Sandeep Pathak: I perform 52 characters in two hours

There was something delightfully nostalgic about a story set in the 1980s, when postcards carried news across distances, and a journey to London felt like stepping into another world. That old charm came alive at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Basheerbagh, as actor Sandeep Pathak brought Varhad Nighalay Londonla to the city’s theatre lovers. Rooted in the humour, traditions and everyday life of rural Maharashtra, the Marathi classic took audiences back to a simpler time while bringing its warmth and innocence to the stage.

Speaking about what made his Hyderabad debut special after taking the play to several places over the years, Sandeep said, “For 12 years, I have performed this play, 600 shows in Maharashtra and 19 countries, but never in Hyderabad.”

The Hyderabad performance also marked another milestone for the production, as Sandeep spoke about the number of shows and the challenge of playing so many characters on stage. “In this play, I perform 52 characters in two hours without any costume change. I use one reversible shawl, one side for playing women and the other for men,” he shared.

Varhad Nighalay Londonla is a Marathi one-man play written by late Dr Laxmanrao Deshpande. It tells the funny story of a traditional Maharashtrian family whose son returns from London and announces that he wants to marry a British woman. Though surprised at first, the family gradually accepts his decision and prepares to travel to London for the wedding. The play draws humour from the family’s language, traditions, and everyday life in rural Maharashtra, as well as from the amusing situations they face while adapting to a new country, its culture, and unfamiliar ways of travelling, eating, and living.

For Sandeep, performing the play also meant carrying forward a production with a long history in Marathi theatre. The original production was performed by the late Lakshman Rao Deshpande from 1976 to 2007 and completed more than 2,800 shows. “It also entered the Guinness Book of World Records in 1995,” he explained.

Talking about how he prepared when he first took up the play, Sandeep recalled the months he spent focusing only on the performance. “In 2012, I took a break from films, television and commercial plays for three months and concentrated completely on rehearsing for the show. I listened to the original cassette thousands of times and rehearsed in front of the mirror,” he noted.

The fast pace of the play meant that Sandeep had to stay focused throughout the two-hour performance. With the Hyderabad show over, he left the audience with a simple message: “When the curtain opens, I request the audience to switch off their mobile phones and take a two-hour laughter therapy. Right now, everyone is in front of mobile screens, which is why their attention spans are shorter. But the play is two hours long, so your concentration is important. Please switch off and enjoy the play,” he concluded.