EXCLUSIVE My name is Gary Richardson and I’m not a terrorist! MUMBAI: American origin theatre actor, author and stand-up comedian Gary Richardson left Indian shores on August 23 after an almost decade long stay in India without a valid visa or work permit. When the police started cracking down on illegal foreigners in Mumbai after David Headley’s link to 26/11 was established, Gary’s life turned into a living nightmare as he dodged the authorities while desperately trying to procure an Exit Visa. Unfortunately he didn’t have the required documents to get that crucial paper which would allow him to leave the country legally. After years of leading a public life constantly fearing arrest and deportation, he finally managed to find an honourable way out of the mess he was in. His story is nothing short of a thriller. AN INDIAN ADVENTURE While he had become a rather well known face in Mumbai especially in art and theatre circles besides the Page 3 parties in the city, no one quite knows exactly when Gary Richardson first arrived in Mumbai to try his luck in Bollywood. The New Yorker who had not been able to make much headway in Hollywood would tell his friends that his inspiration was Mira Nair’s Salaam Bombay – he was enthused that Indian films had options for ‘gora actors’ and that drew him to try his luck in the industry. But it took several trips for him to actually find some work – but it wasn’t films but English theatre that provided him the initial break. “Mumbai loves it image as a place that takes in strangers. I was taken in because I did theatre and at the suggestion of Alyque Padamsee, wrote and produced environmentally-themed short plays about public spaces, saving the green cover and stray dogs. It gave me a platform and a big welcome hug,” Gary told Mumbaiwalla in an exclusive interview. Those were the days he would use his American roots as his calling card, so much so that his visiting card read ‘Gary Richardson, White Comedian’. He was a novelty for the Mumbai theatre circuit and his collaboration with theatre and advertising doyen Alyque Padamsee gave him both visibility and legitimacy. Things were good till he realised that his temporary via had expired, but it hadn’t struck him as a problem that couldn’t be fixed. “I had run into a paperwork issue because I never received my Residency Permit. The FRRO suggested that I leave India and come with a new visa and I could apply for a PIO. In the meanwhile, I kept doing plays and developing new environmental issues at the suggestion of activists Gerson D’Cunha and Viren Shah. I had a visa over-stay problem my second stay in India in 1998 as well. It was rectified with an NOC to leave India. I assumed because of my environmental work the government would give me the benefit of doubt and eventually do the same again,” said Gary. Unfortunately all that changed overnight on November 26, 2009. Suddenly his American background was no longer an advantage. Without a visa, he knew he could get into serious trouble. In early 2009, six months before the deadly terror attack that forever changed how the Western world reacted to Muslim names and the Indian authorities to foreigners with suspect credentials, the seriousness of his ‘visa problem’ had begun sinking in. “Alyque and I had theatre shows in Dubai and Muscat in March of 2009. So I thought it would be the chance to leave and get a new visa. Imagine my shock when the police officer at FRRO said I could leave but would never be able to return to India. They said I would be permanently blacklisted. My contention was that I had my receipt for the Residency Permit but not the book. They said they only acknowledge the book. At the time it was supposed to be sent in 1999, I was living in the middle of the Matheran jungle in a bungalow I was restoring. Lived there for five years writing The Mad Horses of Matheran and then adapting it for the stage. Half my mail was never delivered, so I never got the book. I had been using my RP receipt as my visa at hotels and airports, but what a hassle explaining my story.” NO SOLUTION IN SIGHT Then began a long and frustrating process to get his papers in order to get an Exit Visa so that he could legally leave the country. To make matters worse, even his passport had apparently been badly damaged by seepage in his Matheran bungalow. Despite numerous trips to the US Consulate and the Foreign Residents Registration Office, he managed to get a new passport but the Exit Visa was still not forthcoming. “The police officer was enough to make a list of information I would need to get an Exit Visa. But how was I ever going to get letters from my bosses when I had none. And they wanted MNC tax returns. I was doing charity shows for the environment and small roles in a few movies and TV shows and brought $200,000 from my US bank to India during my over stay. But they wanted tax returns. When I couldn’t produce these items, the police officer smelled the stench of David Headley on me. After the Headley episode, suddenly the welcome mat for foreigners was yanked from under