THEATRE A Family Of Strangers

THEATRE

A Family Of Strangers

    REVIEW OF THE WEEK Play : Adhe Adhure Directed by : Lillete Dubey Duration : 105 minutes Cast : Lillete Dubey, Mohan Agashe, Ira Dubey, Rajeev Siddhartha & Anuschka Sawhney Language : Hindi
    Very few plays are significant even 40 years after they have first been written and dramatised. Adhe Adhure, a 1969 drama written by Mohan Rakesh, which won the Sangeet Natak Akademi award, has once again been revisited by Lillete Dubey. And the beauty of this classic is, despite the number of years that have passed by, the play hasn’t lost its relevance, and is running to packed houses even today.
    The story of Adhe Adhure is about a middle-class family, which is about to disintegrate because of the differences between its members. Savitri, the breadwinner of the family, is unhappy with her domestic circumstances — she has an unemployed son, a rebellious teenage daughter and an inconsiderate husband. She does everything within her means to uplift them. But her family, especially her children, always see her sacrifices with suspicion and condescension. In her attempt to seek a better life for herself, Savitri even looks for contentment outside her marriage, as she strikes alliances with different men but without much success.
    The strength of the play lies in the character of its protagonist Savitri. How often do you truly sympathise with a female lead who is bold, uninhibited, almost a feminist, unrestricted by boundaries and not shy to speak or follow her mind? Very rarely. But Savitri makes you almost feel sorry for her. She’s vulnerable and yet audacious at the same time.
    Lillete Dubey, as the protagonist, is refreshing, as her performance is radically different from her other stage portrayals. Mohan Agashe, who plays her husband Mahendra Nath, also essays three other characters, and you can see his versatility, as each character is radically different in personality.
    Unfortunately, the ending of the drama falls short of the aura created by the rest of the play. It’s abrupt and not as you’d expect or want it to be. But you will enjoy the play for its rare and honest portrayal of an urban middle-class family — it is devoid of all Bollywood stereotyping (where every family is a happy, content unit, co-existing peacefully!)
Hum Safar (Hindi), Prithvi Theatre, Juhu, Dec 23, 5 pm and 8 pm; Directed by Salim Arif; Humourous yet poignant, Hum Safar explores the complexities of a broken relationship which yearns for communion. A Javed Siddiqi play, it is heightened by Gulzar’s poems in his own voice. Starring: Lubna Salim and Harsh Chaya.
Pritam Pyare Pappuji (Gujarati), Nehru Centre, Worli, Dec 23, 7:30 pm; Directed by Vipul Mehta; Pappuji is a moneyminded estate agent, who has the gift of the gab and doesn’t mind deceiving people to earn a quick buck. Until he
meets Dimple, whose unending trust in humanity stuns him. Starring: Rakesh Bedi, Moulli Ganguly, Mazhar Sayed and others.
Sometimes (English), Experimental Theatre, Nariman Point, Dec 23, 7 pm; Directed by Adhaar Khurana; Paramjit Singh Duggal aka Pammi aka Doggie aka Parmeetay has problems bigger than his pet names. Though he prefers calling them issues. But he has his friends. And top class weed. And an affinity for whiskey. And a night life that would put Batman to shame. And because of all this, he has very little time. Starring: Karan Pandit, Sarang Sathaye, Kashin Shetty and others.
The Bureaucrat (English), Tata Theatre, Nariman Point, Dec 23, 7 pm; Directed by Rahul da Cunha; This rollicking political satire takes a laugh-out-loud look at the times we live in, through deceitful Delhi bureaucratic intrigues, backroom deals of secret corruptions, hidden pasts, the convolutions of Indian politics, and a man trying to come to terms with his own son, and eventually, himself. Starring: Bugs Bhargava Krishna, Neil Bhoopalam, Shivani Tanksale, Jaswinder Singh and Aseem Hattangady.
Gujjubhai Ni Golmal (Gujarati), YB Chavan Auditorium, Nariman Point, Dec 23, 7:45 pm; Directed by Siddharth Randeria; Arvind is a simpleton who would gladly spend his life being an average unambitious man. However, his overbearing wife, mother-in-aw and nincompoop brother-in-law have different plans for him. In a bid to appease them, Arvind takes shortcuts to make a quick buck only to realise that greed has no limits. Starring: Siddharth Randeria, Tejal Vyas, Chitrak Shah and others.
Sarkari Parnetar (Gujarati), Tejpal Hall, Gowalia Tank, Dec 23, 7:45 pm; Directed by
Suresh Rajda; In a small village, survival is difficult if you don’t have a government job. When Dilip lands a job as a clerk, his family is relieved. But their relief is shortlived when Dilip suddenly expires. Starring: Santu Rajda, Maheshwari, Shetal, Chirag Pandya, Suresh Rajda and Arvind Vekaria.
Happy Anniversary (Gujarati), Prabodhan Thackeray Auditorium, Borivali (W), Dec 23, 9 pm; Directed by
Kamlesh Mota; Hemal and Hemali Shah have been married for 10 years and decide to separate ways leaving behind two children. With age they become mature and realise that there are many thing that we learn in life only after experiencing them. Starring: Ami Trivedi and Nimesh Diliprai.
Ka’ Kanji No Ka (Gujarati), Nehru Centre, Worli, Dec 23, 3:30 pm; Directed by Pritesh Sodha; The play showcases the journey of a common man who is compelled to become a reluctant hero due to extra ordinary circumstances. It is a fine example of how the efforts of one individual can influence and change the way in which thousands think and act. Starring: Tiku Talsania, Nilesh Pandya, Falguni Dave and others.
Bade Luchhe Lagte Ho (Gujarati), Tejpal, Gowalia Tank, Dec 23, 4 pm; Directed by
Jaideep Shah; It’s difficult to handle one oversmart (luchho) person but when there is a family full of oversmart (luchha) people, how they handle each other takes us into never ending journey of joy and laughters. Starring: Rupa Divetia.
Lagnini Life Line (Gujarati), Zaverben Sabhagriha, Ghatkopar, Dec 23, 9 pm; Directed by Vinod Sarvaiya; This play is the perfect combination of comedy and emotions. Starring: Hemant Jha, Kinjal Bhatt, Rajesh Solanki, Yatin Parmar, Neha Pakai and Abhishek Makvana.
Dear Father (Gujarati), Bhaidas Hall, Vile Parle (W), Dec 23, 3:45 pm; Directed by Dinkar Jani; The Mankad family leads an average life. They have their share of domestic squabbles but nothing to draw our attention. However, behind this facade of a happy family — are there secrets everyone is trying to bury? Is there a mystery waiting to be revealed? Starring: Paresh Rawal, Mrinmayee, Chetan Dhanani.
Santu Rangilee (Gujarati), Sophia Auditorium, Breach Candy, Dec 23, 7:30 pm and Tejpal, Gowalia Tank, Dec 25, 8 pm; Directed by Dinkar Jani; A Gujarati adaptation of George Bernard Shaw’s famous play Pygmalion, the story concerns a low class flower girl takes speech lessons from a language expert a phoneticst, so that she can alleviate herself in the society. The play is a comedy of manners. Starring: Sujata Mehta, Darshan Jariwala, Sameer Khakhkhar and others.

Sometimes provocative, sometimes disturbing — Adhe Adure is a tragicomedy you shouldn’t miss