A tale of love, heartbreak, closure

In this day and age, where the concept of 'first love' seems to have lost its charm, Rakesh Bedi's theatrical play 'Mera Woh Matlab Nahi Tha' comes like a breath of fresh air.

The theatrical drama traces the story of two lovers – Hema Roy and Preetam Chopra, who parted ways due to unfortunate circumstances, but reunite after 35 years to clear the misunderstandings, give a closure to their relationship, and move on in their lives thereafter.

Explaining how this story of love, heartbreak, separation, and reunion is heartwarming in today's time , Neena Gupta, who plays the character of Hema, says, "In this play, one of the most important aspects is the letters the two lovers write to each other. Nowadays, nobody writes letters. Digitalisation has taken away the charm and innocence of relationships. Everything is give and take, and everyone has become very practical. Women are self-independent and are not ready to compromise in any situation. They have a hundred options to explore before making a choice, and that's the reason why concept of 'first love' seems passe. Looking at the current scenario, a play like this is very heartwarming and a must-watch."

Indeed, with the changing time people's perspective towards relationships has changed but emotions remain the same – which this play highlights.

"It takes you on an emotional ride, where you laugh, cry, feel sad and empathetic. And its because of this emotional connect that every show of this play since 2015 has been a houseful," mentions Neena, adding, "Everyone has loved someone unconditionally in their life, dealt with heartbreaks, and moved on. With this story, we have tried to explain how important it is to accept whatever happens – good or bad, and go on in life."

"There is a scene where I say, 'Me yaha isliye aayi thi kyuki 35 saal se mere seene pe jo bojh hai use hata saku. Aur wo bojh hat gaya'. Hema and Pritam talk to each other, realise the reason why they parted ways…realise that none of them was wrong, forgive each other, and move on in their respective lives."

"It is not a serious play but has some serious moments, and that's the beauty of it," Neena adds.

On sharing the stage with Anupam – who is known to have an intimidating personality, Neena says, "Both of us come from theatre, and that's why our equation is very different. We have learned the art from National School of Drama and that's why both of us look at theatre with a similar lens. We have not worked together earlier, but there is an evident camaraderie. Theatre does not have any concepts like star or non-star, hence there was no feeling of intimidation."

Inviting theatre lovers of Delhi to watch 'Mera Woh Matlab Nahi Tha', Neena says, "It is not an adaptation or translation, but an original play written by Rakesh Bedi. It is a must watch as it would make you happy."

Co-ordinated by Alchemist Live 'Mera Woh Matlab Nahi Tha' along with another play 'Kucch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai' will be staged as part of 'Spotlight Delhi Theatre Festival', on June 30, Siri Fort Auditorium, at 1 pm and 7 pm respectively.