Iago is furious about being overlooked for promotion and plots to take revenge against his General – Othello, the Moor of Venice. Iago manipulates Othello into believing his wife Desdemona is unfaithful, stirring Othello’s jealousy. Othello allows jealousy to consume him, murders Desdemona, and then kills himself.

Othello, a Moor from Morocco, in those days in a Christian, white society, has been a brilliant general and climbed up the ladder against stereotypes to be a general of the entire Venetian army.

He crosses the forbidden line, being a man of color, to elope with a white woman, who also happens to be the daughter of a senator.

Iago questions, Othello, Why would a beautiful white woman with a high social status in society marry a man of color?

Here is the greatest general, the commander of the Venetian army, which has defeated the Turks to become a hero, but inside he is a black man with a complex, and this eventually leads to a tragedy.

It was on Alyque’s wish list to make another production of Othello, but with a Dalit eloping with a Brahmin  or a Tribal running away with a Brahmin.

Gerson says this is the play where he learned what acting is about, as it’s not just speaking and feeling it’s actually being, becoming a different person.

Asif Ali Baig debuted in this play. He only had one line to say and he forgot to deliver it on time on the opening night. Despite that, Alyque gave him a lead role in his next production of ‘Tara’.

Kabir Bedi, who played Othello in Alyque’s 1990 production, almost developed a nightmare syndrome, too. In Alyque’s words, “My Othello doesn’t suffocate Desdemona with a pillow. Instead, I planned to strangle her with the incriminating handkerchief. Since the hanky is vital to several characters, I insisted on having five identical hankies. One each for Othello, Desdemona, Iago, Cassio, and Emilia, so that the all-important hanky would never be missing.

“As luck would have it, Kabir’s dresser forgot to place the handkerchief in the pocket of his gown at one fateful show. At the climactic moment, where Othello growls, “Down, strumpet!” Kabir reached into his pocket and groped desperately. Nothing there. There was a deathless pause (pun intended) as Kabir’s hand emerged from his pocket, horribly empty. Sitting in the audience, Alyque groaned audibly. The blonde and bubbling schoolgir-lish Nikki Vijaykar was already halfway through Desdemona’s last words, “But while I say one prayer.” Kabir, with his magnificent stage presence, raised his large hands, sans a handkerchief, towards Desdemona’s throat. Nikki desperately tried to extricate her own copy of the handkerchief from her nightgown, but Kabir thundered, true to the Bard, “It is too late!” and proceeded to strangle Desdemona with his bare hands. After the curtain fell, Kabir was tempted to perform a second strangulation on his dresser!”

Here’s a fun fact: Kabir Bedi and Nikki Vijaykar, the lead actors of the play, both fell in love on set and later got married.