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Left to right: Lillete Dubey, Suchitra Pillai, Vijay Crishna and Joy Sengupta. Photo by Ji Hyun Lim.
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Maitri Fundraiser Packs in a Full House
By Ji Hyun Lim
AsianWeek Staff Writer
Nearly 1000 people filled the Smithwick Theater in Los Altos on Friday night to show their support for the fifth annual fundraiser for Maitri — a community-supported, nonprofit organization for South Asian women who are victims of domestic abuse, cultural displacement or unresolved conflict. Volunteers of Maitri speak 12 South Asian dialects including Hindi, Bengali, Sinhalese and Gujarati. The organization provides clients with referrals to mainstream organizations, free transportation, interpretation services, job support and housing.
This year, Maitri’s goal was to raise $100,000. With this money, the non-governmental organization hopes to provide grants and loans to women for legal, counseling, education, rental and living expenses.
At the fundraising fête, Maitri sponsored a production of Mahesh Dattani’s play, Dance Like a Man, performed by the Primetime Theatre Company. The cast ensemble included Lillete Dubey, Vijay Crishna, Joy Sengupta and Suchitra Pillai.
Before the performance, the packed house was invited to contribute to and exceed the fundraising goals. Maitri volunteers sold mouthwatering samosas, desserts and tea while the audience mingled amongst themselves during the break.
The most poignant moment of the evening unfolded when the performers of Dance Like a Man revealed the complex yet gripping relationship of Jairaj, his wife Ratna and their daughter, Lata. Dattani’s sharp dialogue was punctuated by a deluge of comedic moments. The audience received the performance with gut-spilling laughter and intense involvement with the plot.
Said Dubey, director, producer and performer who played Ratna: Dance Like a Man is a wonderful combination of drama, powerful moments, and it also has a great deal of humor. It has a crisp and sparkling dialogue, yet it is a very layered production. It has a lot of things to say on several issues.”
Dance Like a Man is the winner of the Sahitya Kala Parishad Award for Best Play. Cultural issues such as social roles, personal ambition and passion were weaved into the story. Lauded by critics for its ability to communicate the universal themes of family and even dramatic dysfunctionality, the performance successfully conveyed the unique cultural impetus while transfixing the message of betrayal and love.
Dubey has been involved in theater for 20 years. Though she admits that she is drawn to roles that are much different from herself, she finds it challenging to tackle roles that stretch her repertoire. Common emotions or feelings help her to connect with the characters, she says.
“It’s what you work on to make the character real and credible,” Dubey said. “And of course, you work on the physicalization of that. I play a typical, classical dancer, so the body language speaks to the way she has her hands.”
She added, “I think it’s a very good testimony that if a play is very good, the point is going to be culturally rooted. Its strong, ethnic ambiance is able to transcend and address issues that are very universal.”
The performance closed with a standing ovation, as Indira Chakravorty, Maitri’s transitional house’s manager succinctly concluded: “It shows the relationship in an Indian family that the audience can relate to.”
So far, Maitri has made $25,000 in ticket sales and is still accepting pledges.
For more information about Maitri, call 888-862-4874 or visit www.maitri.org.
Reach Ji Hyun Lim at jlim@asianweek.com.
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