Media365
MK Raina, known for his performance in Sonam Kapoor starrer Aisha, Alia Bhatt’s Gangubai Kathiawadi and more, is making headlines for walking out of a session over Kashmir’s “lousy” film depiction. His sudden departure left the audience puzzled. The veteran theatre director appeared at Jaipur Literature Festival on Friday, where he was joined by fellow artist Ila Arun.
MK Raina was promoting his memoir Before I Forget at the session Memories from Screen and Stage. During the discussion, Ila Arun, who was also promoting her memoir Parde Ke Peechhey, talked about her latest play Peer Ghani, which is adapted from Henrik Ibsen’s Peer Gynt and set in Kashmir. Raina, who has grown in Kashmir, then added he is seeing less and less of the valley in Indian theatres. “I’m sorry, I see bad films of Kashmir, accusing Kashmir of all kinds of things, lousy films… Kashmir is not being represented at all because they don’t know that state, is my assertion,” he continued.
A while later, he simply got up and walked out of the session as Ila Arun performed a scene from her play Peer Ghani. Ila Arun, who got to know about Raina’s sudden departure, responded by referring to a scene from Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyoon Aata Hai, the 1980 film directed by Saeed Mirza.
He is a National School of Drama (NSD) graduate with the Best Actor award in 1970. He has worked in over 100 plays and director several memorable roles, including Kabira Khada Bazar Mein, Karmawali, Pari Kukh and Kabhi Na Chooden Khet. Apart from theatre, he has also been part of several Bollywood movies, including Aisha, Noor, Lakshya, Taare Zameen Par, Rab Ne Banadi Jodi, New Delhi Times and Kasba.
