with fundamental human emotions and thought processes, unlike its cinematic counterparts in both Bengali and Hindi that for obvious reasons must appeal to the masses,” says Das.

This presents a different challenge than Coppola’s work with adapting Puzo’s potboiler novel to the big screen. The actors themselves were pumped up for the challenge of pulling off SETU’s first comedy production.

Hush Hush cast member Gautam Prabhugaonkar says that “pulling off a comedy in one’s mother tongue is easier than pulling it off when translated into English. The challenge is the delicate balance between timing and delivery.”

Sridhar Pola

Sridhar Pola, who played the brother-in-law, said that “Timing, delivery and chemistry with co-actors (are crucial); without any of these, it is bound to fall flat.”

Another Hush Hush cast member Ketan Dave is of the opinion that “Comedy needs several nuances, action/reaction, timing, and punches to be perfectly delivered by everyone in the scene with the energy to be maintained throughout. I think that’s the biggest challenge when it comes to comedy.”

And that brings us to SETU’s second challenge: adapting a story from a different time and era, with social, cultural, and technological contexts rooted in yesteryear. One way the team addressed this was to introduce two television screens flashing visual, textual and social cues to the audience that were apropos and timed to appear and enrich relevant scenes. This was hugely helpful to the sections of the audience that had no Indian context.

Another way the team addressed this was through meticulous preparation which is key to delivering great performances. In preparing to play Atticus Finch, a role made famous by Gregory Peck’s Academy Award-winning performance, actor Jeff Daniels told 60 Minutes that he did a lot of research. First, he reread To Kill a Mockingbird, then he read biographies on Harper Lee. He studied the Jim Crow south and researched sundown towns, all-white neighborhoods that keep themselves segregated by a combination of laws, intimidation, and violence. After his research, he constructed his vision of Atticus Finch. “He’s a guy that was caught in the middle,” Daniels stated. “All around him is this blatant racism.”

Commenting on the preparation work for the actors, Dave explained that “Specific preparation for this role was focused on the time period of the play, the looks, costumes and bring out the comedy without being slapstick or trying too hard to make people laugh.”

Yogita Miharia

Yogita Miharia added that “this one was easier than many other roles I have played. For starters, I had to go back to analyzing my mother, aunts and women from the ‘70s. Once I had that clear in my mind, I moved on to the next steps.”

For Mukta Munjal who played the brother-in-law’s wife, the role preparation “was interesting. Although the character a longer stage presence, the dialogues were short, similar and reactive – I needed to practice a lot with my co-actors for this one. No matter how many times I went through the script, I couldn’t retain my lines until I practiced with my co-actors. This led to many virtual reading sessions and rehearsals before we went for in person rehearsals which helped immensely. Once I had a grasp on dialogues, I could work on my timing and my reactions which were integral to Sumitra’s character.”

Doesn’t this require a lot of time from the players who are weekend warriors with regular day jobs?

Miharia says that she can sustain her day job because she has this wonderful thing to do outside of work. “I set boundaries for both – work and SETU. As good as I am with multi-tasking, I cannot mix my time between the two because both will suffer at the end.”

Mukta Munjal

Munjal asserts she has “willingly let go of significant roles when I couldn’t fully commit to the demanding schedule.”

And Sridhar Pola adds that “When in a role one is constantly thinking about it and therefore even when not physically practicing with the cast and director one is rehearsing in one’s mind.”

Another cast member Gitanjali Srivastava, who plays the central role of Sulekha, mentioned “how we are never done preparing – there’s always something to improve, some nuance to add in, a change in modulation, a pregnant pause. Key for me is to keep preparing – right till the very last second that we are up on stage.”

Jayanti Bandyopadhyay

Das added that “about 8-10 practices are just enough to work on blocking, emotions, delivery, etc., syncing with selected music and lights. For Hush Hush, props were minimal as there were many scenes and fast transitions were required and there was not enough time to change between two scenes. SETU co-founder Jayanti Bandyopadhyay’s costume design from the ‘70s and Priyanka Banerjee’s fantastic mural art as the stage backdrop were a big hit.”

Bandyopadhyay adds that “Designing costume for a stage play is always refreshing but challenging especially for period plays and those that involve very quick scene changes and the same actor in back-to-back scenes and in multiple roles (such as our thief/cook/priest). The most important thing is to be in sync with the director’s vision.”

Costumes and the thematic mural liven up a scene from the play This goes to the heart of SETU’s mission of portraying India’s social, political, and economic circumstances from the past and the present, highlighting both its rich cultural heritage and social maladies.

According to Das, “SETU is bridging the cultural gap between India and western society, and this is important as the Indian diaspora burgeons in the USA. Equally important is how we train actors and arrange educational workshops. Many of our actors have been transitioning regularly to movies and professional theaters.”

It’s obvious that given the time and effort required, this is a passion project for all involved. Prabhugaonkar says that “Pursuing your passion for theater is a rewarding journey. The joy of performing on stage, connecting with an audience, and receiving their applause and praise is incredibly fulfilling and makes all the hard work and dedication worth it.” And Pola adds that “It is the most giving kind of activity and allows one to interact with community in a meaningful way with a sense of fulfillment and when one builds and creates something together with others, one builds bonds with other co-creators like no other social gathering would allow one to.”

So, what’s next on the horizon for SETU and all the passionate folk connected with the ensemble? Munjal says that “Many have gone on from SETU and converted their passion into professions.” Das adds that “We have been planning towards a month-long production here in the Boston area. Then we want to take one of our productions to NY off-Broadway.” So, which one would it be? That topic is “hush hush” for now.

(Disclaimer: The author is a part of the SETU cast for Hush Hush, with an insider access to the production. SETU is a 501(c)(3) fully non-profit English theater group in the Boston area founded in 2003. SETU means “bridge” in several Indian languages and its mission is to build bridges between Indian and Western cultures through the medium of theater. SETU selectively produces plays in English to project the ways of life in India in a global context. Further details are available at https://www.setu.us/ )

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