Q. Why did you decide to revive your record-breaking 1980s’ play Bottoms Up?
A. The last Bottoms Up was staged nearly 12 to 15 years ago. I always wanted to revive it, but it is not a regular play with a set, six to seven characters and a story. Bottoms Up has always been an entertainer. Now, with audience getting such content on television, our play needed to be much bigger and better for them to step out of their homes and watch it. When I found the backing in Ashvin Gidwani, who has the ability to support a play like this, we decided to bring it back. The new version is a spectacle like a Broadway show — more glamorous than any of the previous ones. If I had revived the play earlier, the humour element would be present, but no glamour.

Bharat Dabholkar

Q. What made Bottoms Up so successful in the first place?
A. At that time, English plays usually comprised stories about problems of life and the actors spoke in proper English accents. Bottoms Up was the first play to have a unique combination of humour and glamour. Since we roped in artists from different stages (Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi, etc), they spoke English in their own accents. That created empathy and built connect with the audience. I’ve known people who have watched the play at least 50 times.