Sakubai is about domestic workers who are more than a bai

The Gujarati and Marathi thespian plays the titular role in  Zee Theatre's one -woman teleplay 'Sakubai' and says she learnt a lot of life lessons from her character_

Padma Shri and Sangeet Natak Akademi Award winner Sarita Joshi has worked in Gujarati and Hindi theatre, television shows and films for decades and is known for surrendering totally to the characters she plays. The actor who essays the titular role in Nadira Zahir Babbar's classic play 'Sakubai' says, "This character reminds me of so many powerful, generous, giving women who helped me raise my children as a working mother. They nurtured not just them but me. Sakubai is very close to my heart because it reminds me of countless, undervalued, overworked domestic workers who are so much more than a 'bai'. Like Sakubai, they have lived through great challenges and yet face everyday with grit and a smile."

Joshi who began her theatre journey as a young girl, says, "My late husband Pravin Joshi was a very good director who gave a new direction to Gujarati theatre. I also worked with stalwarts like playwright, actor and director Adi Marzban who modernized Parsi theatre, Shailesh Dave, Arvind Joshi and so many more. I also had the privilege of learning from great actors like Shanta Apte, writers and exponents who taught me a lot about the craft and heart of theatre ."  
 
Though she has essayed many characters, Sakubai taught her how to travel light through life and she says, "I learnt how to find joy and humour in the smallest of things. For too long, these women were not given the credit that was due to them and it was during the lockdown period that people realised how much they need the unappreciated Sakubais to run their households smoothly."   

She praises her director Nadira Zaheer Babbar for adding little nuances that slowly reveal to us  the many layers of Sakubai's character and the experiences that have shaped her through life. She adds, "Sakubai looks after a rich family in Mumbai and has nobody to share her own life with. As she begins to communicate with the audience,  issues like social inequity, gender violence and paucity of opportunities for girls, begin to reveal themselves. I also had a great time impersonating the various characters that the audience does  not see in the play. It was a very fulfilling experience to embody Sakubai and to communicate the need for more empathy and respect for women who brings so much comfort and ease to our lives."  
 
The teleplay will be aired on Tata Play Theatre on 5th January, on Tata Play Theatre at 2 pm and 8 pm.