“Reema Lagoo was a pure soul and a supremely talented performer”: Yatin Karyekar

On World Senior Citizen Day (21st August) Zee Theatre will present the superhit play, ’Maa Retire Hoti Hai.’ Originally written in Marathi by Ashok Patole, the play has been performed to packed houses for more than three decades and now its teleplay version returns to Tata Sky Theatre at 2 pm and 8 pm. The play is about a mother who has unconditionally served her family through the years and finally decides to do the unthinkable and retires from her duties at home, much to her family’s surprise.

Actor Yatin Karyekar who plays a key role in the play believes it serves as an eye-opener to the condition of Indian women who are expected to let their own happiness take a back seat in favor of the well-being of everyone else. He says, "The play breaks the stereotype of a mother as a meek, weak, and emotionally dependent woman and helps us see her in a new light. Society expects perfection and so much more from a mother without realizing that she is also a human being and a unique individual with her own ideas about right and wrong."

Yatin believes just as society has progressed, our idea of motherhood should also evolve. He adds, “We are no longer hunters and gatherers and have advanced as a race but what still holds us together are the values imparted to us by our mothers. The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world, and we cannot take this blessing for granted. A mother tirelessly shapes the future of her children and must be respected and valued for everything she does. We must realise that one day all of us will be senior citizens and we will reap what we sow.”

Yatin looks back at the shoot of ’Maa Retire Hoti Hai’ with fondness, especially the time he spent with late actor Reema Lagoo. He recalls, “She was not just a supremely talented performer but a very helpful and generous person. She was extremely sensitive and caring, a great cook and very innocent in her interactions with others.

She was a pure soul and I miss her immensely."

The stage director of ’Maa Retire Hoti Hai’ is Rajan Tamhane and the filming director is Suman Mukhopadhyay. The teleplay stars Reema Lagoo, Yatin Karyekar, Sachin Deshpande, Shweta Mehendale, Sanket Phatak, Mansi Naik and Rutuja Nagwekar.