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P. RAMAKRISHNAN

For many people,  Lillete Dubey  is the international face of Indian cinema,  thanks to Mira Nair's  Monsoon Wedding and  Vanity Fair.

A  noted wit  off stage and  on,  her appearances in films, including some memorable Bollywood roles, have  given  her international recognition.

'Someone mentioned that I'm in every other film and I was quite taken aback,' Dubey says. 'I've done about six or seven Hindi and three English films in the last two years.   How is that every other film?

'It just so happens that the movies were high-profile stuff. They weren't all box-office hits, but the independent films like My Brother Nikhil  [about Aids] and Morning Raga [about the death of a classical singer's son] made a lot of news.  I just can't be part of any old rubbish.'

Dubey has long been associated with some of the best plays  from India, including  Dance Like a Man, which  she directed and acted in.

In  Mumbai, as her driver races through  the rain to drop her at a movie set ('guest appearance darling, I can't be the lead at this age'),  Dubey is enthusiastic about taking  her latest English play, Zen Katha,   outside India - starting   in Hong Kong this weekend.

'Theatre is my true love,' she says. 'I'll never leave it and I'm so  excited about bringing the play to Hong Kong. Thematically, so much of it  is relevant in that part of the world. The story of Bodidharma - the father of martial arts,  as we know it today, and the creator of Zen - has  its roots  in southern India. How many people are aware of that? When the story was  told to me by writer Pratap Sharma, I was keen to direct this on stage.'

Zen Katha traces the  story  of Dharma, a Pallava Indian prince, recounting his journey from  India to the Chinese  court in 525AD.  Through  his tumultuous adventures, including an encounter with Emperor Wu Ti,  the peace-loving Brahmin prince-turned-monk founded martial arts  and the philosophy of Zen  at a Shaolin monastery.

'I was fascinated because its part of our historical legacy,' Dubey says. 'The founder of Zen and martial arts - all the kung fu, tai chi and everything -  can be traced to Maha  Malappuram, which literally translates as the city of great wrestlers. It's a part of Indian history that little is known about.

'Bodidharma was originally known as Dharma. When he was prematurely born he was sentenced to death. Born weak, blue in the face, he was thought  to be a disgrace by his father, the king, who wanted only fighters as sons.

'But a Hindu priest begged the king to hand over the child to him. The priest taught pranaya, yogic breathing skills,  and taught him kallaripayattu, a martial art, to gain strength.

'This  first part of his life in India, before he headed off to Canton,  fell into place as the first act of the play. He left through the Himalayas to learn martial arts that would enable him to fight faster than breath, faster than thought.'

The second act  unfolds across the borders as Dharma  attempts to better himself. 'It reveals what happened  after  he met Emperor Wu, who was surrounded in court by yes-men and sycophants,' says Dubey. 'The ruler was  an extremely pious man, and the monk annoyed him  terribly. The king wanted to know how he'd be rewarded in the after life. The monk said nothing.  His answer to everything  was nothing. The concept of nothingness, Zen,  infuriated the king and the monk had to flee.'

Writing and research  took the theatre production team that Dubey founded in 1991 years.  'The very word Zen  is derived from Dhyaan - meditation, sharp focus. When you're fighting or mediating, there must be  focus.'

The multicultural play posed multiple  challenges, from casting  to tightening the script  while preserving the epic nature of the story.  'It's a very visual production,' Dubey  says. 'So, my actors had to  learn martial arts for months - but just the basics.'

Will Hong Kong audiences  be treated to  high-level martial arts?  'They  perform some,'  she says.  'But they're actors who play martial artists.  The audience isn't going to see  the fireworks  they might be accustomed to. But our sensei, who taught them the basics,  wasn't shy in his praise.'

Zen Katha, Drama Theatre,  HKAPA,  Sept 30-Oct 1, 8pm, $100-$500, HK Ticketing. Inquiries: 3128 8288



Much ado about the meaning of nothing