tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87067550650264794882024-03-04T20:54:04.386-08:00Theatrewala-about theatre & cultureJohnson Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05249207683198967458noreply@blogger.comBlogger121125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8706755065026479488.post-12975074448906816052023-12-31T03:05:00.000-08:002023-12-31T03:05:00.483-08:00Happy New Year 2024<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKupt5RreJQ6N_JocujOY8VTMLWslFuBWhxFilWFtl5BhhU774bg93jg7kQkumN6jp-SP3VZ2bQcVxTKYCGMGLNVa1F1ff9vp8Qy0rJRYqS4FWdtR0MUXnI8nsauhn-dKsFEg39fx-bfWElr-sYhgkKgvpjl8QqEGP8FlUELZf0hyphenhyphenSofhPz91czouDZ1uW/s300/happynewyear2024.jpeg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKupt5RreJQ6N_JocujOY8VTMLWslFuBWhxFilWFtl5BhhU774bg93jg7kQkumN6jp-SP3VZ2bQcVxTKYCGMGLNVa1F1ff9vp8Qy0rJRYqS4FWdtR0MUXnI8nsauhn-dKsFEg39fx-bfWElr-sYhgkKgvpjl8QqEGP8FlUELZf0hyphenhyphenSofhPz91czouDZ1uW/s400/happynewyear2024.jpeg"/></a></div>Johnson Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05249207683198967458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8706755065026479488.post-59430230876952453172023-04-27T13:16:00.003-07:002023-04-27T13:18:21.496-07:00As Bees in Honey Drown #PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas #TheatrePlayReview #Theatrewala#PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas
#TheatrePlayReview #Theatrewala
Johnson Thomas
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Title: As Bees in Honey Drown
Cast: Aditya Rawal, Shikha Talsania, Tavish Bhattacharya, Ashwin Mushran, Meher Acharia Dar, Chakori Dwivedi, Zeus Paranjpe
Director: Anahita Uberoi Producer: Devika Shahani
Playwright: Doughlas Carter Beane
Indian Adaptation: Akarsh Khurana
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#AadyamTheatre #TheDragonRoseProject #AdityaBirlaGroup #InterrobangCreative
Light Design- Arghya Lahiri & Gurleen Judge
Sound Design: Kaizad Gherda
Sund Engineer: Varrunn Bangera
Asst. Director: Rhea Amin
Costume Design: Pallavi Patel
Hair and Make-up : Anisa Uberoi
Projection Design : Percival Crasto
Production Manager: Spriha Nakhare
Rating: * * *
Runtime: 150 mins
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Set in the contemporary world, this play adaptation by Akarsh Khurana from Doughlas Carter Beane’s original dark comedy about celebrity, is a glib, fast-talking work that mixes visual imagery, fast moving set-changes and fluid acting to convey it’s point. Beane in fact provides us with an intimate sketch of an age that chooses flash and dash over substance. There are largely two kinds of people in the world today - opportunistic people who flit through life taking advantage of others’ vulnerabilities and the other kind -their image-conscious victims who would rather die in shame than take action against the former.
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But Dhruv aka Pratik Gandhi(Aditya Rawal), best-selling debut author of the thin tome ‘Beyond’ may not be willing to lie down and let Alexa walk all over him. Yes, Alexa ( Shikha Talsania), the popular socialite who has made the world of celebrity her home, and claims to be record producer and film agent and appears to have connections everywhere, does her flashy con act with him, gets him to loosen up his already depleted purse strings and eventually leaves him high and dry - with creditors gunning for his blood. Alexa’s super successful con act has had many victims (from the almost famous), before him. And they never bothered to avenge their humiliation because it would have dented the image they were trying to create for themselves. Dhruv on the other hand, though admittedly Gay, ended up in a passionate sexual relationship with Alexa and bleeding with raw hurt after Alexa’s sudden inexplicable disappearance, decides to go after her with all guns blazing. How he does it is the interesting part.
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Directed by Anahita Uberoi, the play sets up an interesting course to the main con and gradually reveals the many connections that would eventually allow Dhruv to wreak revenge on Alexa. But there are very few surprises here. It’s pretty easy to guess Alexa’s intent right from the moment she latches on to a nondescript writer whose thin best-seller has made him prime meat for her kill. While the overall story is interesting and the satirical elements are brought out with panache, there’s very little nuance or subtlety in the character sketches. So everything is pretty much obvious form the first few minutes itself. Akarsh Khurana has done a good job contextualizing the play to present day Mumbai. The original play was written in the 90’s so contextualizing it to the present day social media dominated world would have been fairly challenging.
This enactment of Beane’s modern moarality tale delineates perceived success as the current most pre-eminent dimension of success and also red-flags deceit, betrayal, artistic or any kind of ambition and power of illusion as corollaries to being conned. The Holy Grail of modern society: “fame without achievement” is the underlined trigger. Of course Shikha Talsania has her own delightful take on the pivotal character. Her fast-talking, ad-jibbing flattery of her potential victims, her wonderful enunciation of catch-phrases, and the sheer confidence in her ability to convince the unwary, makes her performance as Alexa noteworthy.
