Actress Ratna Pathak Shah directs her husband Naseeruddin Shah and Rajit Kapur in Motley's new production- A WALK IN THE WOODS. The production marks the veteran actress' directorial debut. Known for her performances in plays such as DEAR LIAR, DON JUAN IN HELL, ANTIGONE as well as for her performances on television and in film, Ratna Pathak Shah wears the director's cap to discover another dimension to her activities at Motley. The actress has also been in the news for her campaigning for artists of Kabir Kala Manch who have had to go underground after being branded as 'Naxalites' by the State. It's a worthy cause she is fighting for along with a group of filmmakers, actors, activists and she should garner more support for the same. A WALK IN THE WOODS, a play by Lee Blessing has been adapted to an Indian context by Faisal Rashid and Randeep Hooda. It opens on 19 July 2012 at the NCPA Experimental Theatre. The first-time director talks about her experience.  Deepa Punjani You have worked with Motley in various capacities and are now directing your husband Naseer and Rajit Kapur in A WALK IN THE WOODS. What has been the experience like? What was it like to study the play from the other side? Most interesting. Direction seems to be an extention of all the other work I have done but the responsibilty is new. It has helped me clarify why I like the kind of theatre and performances that I do. And it has re-affirmed many thoughts. Most of all I have enjoyed the process of seeing lines come off the page and become conversation. What were the things you chose to focus on in your direction? The relationship between the two characters and the way in which it develops. That is the crux of the play. Another important consideration was that since this is a sensitive subject in the sub-continent I had to be very sure about what we are communicating. I wanted to be able to stand by what we have said even if it can offend some people. You have had many years of experience as an actress. Was your acting experience helpful when you set out to direct? Most certainly. The fact that I have worked with so many different kinds of directors and watched them work has helped. Watching others struggle to communicate an author's ideas can be very rewarding. I have been filing away ideas for years and have really enjoyed trying some of them out. Also as an actress I can always use the question - what would I do if..... Naseer and Rajit are seasoned actors. Both are directors too. Did they make any interventions in your direction? They have been very kind, though I must have given them moments of concern when I had no solutions for their problems. It is quite extraordinary to work with people who trust so generously. I have observed directors and actors having very complicated, and sometimes traumatic relationships. I was a little worried but then we have known each other for years. Working with Rajit has been on the cards for a while now and I am glad we waited for this. There are many differences in the way the two approach performances but in this play it works to our advantage, I think. What was the most challenging thing about directing this play? I had to trust myself and my instincts. It is important to go with that because even if you make mistakes they are yours and therefore teach you a lot. Will you be directing more plays? If so, what kind of plays would you like to direct? At the moment that is impossible to say. I need to find something that beckons me. But as an 'older actress' I had better find things to do - interesting parts are few and far between for an actress of my age. Motley works in Hindustani as well as in English. Almost all your productions have been based on the works of famous writers from the past. Has Motley never considered working with a contemporary, original play script by an Indian writer? Ten years ago we did A ROMANCE FOR RUBY by Aruna Thosar Dixit and we are totally open to more work of this kind. But the play has to appeal to us. Often plays by Indian writers are based on a good idea that doesn't quite make it. On the other hand, a play like S*X, M*RALITY AND CENS*RSHIP is very well written and an adaptation like Atul Kumar's PIYA BEHARUPIYA is surprisingly fresh. So there's hope and excitement in the air! How do you envisage Motley's next decade? We are interested in acting and the training of actors and hence our play selection is guided by that. So I guess the idea is to keep exploring and growing. I would love to work with Atul for example because his approach is different from ours and the synergy might be interesting for all. But finally we're a bunch of fuddy-duddies; we like words and ideas; we love Shaw and Shakespeare and Ismat and Premchand. We would love to do something like INHERIT THE WIND (a 1955 play by Jerome Lawrence and Robert Edwin Lee; also has had various film versions) though we will never be able to. 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