Renowned TV, theatre and movie actress Lubna Salim says that she has developed a deep connection with Delhi over the last 25 years.
“Since I got married to Salim Arif in Mumbai, I have been visiting Delhi and exploring it and it has been almost 25 years now,” says Lubna, who was in Delhi recently to perform her play, Gudamba.
She called “Delhi a classy city”.
“Whenever I come here, I go for shopping in Janpath, Greater Kailash and Lajpat Nagar to purchase clothes. I am fond of the sheermal roti (bread) loaded with ghee and nuts. We purchase it from Chandni Chowk and take it back to Mumbai. I also love to eat chaat and other street food available on the roads of the city. I make sure to pay a visit to Delhi whenever I get an opportunity,” she adds.
She believes that more theatres have emerged in Delhi in recent years.
“It is a good step because theatre is a part of our lives and I am happy to see a good number of theatres getting established in the city where one can perform and showcase talent. It is a development in the field of arts, culture and drama,” she adds.
When asked what kind of roles she prefers to play, she says, “I don’t take every role and you would have found me disappearing for many years in the past. I am very choosy as far as work is concerned. I take up roles that I like and with whom I can do justice. I mean at the end of the day, I should sleep well and say yes, I have done my best,” says Lubna who is known for her work in films like Gadar 2, Oh My God (OMG), Just Married and others.
The daughter of well-known screenwriter Javed Siddiqui, Lubna calls theatre her lifeline.
“If I don’t do theatre, I am nothing. Whatever I have learnt or got so far in my career, it is all because of theatre. I can’t live without it. It has honed my talent and taught me the basics of acting,” she says.
Lubna, who has worked in web series like The Aam Aadmi Family and others called the OTT a platform for making quick identity.
“This is a platform where you can get famous immediately but theatre is very different. It takes a lot of practice, and hard work to grow and make a name. Theatre is something that should be done with decency and by following rules,” she says further.
Talking about her play Gudamba, Lubna says that the play has not been performed by anyone else to date.
“This monologue has been written by my father only for me and I have been performing it for the last many years. It requires a lot of practice because speaking so many dialogues in one go is challenging. But this is theatre which teaches you everything,” she says before adding, “I am happy that people still come to watch plays and have love for it.”
Referring to Gudamba wherein she talks about women empowerment, Lubna says, “I don’t know why people compare males and females although both are humans. Women have changed, they are growing and leading nations. They are not as weak as they used to be considered some time back. They have equal rights and are getting it,” she says.
Lubna has worked with lyricist Gulzar for his various plays and she believes that Urdu language will not die. “Whenever we speak, Urdu is used everywhere so how come would this die? This is going to live for years and years,” she concludes.
