Is it television or theatre

One look at the starcast of producer Anand Mundra and Himanshu Sanghvi's new play Ae..ae..ae..Phasaa and you wonder if it's a TV serial as it includes more of small screen rather than theatre actors. Not just this, but some of them are making their debut with this play which is premiering this Sunday at Rang Sharada, in Mumbai. This hilarious play has many firsts to its credit. Director Nazir Kazi, son of the legendary comedian Johny Walker has come a long way from acting to debuting as a director with this play. He also plays the lead role of Anubhav, an executive trapped by his super smart boss in a situation who has to wriggle in such a way as not to put his boss into trouble and to retain his job. Nazir has also donned many hats as an anchor for Haath se Haath Milao on DD1, the eccentric boss Prasoon in Yeh Dil Chahe More, with grey shades as Tulsi's son-in-law Abhishek in Kyunki. And even a gay character Koomal in Kesar. Nazir who is quite thrilled about his first directorial venture on stage. says, "I am also into writing film scripts and plan to come up with a stand-up comedy show." Kanwal Toor, who's hosting the talkshow Filmi Fever on Zoom is another attraction in the play. She plays the central character Maneka, a high society escort. Kanwar who was slightly skeptic about her role says, "Initially, I was hesitant about accepting an acting offer since I had only anchored and modeled till now. But now I am enjoying rehearsing for it as much as the others. Another surprise package is the lissome Preeti Puri aka the scheming Tanisha from Zee TV's Mamta. She reveals, "I have done television and films. This is my first as I always wanted to perform on stage and I am sure it will be amazing to watch live audience reaction." Sanjay Sharma who plays the flamboyant boss to Nazir is also a television actor who has acted in Shakalaka Boom Boom, Krimson Skies, Krishna Arjun and CID. Other actors include Tanya Khanna who is the boss' wife, Jyoti Joshi the inquisitive neighbour and Sanchit Varthak a shrewd cook who blackmails the boss. Hope the success of this fun-filled and uproarious stage act does not take away the small screen actors for good!