Triangulation

Recently in SNDU, everyone is triangulating. It’s the new buzz word. If you are not triangulating, you are not doing your job correctly. Last I checked, we used to call it connecting the dots. Anyway, the way work permeates my existence, I suddenly realized another form of triangulation just happened in my life, as if by Magic.

Somewhere in Class 12, I came across this play called Priyo Bondhu (Dear Friend). Heart warming, poignant and beautifully integrated into the heart of the city of my birth, it left a mark behind. In fact, so much so that I insisted all my friends have an audio cassette of it. I think I made it travel to almost all states of India and somewhere in some forgotten corner of teenage rooms there is a Priyo Bondhu left behind.

I read about the play putting the BITS internet and Google to good use and I realized that there were 2 more. The original was Love Story and its Hindi Adaptation was Tumhari Amrita. Being in Pilani and Bangalore did not help much as it would be an anomaly if suddenly out of nowhere Farooq Sheikh and Shabana Azmi appeared in Pilani. Even the Karnataka topper and her SPICMACAY could not have pulled it off.

The basis of the story was friendship in its purest form spread over decades. Two friends, separated by time, space and ego find their solace in each other through their letters.

Anyway, as soon as I came to Mumbai and my theatre bug hit me hard, I was on the lookout. I am one of the biggest fans of Rage Productions and somehow when I watched the real theatre in Bombay, I felt convinced that my selection of the BITS Hindi Drama Club as the more talented over the English Drama Club was correct. Anyway coming back to the second point of the triangle, Love story as the original was fantastic. Set in distant lands, it could have been a story about friends in Mumbai. And Rajit Kapur was out of this world.

But the triangle was not been completed. Tumhari Amrita was a rare screening and my nomadic life seemed to ensure I was never in the city when it played. But then as I was leaving Mumbai; a fact then known to very few people; I got a call to watch Tumhari Amrita from an old friend. It did not disappoint as a truly Indianized adaptation of a relationship that had redefined my idea of friendship way back in college.

The triangle was finally complete and the version from Calcutta stood tall. What made it unique was the fact that the two friends never met again unlike the others and that elevated the story and its beauty to a whole new dimension.

Here’s to the most tumultuous friendship. Here’s to Life.

Sex, Morality and Censorship

We went to watch a play called Sex, Morality and Censorship and to be honest, I missed the first part of the play. But that does not stop me from declaring that this was one fascinating play. Seldom have I seen a play that was so physical, that reverberated with the energy of the actors on the stage. That spoke of a story of struggle, of belief, of fights for a cause.

Sakharam Binder was one of the most famous creations of Vijay Tendulkar. To the society of the 70s, Sakharam was a culture shock beyond anything. India was yet to come out of its closet. Its sense of morality was still dominated by a false sense of nationalism rather Indianism. People campaigned to stop its screening. The political parties unanimously spoke against it without ever seeing the play. And the team fought for the right for art to survive and be free from all influences.

Sex, Morality and Censorship documents this journey and does it exceedingly well. And I really want to watch this play again. On time, in Full :)

But the question lies elsewhere. I have always been vocal about complete freedom in expression of ideas because no age can decide for itself if an idea is the Word of God for a future generation. And therein one can find the seeds of discontent and the efforts to control freedom of thought and speech. People have often played the responsible speech card against this argument. But then responsibility is also something that is relative. Society decides what responsible behaviour is and like most things society once static for a long time, stagnates in its thought as well. And there you require policing and with policing starts control and with control begins the advent of Big Brother.

Who decides where the line is to be drawn?

Plays and Movies Again

A midnight show in Fame Andheri is a treat in itself. The Visual stimulation that can happen at such settings often takes your mind away from the task at hand, which in this case was watching Love Aaj Kal. Now LAK is a good movie to watch. I know there will be people who will find it extraordinarily boring and unrealistic but then sometimes you need to watch a movie for the performances and not just the storyline. Saif Ali Khan continues to amaze me. He is slowly becoming our own Hugh Grant. Deepika Padukone on the other hand can not seem to get out of the image she has created of herself. And I still remember how refreshingly different she was in OSO.

Given the deteriorating sex ratio in Punjab, the director had to resort to a Brazilian model playing a Punjabi Kudi. Aab yeh toh na insaafi hain. The movie has great dialogues at places when it is not trying to be preachy. I thought the idea of a Breakup Party is really cool. I mean we all decide to make compromises. And that is the reason many relationships break down. But they are not meant to drive us into mourning, right? I hate when people get the blues over past relationships.

