I started working with Habib Tanvir towards the end of his career. This was the time when he was reviving some of his old productions including 'Agra Bazar'. I was part of this play. An actor of legendary fame on Delhi stage is Vijay Shukla. You ask anyone who had to do anything with Delhi stage when Vijay Shukla was active in the theater circuit and you would hear just one comment- 'He is GOD on stage'. Vijay shukla was returning to stage after a long time. He used to play 'Kitabwallah'(book seller) in Agra Bazar. It is a long role and holds the play together. The 'kitab ki dukaan'( book shop) and the 'patang ki dukaan'( Kites shop) are two locations on stage directly opposed to each other. While the 'patang wallah' ( the kite seller ) gave Nazeer a voice and almost represented him without bringing the poet on stage,whose poetry is the basis of this production, the 'kitab ki dukaan'( the book shop) represented those who knew their literature and were seeped in the elite literary practices of the time and rejected Nazeer's plebeian poetry, a poetry written as a voice and for the masses but with great depth.
We were rehearsing during the day in a small room in 'Sainik Vishram Grah' ( army rest house) in Bhopal. This was one of the initial readings of the play. Vijay Shukla was returning to the stage after a long time. He was missing lines and improvising at certain places. Habib saab tolerated it for a while and then gave it to Vijay Shukla. A veteran, experienced actor and a natural talent like Vijay Shukla almost had tears in his eyes. Habib Saab realized he had erred in making such a strong rebuke. He then sat down with Vijay Shukla for almost half an hour and talked to him about the play and how he should focus on the written word. This calmed Vijay Shukla down as also ,he realized that he was going wrong and he had to correct himself in terms of knowing his lines.
I learnt two things from this- an actor , like a sportsperson can go wrong at any time. The body and mind can play tricks especially if the actor goes out of practice. Also, the actor is putting herself out there and thus is extremely vulnerable. To point out flaws is easy, to deliver a role is a challenge. What I learnt about direction is that every actor needs a different input from the director. Vijay Shukla needed a calm, one to one talk to make him understand that he was coming back after a long time and that he needed to do the basics right- know the lines. Habib saab was very careful in that- he understood his actors and dealt with everyone differently- gave them what each one of them needed.
Also that 'humiliate the actor to get her to perform' theory is so much of bull, people who practice that, should be shown the door from theater, it is theater, surviving as a theater person is tough enough- sometimes amounting to torture, the relief , release, satisfaction and joy comes from what you do on stage- the freedom that you feel there, but if you lose that too, then why do you exist as an artist. Thus those who take that away from you in the name of being tough etc ought to be rejected.
Coming back to a question related to this situation, I asked Habib saab once, 'you never screamed at me, but you meet Chait and you give him harsh words, what's that about?' He said , ' If I scream at you, you will not be able to handle it, but if I don't give Chait those words, he will think I am upset with him and that I am ignoring him. Actors are different individuals, a part of the director's job is to give the input in the best way it will be received.'
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