An Insight Into the Play Daddy Inspired by Florian Zeller's Le Pere

About Daddy

Daddy is inspired by French playwright Florian Zeller’s play Le Pere. The story follows a devoted daughter and her aging father, who suffers from dementia. As the daughter plans to move to another city to live with her boyfriend, the father loses his grip on reality, refuses assistance, doubts his loved ones and his own mind, and finds refuge in memories of his late mother. The play explores how memory limitations impact the understanding of the world and relationships.

Director

Surya Mohan Kulshrestha directed the play. He is a veteran theatre director, actor, instructor, and writer, and a former director of the Bhartendu Natya Akademi, Lucknow. His extensive career includes international festival participation and numerous awards, such as the National Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.

Director’s Note

Director Surya Mohan Kulshrestha collaborated with veteran actor Dr. Anil Rastogi and disciple Shivangi Nigam to write Daddy after encountering Zeller's work. The staging required special treatment for realistic scenes versus dementia-induced illusions, aiming to let the audience experience the world from the perspective of a dementia patient.

Theatre Group

The play is associated with Darpan, the oldest active amateur theatre group in North India, founded in 1961 by Professor Satyamurti Ji. The Lucknow unit was established in 1971, and the group has given over 1,900 performances across the country.