Learnings from the Movie are simple – Long Distance relationships do not work. Do not have burgers for lunch. Don’t play PS 2 till late into the night. Shave when you go for work. Get the girl’s mom on your side when you are eloping. If you are a woman, date your boss only he is the reincarnation of Gautam Budhha. It’s ok to tell your husband while he is planning your honeymoon that you actually love the guy you had dumped around a year ago. Even if you are dating Playboy’s Playmate of the Year, come home to our very own Desi girl.

If you still are not convinced about watching LAK, then you should head to watch Proof, if you are in Mumbai. A beautiful play outlining the choices made by a genius for her family and how societal stereotypes refuse to accept genius unless they find it at the usual places, Proof never lets go of the storyline. Powerful performances ensure that you wait excitedly for the answers to come in. But most of them you find that they are interwoven into the story itself.

Brief Candles was a Mahesh Dattani play which tried to deal with the concept of death and how people around cope with impending death. Somehow life has taught me to deal with death with a certain detachment. The other day a friend and I had a huge argument post which he called me heartless. Basically it was about this Orkut profile of this person who had passed away and his friends still kept on messaging him, leaving scraps. I found that hard to accept. It’s not letting him go. Sometimes, that’s the best answer.

Watch Proof, if you can. And watch LAK, Saif deserves a view.

Playful Life

After a long hiatus, the movies were back. New plays were coming in too with regular gusto. So, surprising even myself, I decided to pull my well nourished body out of work to go and play, rather watch them. And of course, since I love donating money to bandits who charge a pocketful for a movie, I normally end up in the multiplexes. But first the theatre.

Chanakya was a play I was planning to watch for a long time now and was not disappointed at all. Extremely strong dialogues backed by some great performances Chanakya is a must watch for those who often wonder how a single person can make a difference to society and to government.

Pune Highway by Rage however was a disappointment. I guess it is all about the expectations you build up prior to a performance. Pune Highway was extremely shallow and wasted opportunities to delve into the human psyche and friendships. While the performances were good as always, it always felt that there was so much more that could have been done. One of the Rage productions I will perhaps never re-visit.

Angels and Demons was impressive but again it was one of those movies which ensured that I maintain that reading books is a better pastime than watching a movie. The spectacular special effects and the views of the Vatican were however state of the art. But then would you have missed much if you did not watch it? Perhaps not.

Wolverine however was another matter altogether. For the comic book fans, X Men origins are as important as sacred texts but the movies always have their shortcomings. You need to add “the movie angle” as I like to call it. So Sabretooth becomes a long estranged brother taking the sheen of their terrible animosity that forms such an important part of the X Men stories.

Ice Age 3 should be watched in 3-D. Else you will really feel upset at the domestication of Manny the Mammoth. Sid’s loneliness and Diego’s confusion at seeing his friend start a new life, all seem reminiscent of men and women in their late twenties where everyone they know is down with the “get married asap” syndrome. A guy typically can not handle multiple complex relationships. We are not as strong or sensible as women. As Manny says, guys don’t talk about stuff; they punch each other on the shoulders. We don’t understand when friends find someone and suddenly there is a lull in communication. We believe we are awesome enough to find new friends but we miss the old ones terribly till we all act grown up and restart the friendship as new people and often (someone please strangle me here) as new sets of couples.

Anyway, the movie is definitely worth it. The storyline is weak. There is nothing much to look forward to as the way everything will unfold is predictable. Scrat however, finds his life partner and loses her again. And yes, they invent the salsa together in the Ice Age :)

Bolt was the sequel I was eagerly awaiting. A true tribute to The Truman Show, Bolt was the life of Truman after he walked out of the set. Well, there were a few discrepancies. For example, bolt was a dog but I felt that made the movie all the more endearing. The kids in the Theatre were cheering and so were we.

The best movie of recent times has to be Kambakht Ishq. It sent home the message that study your medicine in India. You can’t be any worse off outside. Also do not teach to supplement your income. Become a model instead. The men might however want to go and watch Kareena Kapoor. Denise Richards looked old and disinterested and I watched the entire Rambo Series to atone for the sins committed by Stallone for agreeing to do this movie. But then do watch this movie. I should not be the only Kambakht.

