Much has changed for theatre in India, even if some things remain the same. The medium still struggles with finances, and most artists who are a part of it do it for the love of acting rather than any financial rewards. Last weekend especially proved to be a joyful treat for English theatre lovers, with three plays by Mumbai’s Rage Theatre, directed by Rahul Da Cunha staged at JT Pac on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Almost every cast member, popular names like Rajat Kapoor, Bugs Bhargava Krishna, Yamini Namjoshi, Neil Bhoopalam were part of at least two plays. Which meant fewer artists needed to be flown down. “That’s the main cost involved, the flight tickets. Otherwise actors on stage make just about `4000 or 5000 per show,” notes JT Pac manager, Anurag Khanna.
The plays themselves were well-received. Apart from ‘Pune Highway’ that has won accolades, there was ‘Me, Kash and Cruise’ and ‘The Bureaucrat’
‘Me Kash and Cruise’ attempts to track the socio-cultural scape of Bombay in the last two decades. Pooja Thomas (Yamini Namjoshi), is an unabashed Bombay lover, rich enough to sleep till noon and pursue her passion for experimental theatre. Her companions are Rajesh Kashyap (Neil Bhoopalam), a true blue South Bombayite - who again like Pooja has the resources to afford producing plays on obscure themes. Cruise (named after the Hollywood superstar) (Amit Mistri) is an ex Delhiite with his feet firmly kept to the ground. He offers a perfect foil to the other two. He understands English but speaks mostly in Hindi. Though passionate about acting, he is practical enough to realise that he would need to branch out to a more commercial medium - Hindi films - to make ends meet. He invites some mockery from the ‘intellectual’ Kash when he announces his decision to play Tarzan’s brother in a film. In the course of the next 10-15 years, the characters traverse their way through many happenings in the city - riots, bomb blasts, Bollywood, moral policing, Ganpati mania, marketing and hype. This fourth external element is brought in with cameos, played by Rajit Kapur. His pitch is slightly loud in some parts, but he is extraordinary as the suave marketing professional who breaks into crass homely lingo when he speaks to his mom.
The play has stellar performances from everyone, and the dialogues are witty and well-crafted. The plot itself however does not entirely work. Elements like the riot and bomb blast needed to be more seamlessly mirrored in the lives of these three. More than any political chronicle of the city, the play works better if you simply see this as a story about three characters. The Pooja- Cruise relationship, though cursory, appeals. Pooja is attracted to the raw and earthy charm of Cruise, rather than Kash who is from her class and shares her sensibilities.
Sunday’s play, ‘The Bureaucrat’ written by Anuvab Pal (‘Loins Of Punjab Presents’, ‘The President Is Coming’ fame) presents a farcical situation at the Home Ministry. The play is made interesting by the capable acting and the dialogues rather than the script, which works within a box of set cliches on the topic of corruption. The play does experiment with its narration and tries to keep proceedings as racy as possible. And the audience is unlikely to get bored at any point. But the plot and premise lack real punch, and much of the play works only because of the individual performances. Shivani Tanksale as the Home Minister’s seemingly scatter-brained but shrewdly conniving secretary, Mrinalini is very entertaining. The home minister’s part is a caricature, but the actor (Jaswinder Singh) pulls it off somehow. Bhargava Krishna, who is usually the show-stealer is saddled with a low-key central part. Actors around him are the once given the more rollicking roles.
Both plays demonstrate how the theatre world is changing in many ways. Hindi is far more liberally used (to keep the experience real and desi as opposed to being too anglicised and elitist), and the product design is more mass friendly and pacy. The result is that plays are now packaged as entertainers that can well please a wider audience. If the writing too can keep its edge, it would be a win-win for all.
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