Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah will portray novelist Salman Rushdie on stage in a new play that adapts the author's memoir about surviving a near-fatal attack. Titled '27 Seconds', the production will open at the Prithvi Theatre Festival next month.
From memoir to stage
The play is adapted from Rushdie's memoir 'Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder', which recounts the knife attack he suffered on August 12, 2022, at the Chautauqua Institution amphitheatre in New York State, where he had been due to speak about keeping writers safe from harm. Rushdie survived the assault but permanently lost vision in his right eye.
The cast and production
'27 Seconds' is being staged by Motley Productions. Shah will play Rushdie, while Malaika Choudhury will play the author's wife, Rachel Eliza Griffiths, alongside an ensemble cast. The title refers to the twenty-seven seconds Rushdie recalls from his encounter with his attacker that morning. Rushdie told Hindustan Times in an email interview that he has long admired Shah and is delighted the actor has taken on the project.
Why the story matters
The attack on Rushdie drew worldwide condemnation and renewed debate about artistic freedom and the safety of writers. Bringing the memoir to the Indian stage places one of the most dramatic episodes in recent literary history before a domestic theatre audience, with one of Indian cinema and theatre's most respected performers in the central role.
Sources:
Hindustan Times — Naseeruddin Shah to bring Salman Rushdie memoir on assassination bid to stage
From memoir to stage
The play is adapted from Rushdie's memoir 'Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder', which recounts the knife attack he suffered on August 12, 2022, at the Chautauqua Institution amphitheatre in New York State, where he had been due to speak about keeping writers safe from harm. Rushdie survived the assault but permanently lost vision in his right eye.
The cast and production
'27 Seconds' is being staged by Motley Productions. Shah will play Rushdie, while Malaika Choudhury will play the author's wife, Rachel Eliza Griffiths, alongside an ensemble cast. The title refers to the twenty-seven seconds Rushdie recalls from his encounter with his attacker that morning. Rushdie told Hindustan Times in an email interview that he has long admired Shah and is delighted the actor has taken on the project.
Why the story matters
The attack on Rushdie drew worldwide condemnation and renewed debate about artistic freedom and the safety of writers. Bringing the memoir to the Indian stage places one of the most dramatic episodes in recent literary history before a domestic theatre audience, with one of Indian cinema and theatre's most respected performers in the central role.
Sources:
Hindustan Times — Naseeruddin Shah to bring Salman Rushdie memoir on assassination bid to stage