But more than anything else I want to talk about a movie called Dil Ne Jise Apna Kaha. It was a classic movie I had watched while in college. Salman Khan as the protagonist enacted a memorable role. He loved Preity Jinta dearly and when she passed away, he was grief striken. But then, as Indian medical miracle would have it, Preity’s heart was transplanted in Simran’s heart. And since her heart was of Preity’s the heart went out to Salman. And the movie was born. Hollywood copied this great concept and made another great movie - Terminator Salvation. So here in the movie a teenage boy struggled with untimely fatherhood, a machine was created with the heart of a man. A woman saw the benefit of having someone with steel muscles and human heart as her beau and finally, they transplanted that heart into the heart of John Conor. In the next movie, John will double time his babe and go out with the other babe whom his new heart had loved in the old days.

Awesome, I tell you.

A Highway Streamlines Your Thoughts

Last weekend some urgent work came up and I had to visit some factories over Saturday and Sunday. I didn’t mind it. I love the Western Expressway highway and when you have a safe driver taking you around, you do not bother much about the logistics of missing a weekend. I had a book and my wandered to the last three plays I had seen. Bhadmanush from Mashaal was way beyond my comprehension. I understand when the subject dealt is complex. But I do not understand the necessity to complicate things even more by philosophizing about it. Anyway, apart from the performances, which are always guaranteed in Mashaal productions, there is nothing much to cheer about. “For God and Country” was a solo performance on Bhagat’s Singh’s “Why I am an Athest?” It’s a beautiful essay and I think you should just download it and read instead of wasting your time on my blog.

But laughing my heart out at “Chinta Chod Chintamani” and “The President is coming” made me wonder if our appreciation of humour had been reduced to stereotyping and slapstick humour. The Swami will have to be a cheat and a womanizer. The nerd guy and the strong-willed woman will have to be homosexuals. The Bong will have to be a Levis wearing pseudo socialist studying literature or English Literature.

And why on earth does the highly overpriced Ruby Tuesday make beautiful Fajitas and play the most wonderful music while you dine?

And why you are halfway through the real post you want to create, you get caught up in the traffic over the Vashi Bridge?

About Other Things and Poetry

They have been there for me always. And yet, these days when I speak to them I just can’t shake off the feeling of restlessness. I miss calls. Am late in calling back, all the while knowing this is not me. And yet, I just can’t shake it all off and then draw back. The cloud of confusion engulfs me as I sit sipping coffee or making plans for the next movie or the Ghazal concert.

A close friend told me something strange a few days back. He said, “Banjo, as we are getting older, we are becoming much less courageous.” I guess he’s right.

I tried going to plays. In fact, I think I have become the biggest follower of Rage and Rahul Da Cunha. I have not missed a Rage Play since I have been to Mumbai. I went to Chaos Theory and in spite of its brilliant wit and dialogues; I began comparing it to Love Letters. Unfair competition, I agree. I then went to Me, Kash and Cruise and realized that a brilliant style perhaps cannot make up for a weak script ridden with clichés. But Rajit Kapur, you have to applaud him. He came in at moments to define the world outside the three main protagonists and yet had our attention all through.

I tried going back to my childhood with Drona. I would recommend you go and watch it if only for seeing what Indian fantasy genre will become with time. The special effects were great. Priyanka was awesome. If only Abhishek Bachhan realized earlier that he exactly cannot pass off as a superhero. The movie would have been a super hit had Hritik been there I guess. And KK. He continues to amaze me. A few more roles as a villain and he would have arrived. Anyway Drona remained at best a ‘could have been better movie’ and I went home dreaming about having a sword of my own.

These days I do not have easy access to poetry. But going back to poetry has always worked for me. I found this amazingly angry piece a few days back. I think poetry is something that is demanding its due share of my reading time.

I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness,

Starving hysterical naked.

Dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn looking

For an angry fix,

Angel headed hipsters burning for the ancient heavenly connection

To the starry dynamo

In the machinery of night

Poetry and Amar Chitra Katha. It’s time to get away from snobbishness and get back to innocence. The first authors were poets. Remember Vyas and Homer someone? And before them came the painters in the caves.

Art – Who defines what good art is and what is bad?

Two Plays and a Few Movies

A lot of my personal reviews have been on hold for sometime now. Not because I lack the time but perhaps more so because I lacked the enthusiasm to write. And somehow I do not like this business of reviewing. It doesn’t make any sense to be mean about someone’s creative exploits even though I might have an issue with the word creativity in some cases as well. But then when I went to watch ‘A Wednesday’ at a near empty Sterling, I thought I might as well make whoever cared two hoots about my blog read about the plays and movies I really liked.

