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On May 6, Puneet Issar and the team of Ishwar landed in Delhi for the play’s premiere. The actor was immediately struck by a sense of simmering disquiet in the capital city. Early on May 7, between 1.05 and 1.30 am (IST), the skies exploded, as retaliating to the April 22 Pahalgam massacre, India launched air strikes on nine alleged ‘military camps’ in Pakistan and PoK. The diligent actor who rehearses the entire play five times a day before a show, had just finished his last run-through. Switching on the TV before calling it a night, he watched ‘Operation Sindoor’ play out live.

Over the next three days, rehearsals continued amidst more strikes and rumours. “It was a challenging time and we were uncertain if the premiere would even happen,” admits Puneet. Then, on May 10, the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of both countries reached a mutual understanding to stop firing at 5 pm local time. Within a few hours, Pakistan violated the understanding, prompting a response from India, but Ishwar still opened at Delhi’s Kamani auditorium that evening to a full house.

“I was hurt by the continued silence of top Indian actors and production houses about what was happening, at a time when irrespective of political allegiance and personal equity, support for the nation should be top priority. So, before the curtains went up, I publicly applauded our armed forces. The standing ovation I received set the mood for the evening. This is a new India, mazaa aa gaya!” exults Puneet.

The salute continued through six back-to-back shows over the next two days. This Saturday, Ishwar premieres in Mumbai, at St. Andrews auditorium, followed by two shows on Sunday, May 18. Puneet, who plays Ravan, is confident that the play will appeal to the audience here too.

Interestingly, he played Lankadhipati for the first time in  Bapu’s Telugu TV series Sri Bhagavatam, produced by Ramoji Rao’s Usha Kiran Movies. “In 1991, soon after (BR) Chopra sahab’s tele epic Mahabharat ended, I got a call from Bapu garu whom I knew from his path-breaking Telugu films and also his Hindi directorials, Hum Paanch, Woh Saat Din and Mohabbat. He was impressed by my performance as Duryodhan. I told him I had been inspired by Cecil B DeMille’s 1956 epic drama The Ten Commandments. He wanted me to play all the negative characters, including Ravan, in Sri Bhagavatam,” informs Puneet who immediately air-dashed to Hyderabad and proudly informs he was among the first actors to shoot at Ramoji Rao Film City.

He shot off and on for the ETV devotional for two years, along with other South ventures. “What I learnt from Bapu garu, who had also directed classics like Sampoorna Ramayanam, Sri Ramanjaneya Yuddham and Seeta Kalyanam, is coming in handy today,” smiles the actor, who has since played Ravan in plays like Ravan Ki Ramayan and Jai Shri Ram—Ramayan, told from the perspective of Ram and Ravan respectively.

What makes Ishwar different, you wonder, and Puneet explains that it showcases Ravan as an ardent devotee of Shiva who believes that now that he is seemingly immortal, this is a journey to him becoming God. “But he finally realizes that yeh yatra uske ishwar banne ki nahin parantu ishwar tak chalkar jaane ki hai which is the essence of our play,” he points out.

He adds that Ravan was a knowledgeable man well versed in the Vedas, who wrote Shiv Tandav stotram, played the Rudra veena strung with his own veins and was a brilliant dancer. “He was undone by his ego and arrogance. Ishwar has many monologues and conversations with Shiva which will appeal to the intelligentsia. It also underlines the message of women empowerment through Ravan’s wife Mandodara, his sister Shuparnakha and daughter-in-law Sulochana, along with Sita, which will strike a chord at a time when women like Colonel Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh have made the country proud,” he signs off.