Lubna Salim's latest play HUM SUFFER is about an erstwhile couple at crossroads, meeting each other over a period of several years, revealing vagaries of contemporary lifestyles which creep into relationships.
Directed by husband-director Salim Arif and written by father Javed Siddiqi, Hum Suffer is about protagonists Sameer (Kiran Karmarkar) and Sonal (Lubna Salim) who decide to divorce after fifteen years of marriage.
They do so with an understanding that life can be started afresh, by taking a turn at a crossroad and going separate ways. What seemed an amicable solution leaves a few issues unresolved- While Sameer moves on with his quest of solace, an emotionally fragile Sonal finds herself tangled in a web of isolation and despair.
The intricacy of human emotions and the delicate threads that hold a family together keep pulling them to each other and apart.
Poignant, romantic and often funny, their lives follow a bittersweet journey of marriage, divorce and missed opportunities. The play is a story of two soul mates betraying a need for individual search of love, closeness and some form of happiness. It is as much about love, as it is about urban alienation, family and relationships.
Lubna Salim’s excited.
The actress, who is popular as Leela Bhabhi in the serial Baa Bahu aur Baby, was recently nominated in the best actress category at an awards function recently.
“ This was the first time I was nominated for the best actress award. Earlier it always used to be in the supporting actress category. I feel thrilled that finally after so many years in the industry, people have recognised me as a lead actress.”
Lubna recently donned a new role — that of a producer and actor in her play Lakeerein, based on a collection of stories and poems of renowned litterateur Gulzar on the theme of Indo-Pak 
relations. However, in the wake of the recent terrorist attacks and the present Indo-Pak situation, the play has been re-worked in the light of the present Indo-Pak situation to reflect the changing times.
Ask her what inspired her to produce Gulzar’s play and she says, “My relationship with Gulzarsaab goes back a long way. My father Javed Siddiqui’s a writer and my husband Salim Arif have been closely associated with Gulzarsaab through his films.”
Inspite of doing television, Lubna finds time to do theatre as well. “I'm lucky that my shooting schedules take not more than 15 to 20 days in a month. The rest I devote to theatre,” she says.
Lubna Salim who is popularly known as Leela of Ba Bahu Aur Baby has talent in her genes. The daughter of famous script writer Javed Siddiqui Lubna says acting is her passion. The actress has proved her talent with both her current running shows on TV, Ba Bahu Aur Baby and Ek Packet Umeed.
Honestly speaking, I enjoy playing the character of Paroma in Ek Packet Umeed more
because I have been doing Ba Bahu Aur Baby since quite sometime now whereas Ek Packet Umeed is a new show. My role in Ek Packet Umeed is wonderful. I love playing it because it is challenging and I am an actress who is thirsty for challenges. It has grey shades to it. The character is hardly positive and it is not negative at all. I pay hats off to Aatish Kapadia for scripting such a real character with a lot of conviction and that too in the existing trends of TV industry. These days characters in serials are so dramatic.Was writing never an option?
I was always interested in acting. I knew from the beginning that I am very good at acting. I started acting in theatre from a very early age. Script writing did not interest me much. My parents were also very supportive and thrilled about my love for acting. I have three siblings and all of us have chosen to work in different directions but in the same field. We can’t think of something out of the entertainment industry. All of us are each other’s best critics and we keep each other grounded and growing with our criticism.
What went wrong with your filmy career?
I was only sixteen when I debuted in Bollywood. Being a film actress requires a lot of other things besides acting talent. There you are not just an actor but a product. You should be ready to do publicity for yourself, show skin and do intimate scenes. The kind of culture I come from, I didn’t have a bent for it. This was the scenario at that time. Currently, great films are being made in Bollywood and such requirements are not there. Of course it does not apply to all the film makers and actors but quality of films has improved and this is the right time for people to enter the film industry.
What is the equation that you share with your father?
I am more close to my father than my mother. He treats me like a little kid in spite of me being a grown up and a woman of my own. He has always been my best friend. My father and my husband are my strongest support.
Who is your closest friend among the actors?
Sucheta Trivedi is one of my closest friends from Ba Bahu Aur Baby. I have many close friends from this show. As far as Ek Packet Umeed is concerned, I don’t hang around on its set a lot as I don’t get time but I gel very well with them. When I go on the sets, I visit everyone’s make up room and chat with them. With Rupali Ganguly, there is lot of gossip and masti. There is a gamut of different age groups in this show. So you can interact on different topics with every one and also the show appears to be interesting because of this.
You have been producing plays in theatre. Any thought of producing a show on television?
Yes, I am planning to produce a show on TV. My husband wants me to wait for a while so that he can help me with it. Now he is too busy with his own work.
I am able to balance both work and family but my family does suffer at times. It is very necessary for a woman to be around in the house. It makes your kids and husband’s life easy. Thankfully, I have a wonderful hubby who never complains and supports me tremendously. I have two children and they are extremely understanding. Being away from family for work is a big sacrifice for a woman.
Lubna feels that having grown up with the likes of actors and theatre people like A.K. Hangal, Rohini Hattangady, Shabana Azmi, Arundhati Nag, Farooque Sheikh, Sulabha Arya, M.S. Sathyu and others, her sensibility and the skills she required for the the theatre got the best possible schooling. Later plays like LOK KATHA, BAKRI, AAKHRI SAWAL, ANDHE CHOOHE followed.
She hence grew up acting and never considered snapping her ties with the stage. She joined Mithibai College where alongside her studies she could pursue theatre at the inter-collegiate level. In her college days she won many awards, including the prestigious Balraj Sahani award for best actress.
She met Salim Arif, her husband while she was doing the tele-serial ‘Discovery of India’. She married early and soon thereafter took a long break to raise her two sons. Nevertheless she always had her husband’s support and it was he who encouraged her to return to acting after her sabbatical.
Thus along side plays, voice-overs and modelling assignments followed. Tele-serials such as ‘Daaman’ and her role as Jijamata in ‘Chhatrapati Shivaji’ were appreciated. She has done ad-campaigns for ICICI Bank and for consumer products like Ariel, Pepsodent, Dettol, etc. These days her role as Leela bhabhi in the soap ‘Baa, Bahu and Baby’ has made her quite popular. And she is also creating waves as Paroma in the newly launched show 'Ek Packet Umeed'.
She formed her own company, ‘Essay Communications’ along with her father and her husband and produced plays like Kharaashein, Ghalibnaama, Aapki Soniya, Peele Patton ka Ban, Kachche Lamhe and the recent Shyam Rang.
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