The Prophet – Gibran’s most known work came alive in the performance of Naseeruddin Shah. For those of you who have read The Prophet, you will perhaps not gain anything much from the rendering of the book and if you are new to Gibran, perhaps you will miss all that’s subtle and not explicitly stated. But The Prophet is worth a see if only to see Naseeruddin Shah perform. Apart from the fact that he has memorized the entire text of The Prophet, which I assure you is no mean task, his expressions and delivery is something that will haunt you even after you leave the theatre. Powerful performance from a master.

Class of 84 – A well known play (with quite a few accolades under its belt) that did not disappoint me. The play strikes a chord with people who are in their late twenties to late thirties as perhaps this is how exactly our lives will pan out in the next decade or so. Some of us will be successful; some will be bitter because they will always undergo that nagging feeling that they could have achieved more. Idealists will turn realists. Realists will turn escapist. The fighter will compromise; the loser will play the actor. If ‘Jane Tu’ was us 5 years back, Class of 84 was us 10 years from today. Even today as I was speaking to a friend, I was thinking about this play. Today I can pour all my frustrations on him about everything in my life but as our paths diverge further, will it be possible to find the same caring shoulders that carried me back to my room on many occasions? Rajit Kapoor excelled as well (he was my favourite) and the others were equally powerful. Maybe it is not exactly what I want to believe will happen to ‘us’ but I do believe that we still will have a camaraderie that will ensure that we can meet for a weekend to just forget the realities that will face us on a Monday.

Rock on – If there is one song that defines what this movie stands for must be the Brian Adams cult classic, “Summer of 69”. The main reason why one must watch this movie is to remember the compromises that they have made in their pursuit of a better life. It actually serves the purpose for the audience in the packed hall who came in to see and remember the alternative careers they could have chosen. Rock on can be the story of any college band that flock the college fests across the country. It can be the story of you and me, who tried something different at one stage in our lives, music, writing, photography, anything and yet gave it up because we just didn’t have the courage to pursue it. Maybe we were just not good at it. Or maybe, we just failed to realize that even keeping alive the dream was winning a major battle. The most interesting conversation I have had about the movie (apart from how hot Farhan Akhtar looked) was about the difference in attitude of the two wives in the movie. I do not know who you liked better? But to me, Farhan’s wife in the movie was extremely irritating. Apart from the fact that she was always trying to be the ideal wife, it also irritated me to no end that not even one strand of her hair was out of place in the entire movie.

Mumbai Meri Jaan – If you want to observe the resilience of Indians, watch this movie. People often argue with me that what I call resilience is nothing but resignation to fate. We know we can not fight something that is beyond our reach and therefore we go ahead with our day to day lives. I always disagree. Mumbai Meri Jaan doesn’t preach. It doesn’t talk about honest cops who perform heroic acts. It speaks about cops like normal citizens, equally corrupt but at a more humane level equally nice. Paresh Rawal gave an amazing performance. He unabashedly takes bribes and yet he is respected by everyone in the force since he knows in his heart what is truly wrong. Madhavan the idealist faces the problem that most of my known bunch of arm chair idealists face; “How long can you stretch your idealism? When is the point where you finally give in?” Except Soha Ali Khan, (who matures as an actress after a memorable performance in Khoya Khoya Chand) no one is perhaps a direct victim of the Bomb Blasts and yet the blasts touches wach one of them in different ways. The paths chosen by Irfan Khan and KK Memon are different and yet I am sure they exist somewhere in this city because they are real life characters. This is a movie which will not make you feel nice after the show is over but it will make you pause to think, if only for a moment.

A Wednesday – Indian cinema finally churns out an intelligent movie without resorting to muscle flexing heroes and sobbing heroines. A Wednesday is the thriller we have never had till now. It shows us that now we have the guts to cast two aging actors as the leading men and make a block buster of a movie which in its presentation style and pace is pure dynamite. Anupam Kher as the helpless Police Commissioner and Naseeruddin Shah as the mystery man who claims to have planted bombs around the city keep you at the edge of your seats for the better part of the movie. The movie has its stereotypes but I am not complaining. If I can appreciate a Die Hard or a Vantage Point then I can appreciate this movie which is any day a much better fare that most terrorism related thrillers that Hollywood exports at our shores.

