May 29, 2025
DHAKA – In what promises to be one of the most arresting stage performances of the year, veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah will step into the shoes of Salman Rushdie in “Twenty Nine Seconds”, a theatrical adaptation of the celebrated author’s memoir, “Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder”. The play is being directed by the acclaimed Bengali theatre maker Kaushik Sen.
“Twenty Nine Seconds” unpacks the harrowing 2022 incident in which Rushdie was attacked onstage in New York, losing vision in one eye and nearly losing his life. It also traces the aftermath — psychological, physical, and artistic — that followed. Sen’s production brings Rushdie’s voice to life through Shah’s commanding presence, marking their first collaboration in theatre. Notably, the two have previously worked together on screen.
Also in the cast are Shah’s daughter, Hiba Shah, along with Riddhi Sen, Reshmi Sen, and Surangana Bandyopadhyay. Riddhi Sen will take on the role of Rushdie’s assailant — a choice likely to provoke both artistic and political conversation, especially given the still-sensitive global discourse around free speech and violence.
Backed by KCC Productions and staged by Sen’s long-running theatre group, Swapnasandhani, the play is currently in rehearsal and set to debut in Kolkata and Mumbai this November. Probhuddha Banerjee, known for his nuanced work in theatre and film, serves as the music director.
Adapted from a text born out of trauma, “Twenty Nine Seconds” doesn’t just dramatise a moment of violence — it interrogates it. It confronts the fragility of the body, the resilience of the mind, and the weight of words in a world where storytelling can be a dangerous act.