Madhu Jain dines Lilette Dubey
Lilette is hungry. Very hungry. And very late for dinner. 30 Days in September, the play she is in town for, has finished late. Add to that the time finding The Garden, theglassed-in new watering place of aesthetes, expats and ladies who lunch, in Delhi’sLodhi Gardens. Naturally, conversation is on hold until the rainbow trout and prawns andCaesar’s Salad have been ordered and the pita bread and dip nibbled upon.
Lilette can talk anyone under the table: she choreographs the air as she talks, hervoice tinged with the huskiness of the long-distance smoker. These days theatre is nolonger centrestage. Movies beckon: she has already done four. Gadar: Anil Sharma saw heron stage when looking for a dramatic actress. Zubeida: Shyam Babu never even asked her,just told her to do it. Monsoon Wedding "was a blast" and Bawander "as alark". And, she’s signing more, even though it’s not her real love: "Iam an accidental film actress. I am a maverick. It is difficult after all these years oftheatre."
Mom’s the word now. She’s playing an nri mom in Detroit who is a fitnessfreak in Anupam Kher’s directorial debut film, Om Jai Jagadish. Now, Lilette is allset to act in the intriguingly-titled Waiting for Clinton. Sanjeev Sivan’s film(younger brother of Santosh Sivan) is about what happens in a Rajasthani village duringthe five days before the US prez is to arrive. Lilette plays an over-the-hill villagebelle who wants to be an actress. Waiting in the wings is more drama. She is going toadapt Edward Albee’s Three Tall Women as well as direct an original play by PratapSharma, Bodhi Dharma. There are no intervals for Lilette.