Tahaan – If you thought Darsheel (TZP) had no competition, think again. Tahaan is a cinematic masterpiece by Santosh Sivan and if for nothing else you should see the movie for its beautiful photography. The movie is a painting by itself of a valley which is dear to us, a valley that’s called heaven on earth, a valley that is ravaged by missing men and children who play army vs. terrorists with toy gun, a valley where questions of loyalty are asked again and again to every side. Tahaan might be the story of a little boy and his donkey on the surface but it also is a story of despair, struggle and ultimately hope in the times of adversity. Rahul Bose looks like a misfit in the movie but even he gives his best as the not-so-bright helper of the trader (Anupam Kher) but at the end of the day the actor who steals the show is the little boy Tahaan (Purav). The movie’s beauty lies in the silent poignancy of Sarika which in a way reflects the state of the valley. The valley waits – in hope.

What Happened in Vegas – After a heavy duty of serious movies, you need a movie like this to make your mind get rid of all the serious thoughts that keep cropping up. It’s a nice boy meets girl, falls apart, meets again story that you have watched in a thousand forms before this. Yet, this movie will not tire you out. Cameron Diaz may not look as beautiful as she did in The Mask but even then the movie is worth a watch if only to get yourself back into the fairy tale land where everything becomes all right in the end.

One Review and Another – Wedding Album (Girish Karnad) and Karna (Ranga Theatre)

Since I have come to Mumbai, plays have become an integral part of my life. Finding people interested in watching plays is however a problem. But when there’s a will there’s usually a way. In the recent times there have been a couple of plays that have really been above the rest and I think they are worth a mention.

A friend dragged me one night to watch the play Wedding Album. It was also the day the rains hit an unsuspecting Mumbai. But she had made the right choice. As I sat in my second most favourite seat at Prithvi, I just laughed my heart out all along the way. This was a new Girish Karnad I was experiencing. Light, at times frivolous, but hard hitting all along the way. Some might call the characters a collection of stereotypes but if stereotypes are so lovable then bring them on I say.

The story revolves around an urban, educated Indian family planning the marriage of their second daughter. The patriarch is old and depends solely on his memories to believe that things will work out well. The adoring mom, the elder siblings and even the cook are all protective of the youngest member of the family whom they adore. Each have their own share of frustrations in their lives and yet coming together for the marriage of their daughter/sister is perhaps a break from their mundane lives.

Each of the minor characters has also been sketched extremely well. The neighbourhood teenager who has a huge crush on the elder sister, the ‘suitable groom’ who has done ‘everything’ in the US of A but comes back to search in India the girl with ‘our rich cultural traditions’, the parents who want to help out in the wedding since the brother is also extremely eligible for their own daughter.

The best part about the play is that if anyone has had a wedding at their house in India, they will relive those moments, good, bad or ugly. My two cents - don’t spend your time worrying how can one agree to marry someone without meeting them, how can a family have so many dark secrets and other such earth shattering concerns. It’s a play best enjoyed if you as the quintessential Indian and look at yourself in the mirror of this play and laugh at your idiosyncrasies.

The second play I want to recommend is the play called Karna – The Generous warrior by a relatively unknown group (at least to me) Ranga Theatre. Two things made me decide that I wanted to watch this play. First of course is that it was on my favourite character in The Mahabharata. And secondly, they had a line in their promo poster, “like every 2nd actor who has not seen the kind of theatre he/she believes in.” I have seldom seen such candid acceptance of the reason to be ‘different’ from the rest.

Karna doesn’t tell you a different story. It just tells a story differently. It does not tell you the story like Vyas’ glorification of heroic traits; it doesn’t tell it like Tagore’s lyrical rendering of an unspoken pain. It tells you the story like a story would have been told hundreds of years ago, the way the Chou dancers from Purulia still tell their story. It leaves a lot of unanswered questions which even scholars have failed to decipher. Karna denoted the paradox that greatness in India is usually compared with. Did he ever repent for what he had done? Was he a hero or a misguided genius lost in his burning desire to prove himself better than his arch rival? Was he a friend or a follower? Answers that are best left to be answered by individuals in search of their own meaning of The Mahabharata.

What I loved about the play was that it reminded me of how we used to think about a play - Think about every step; make modifications to the histrionics to make every scene just a little better and often going overboard with it.

The play was physically intense and extremely well choreographed but that’s perhaps where the acting takes a beating. Theatre drains one of energy with every single movement and it takes great training and talent to be able to live up to the hundreds of eyes looking at your every step.

