The love affair that only lived between lines

A LOVERS' tale, told via letters, has won the hearts of theatre-goers around the region.

SHABANA Azmi is at once girlish and playful, serious and political as she sits in her hotel room the day before she appears in a one-off performance of the hit Indian play Tumhari Amrita .

She has just flown in with co-star Farouque Shaikh and director Feroz Khan from Bangkok where the production was rapturously received last week.

An adaptation of American playwright A. R. Guerney's Love Letters, Tumhari Amrita (Yours Amrita) details a 35-year love affair conducted through a series of letters which starts when the boy, Zulfi, is 10 and the girl, Amrita, is eight.

The Urdu production is more a reading than a play, involving just two people who sit on stage, sharing their letters to one another with the audience.

With 70 performances already under her belt Shabana admitted she had been surprised by its success.

''The reaction to the play has been far beyond my expectations. I thought it would be an experiment and we'd have about six performances. We didn't anticipate this kind of success.'' It was so well-received in the US that they are scheduled to return there after Hongkong, and will perform in 14 states.