their feet. The new passport which replaced the Matheran monsoon-damaged one made by US Consulate in Mumbai was viewed as suspicious. I felt like SRK at the US Customs in New York.” Gary Richardson performing a play with actress Pooja Missra Gary Richardson with Alyque Padamsee With no visa to stay in India, he was an illegal resident. With no exit visa he had no escape. Even the efforts of some of his influential Indian friends did not amount to much – quite simply, he was trapped. “Here I was protecting the green cover and suddenly I was the second coming of David Headley. And dangling over my head was a lifetime ban from the country I loved. It wasn’t fair. One wrong party raided by a man with a hockey stick and I knew I would be deported. There was no way I could provide all the info to exit so that I could come back with a new visa and get a PIO. I flew to Delhi and spoke with the Home Ministers Office. Stonewall again. Same demands for paper that I could not chase. I felt doomed. I enjoyed each and every day of my Mumbai life knowing the shadow of the hockey stick was just around the corner.” The hide and seek with the law stretched from 2009 to 2013 – an incredible five years of living a public life doing plays, TV commercials and even films while privately dreading that the game could be up any day if the Indian authorities demanded to see his papers. It was also the most productive phase of his career – he landed a TV commercial for Idea with Abhishek Bachchan and even a role in Mira Nair’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist. “I have five movies coming out – small roles in Abbas Tyrewalla’s Mango, Priyanka Chopra’s Mary Kom, Gour Hari Dastan and Dr Ampte – it’s in Marathi starring Nana Patekar. I have a nice sized role in Jal, Girish Malik’s environmental story set in the Rann of Kuchch. This was all over and above the Mad Horses comedy shows I was constantly doing,” said Gary. FINALLY, A MIRACLE Things came to head in August 2013. Gary was invited to perform at the inauguration of a Juhu park. Little did he know, MP Gurudas Kamat was the chief guest. He sang his song Mumbai Town gonna be brown, Cause they chopped all the trees down and it was big hit with the crowd and the senior politician. “I had been invited numerous times by political worker and restaurateur Vikram Ram to perform my high-energy, five minute environmental plays. He knew Gurudas Kamat well. Eventually, I asked if someone would look into the logjam with my paperwork and let logic take its course,” said Gary. One recent Sunday, Gary stood in line to enter the MP’s Juhu office and he eventually heard his plea. “The MP was used to hearing the words of others needing miracles. He knew how to listen and reach out to someone hopelessly stranded. Next thing I knew, one of the party workers who had been to my environmental shows took me to the FRRO and suddenly they listened better and wanted to open up” said Gary. “Suddenly the check-list was not so draconian. A big thanks the all the kind cops in my darkest hours who made this happen. After David Headley, there are no easy ways out and too many hassles you’d never have expected to experience. It took me almost five years to get out and a fine that would bankrupt any backpacker. The days of over stay bribes are over. But how long does someone have to live non-stop in peace in a country before they are one with their new nation? Thank god for new age leaders who not only open their eyes but their hearts. And make you feel welcome to come back to where you love. At least I had a happy ending. For the next six months, I will be doing ads and movies in Mexico City. Phir milenge. Jai Hind,” EDITOR’S NOTE: Mumbaiwalla would like to congratulate Gary Richardson for having the strength and honesty to come clean about his brush with the law. He’s definitely not the first and certainly not the last foreigner to face problems because of visa and permit issues that can actually easily be remedied. Thousands of Westerners have made this great city their home and have tried to integrate themselves into its ethos and culture. While security threats certainly need to be addressed, it shouldn’t become a license to browbeat even bonafide immigrants who aren’t remotely a threat. In a global village, let’s not forget the adage about doing unto others what you want others to do unto you. We are posting links to some of Gary’s critically-acclaimed eco-short-plays and stand-up comedies on his request. They are less than five minutes long and he hopes it might bring you some laughter and maybe even save some of our green cover. Do take a look… Gary Richardson’s Mad Horses at Kala Ghoda 2013…BE FAIR Gary Richardson’s Mad Horses At Kala Ghoda 2013…STERILIZED DOG Gary Richardson’s Mad Horses at Kala Ghoda Arts Festival 2013…STAND-UP COMEDY EXCLUSIVE My name is Gary Richardson and I’m not a terrorist! | mumbaiwalla mumbaiwalla/exclusive-my-name-is-gary-richardson-and-im-not-a-terrorist/
Posted on: Sun, 01 Sep 2013 15:51:58 +0000
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