An excellent endeavour but can improve with better dialogue delivery and acting. The raw smell of passion however makes it a definite watch.

I hate the fact I am moving away from Prithvi and closer to NCPA.

Saari Raat

Tuesday was a Play night. It was a deadly combination - Badal Sarkar’s play performed by ex members of Hindi Drama Club, BITS Pilani. To understand the context let me tell you about the Hindi Drama Club during my times in BITS. Like most engineering college students across the world who need to sound culturally advanced, BITS had what we liked to call a throbbing dramatics culture. The English Drama Club (EDC), The Hindi Drama Club (HDC) and the Pilani Tamizh Mandaram (PTM) staged plays across the year. There were distinct class differences between the audiences.

You had to go to EDC plays to show your level of ‘cool’. You weren’t ‘pseud’ enough if you were not found discussing the play the next day. PTM won simply on the basis of sheer number of the Tamil population in BITS and the wingies (like me) they dragged to the play. HDC was the step child of drama. Pure Hindi drama had very few connoisseurs in Pilani of my times. The audience was often jingoistic coming in just to belong to the ‘group’ of Hindi speakers, a rarity that time in Pilani.

Though I seldom missed any play, my loyalties were clearly stated. I loved HDC, especially since my batch joined in full force in the cast. The quality of the plays and the performances were astounding. PTM was equally passionate about their production but EDC always left me cold. At one point of time EDC became the storehouse of snobbery, lackluster performances and a lack of direction. In fact, when I left I think EDC had reached its lowest ever ebb with HDC shining like a pinnacle of success.

There was a reason behind it. The HDC guys played who they were in their real lives while EDC tried to bring in an alien culture, mannerisms and histrionics to Pilani. Guess they never saw an Utpal Dutta adaptation of foreign plays. Perhaps, I have been overtly critical of them because my expectations were so high. The good part however is that I hear they have become extremely proficient and professional since I left BITS. Excellent news, I must say.

Coming back to HDC, a friend informed me one day that HDC had re grouped and had formed a play troupe called ‘Mashaal’ post their BITSian days and they were coming to perform in Mumbai. It felt nice. At least someone was doing something other than their daily trip to their office cubicles.

When I reached Prithvi, Bitsians had started trickling in and there were 7 of us that night at Prithvi and I was hoping it will feel like seeing a play in Audi once again. I was mistaken. Sometimes magic can’t be recreated. I wasn’t allowed to pass my usual smart-alec comments, BITSians chose to behave like ‘cultured Mumbaikars’ which made me wonder should I have come to the play alone or perhaps with just a friend. You know under such circumstances I can get my old ‘bangali bhadrolok’ self out and appreciate the play without feeling like a college guy once again. Sad, but true.

(Disclaimer – I have been an avid play watcher all my life and I assure you that I am in my best missionary school behaviour in all performances. Secondly, BITSians are an extremely well mannered tribe. It’s just that we lose it a bit if we are watching a BITSian play at our auditorium)

Coming to the play – Except Baropishima and Ebong Indrajeet I always found Badal Sarkar’s plays a little too heavy for normal human consumption. Add to that the fact that I have left behind a life where I would wonder about Camus’ views at 3:00 am in the morning with a micro electronics book under my head as a pillow. These days, I would rather follow the time tested philosophy of Prabujee and the antics of his son The Great Mimoh if I am not listening to the achievements of The Great Khali on Aaj Tak. But I meander. Forgive me.

The play however made me wonder again about human relationships. Can a man and woman be married for 7 long years yet not know about each other? Can a home withstand any deluge that might threaten to wash away its base? Can there be secrets which neither is aware of? Is a relationship anything but a compromise? Directed by Raheem (BITS ‘01), it was one hell of a power packed play. Smit (BITS ‘99) has not lost much of his acting capabilities and gave out an outstanding performance as the ‘practical’ man who loves his wife but perhaps has never tried to understand her. Nidhi (Non BITSian) as his wife was good but perhaps a little too dramatic. The natural flow of Smit’s expressions and actions clearly brought out the stark differences in their outlook towards life. Maybe, her role demanded that. Kimothi (BITS ’04) had developed as an actor in front of my own eyes but on that night he seemed a prisoner of his role. Yes, it’s true his was the most unstructured role and under-defined too but I felt that gave him the leeway to experiment more. But the leeway went underutilized.

While dozing off, I could not help but wonder if relationships are actually so complicated why do people get into them?