Got the urge to laugh?

An over-the-top comedy about the rise of an underdog has had audiences splitting their sides across the country. What will it do to you?

Got the urge to laugh?

An over-the-top comedy about the rise of an underdog has had audiences splitting their sides across the country. What will it do to you?

That's an interesting name! So did the car come first or did you?" asks Aamir Raza Hussain, to an ITC Grand Maratha staff-person in the elevator, who's wearing a name pin with 'Maruti' written on it. The man laughs, "The car, sir," before letting us out to the hotel's coffee shop.

Aamir Raza Hussain acts in his latest production The Urge, which will be
staged in the city today

Hussain is known for his massive sets and theatrical productions. The Legend of Ram saw a theatre built to seat 700 people on a rail track that travelled one kilometre through 15 sets recreating Ayodhya and Lanka.u00a0

In the city to stage his latest production The Urge, which has already travelled all over the country, from Kochi to Jaipur, Hussain is not worried about the reaction it will garner in the city.

This time round, he is also acting in the play. "Mumbai is home territory," he says. "I know the people who will watch the play here and even how much they'll laugh. It'll be a good show," he says expansively.

"In Bhubhaneshwar, we had women come with oiled hair and men with their lungis tucked up, roaring away with laughter. It was incredible," he shares, most excited.

At least some of that phenomenal response can be attributed to the universal theme of the play, the oft-told story of an underdog wanting to be a star, coupled with a case of mistaken identity.

"It's a lovely story told with a healthy dose of comedy, set in Yorkshire of the 1950s and 1960s. And we've recreated that era with props, furniture, and a d ufffdcor filled with deep colours," he says.

The Urge will be staged on Sunday, October 16 at the banquet hall at ITC Grand Central, Parel