Man Disposes, God Proposes

Saleem Shah is all set to woo the audiences once again — this time with Man Disposes, God Proposes, which is an Indian adaptation of John Mortimer’s cult comic drama Dock Brief. The play will be staged at Alliance Francaise, New Delhi, on November 6 at 5 pm.

A black-and-white British legal satire, Mortimer’s play takes place in the cell of Fowle, a modest man convicted of murdering his wife, who cheerfully admits his guilt. He claims of being unable to stand his wife’s constant jokes and laughter. When brought to trial, he is assigned Morganhall as the defence lawyer.

Morganhall, a seedy lawyer, had been waiting for years to make a grand defence case, but he lacks both intelligence and power to pursue a successful career. He had spent most of his time sitting in office.

The trial ends and the verdict is a foregone conclusion. The title of the play Dock Brief was changed to Trial and Error for the movie. And Shah has changed it to Man Disposes, God Proposes.

“The title ‘Dock Brief’ would not have been totally clear to the Indian audiences and hence I changed the title,” explains Shah.

So we have Himaqat Qureshi, who is charged for murdering his fun-loving wife. All the evidence is against him and he is sure to be convicted. Kamal Kant Tripathi, an advocate, who is an old hand. All his life, he has been waiting for that “one case” to become famous.

A chance invented by fate, introduces the advocate to the accused. And thereafter ensues a hilarious, never-seen-before courtroom drama, as both realise that they are each other’s last hope.

It is difficult to adapt Mortimer’s humour. In 1962, James Hill directed the movie with Peter Sellers and Richard Attenborough. Shah is mindful while writing for the Indian audience, and is aware of the pressure that comes with tweaking a classic work.

The actor-director deliberately stayed away from having preconceived notions and thus resisted from watching the movie. “I intentionally did not watch the movie as I was doing it for the stage. Cinema and stage are two entirely different mediums. While stage is an actor’s medium, cinema is a director’s medium. The pressure was there of course, but that’s the way it is in our profession. The more the pressure, the better the results,” says Shah, who has teamed up with actor Vishal Singh.

“The play clearly has the Indian flavour and the audience will be able to relate to it, given the country’s political scenario, specially Delhi where the Delhiites are aware of the CM vs Lt. Governor tussle,” says an excited Singh.

Shah’s maturity and experience compliments Singh’s energy and talent. Shah says, “It’s always a delight to work with someone whom you have nurtured. And working with Vishal Singh is no different. His dedication and hard work should be an example for young upcoming actors.”

Singh reciprocates the admiration as he considers Shah “saab” his mentor. “I have been working with Shah saab for six years and it is through him that I have learnt the nuances of the trade and to differentiate amongst various roles Shah saab has grilled me a lot,” he says.

In the play, Morganhall finds it difficult to even speak in coherent sentences and to show his ineptitude, Shah made some basic changes that were essential in the play for the audience to understand Mortimer’s wit. “John Mortimer’s writing is full of wit, humour and satire, which are essentially the main quality of brilliant writing. To convey it to the audiences, the performers have to rise to the task. And we have tried to do that,” explains Shah.

In the movie, there is a contrast in the voices of Sellers and Attenborough — while one is mild and submissive, the other is loud. Shah and Singh have not tried any voice changes as while adapting one has to be completely aware of the subject in its present perspective. “It is also a critique on India’s ‘kachehri’ system where you see hordes of lawyers wearing black coats and only whiling away time by preparing at the most oen or two affidavits,” elucidates Singh.

In Dock Brief, Fowle is found guilty and as Morganhall is seen drowning his grief at a bar, there comes a news that Fowle has been declared not guilty because of weak defence. Shah is excited about the twist that he has given towards the end.

“We have set the play in Delhi and the climax is the high point of our adaptation. You got to come and see it. I will not reveal it!” he says.