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The first time best-selling novelist Dhruv as played by Aditya Rawal shows off gullibility, vulnerability and pain as accoutrements of a righteous revenge mindset. The writing is witty and brings on quite a few laughs. The supporting actors who perform multiple roles show off their confidence and skills with great verve. While much of the delectable dialogue swirls out from Alexa’s motor-mouth, we also get to enjoy several volleys of quips from the rest of the actors and revel in scenes that expose Alexa and lay out a method for her own victimisation. This is an enjoyable outing and it would have been even more so if some of the extensive monologues were cut into shorter, sharper repartee. Even so, with excellent spatial design, smart light and sound design and excellent projection design, this play has a lot more to offer other than its smart witticisms, directorial vision and personable performances.
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Johnsont307@gmail.comJohnson Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05249207683198967458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8706755065026479488.post-35177781922294884982023-02-21T08:27:00.000-08:002023-02-21T08:27:03.779-08:00MY WIFE's 8th VACHAN #PicksAndPiques #TheatrePlayReviews #JohnsonThomas #ArtBuzzInternational #Theatrewala#PicksAndPiques #TheatrePlayReviews #JohnsonThomas #ArtBuzzInternational #Theatrewala
An entertainer with a timely and potent message
Play Title: MY WIFE's 8th VACHAN
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Cast: Anup Soni, Vinay Jain and Monisha Singh Katiyal
Director/ Writer: Atul Sathya Koushik
Rating: * * *
Runtime: 85 mins
Genre: Comedy
(premiered on 12th February 2023 at St Andrews Auditorium, Bandra)
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One of India’s leading theatre group, The Films and Theatre Society, premiered playwright/Director Atul Sathya Koushik’s latest, a comedic family entertainer apparently inspired by marriages, with Anup Soni, Vinay Jain and Monisha Singh Katial in the lead roles.
Koushik has been quite prolific and very successful on the theatre circuit, writing and directing plays from various genres including Historicals, Musicals, mythological and social satires. This time, a first for him, he sets out a curious triangle between a bored and floundering married couple Madhur and Mahek played by Anup Soni and Monisha Singh Katiyal and the wife’s former boyfriend (played by Vinay Jain) who turns up exactly 15 years later demanding she keep the promise she made to him when she chose to marry Madhur.
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Madhur and Mahek’s 15 year marriage has become totally dysfunctional - to the extent that their only child, a daughter prefers to stay-on in a boarding school in order to avoid the daily battles the couple engage in. Just when Mahek is all set to address the ‘elephant in the room’ ( the state of their marriage so-to-speak) arrives the former boyfriend adamant on her keeping her promise that she made to him 15 years ago on the day of her marriage to Madhur. A promise she made right after the saat pheras which in fact has come back to haunt her.
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The construct of the third person making an entry in order to trigger an awakening between the couple is kosher but when they allow him to dictate the course of their actions from thereon, the set-up takes an unbelievable turn. Koushik uses surprise, incongruity, conflict, repetitiveness, and contrary expectations to good effect. There’s humour to be had in the interactions between the couple, and also the incidents following their run-in with the take-charge ex - mainly because a very mobile and agile Anup Soni displays great timing in dialogue delivery and actions. His measure of dramatic performance having a light, humorous tone, manages to negate the incredulity of a script that postulates a fantastic construct. How his character ultimately triumphs over that adversity is the most engaging aspect of this theatrical experience. Vinay Jain also makes his presence felt but Monisha Singh Katiyal, literally stymied by a Rohit Verma creation, fails to measure up. Even though she manages to use voice, pitch and tenor to appealing effect, her ill-chosen outfit that makes her look rather stiff from the neck down limits her performance drastically. The sets and lighting do their bit to make the stagey look appealing and the music is also fairly ingratiating.
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Atul Satya Koushik’s fairly humorous comedy also makes a stirring appeal to married couples entreating them to keep communicating to each other so that they don’t end up in a similar situation. That’s the noble message this newly minted effort hopes to convey alongside the entertainment it delivers.
Johnosnt307@gmail.com
Johnson Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05249207683198967458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8706755065026479488.post-19765519483149210442023-02-13T08:23:00.001-08:002023-02-13T08:23:17.640-08:00MY WIFE's 8th VACHAN a new Hindi comedy play premiered on 12th February 2023 at St Andrews Auditorium, BandraMY WIFE's 8th VACHAN a new Hindi comedy play premiered on 12th February 2023 at St Andrews Auditorium, Bandra
Hindi play will feature Actor Anup Soni, Actor Vinay Jain and Monisha Singh Katial
India’s leading theatre group The Films and Theatre Society is all set to bring a new Hindi Comedy play “My Wife’s 8th Vachan” for the audience of Mumbai. Atul Satya Koushik is widely known for creating a brand value in grand Historical productions, Musicals, mythological, Social Satires and My Wife’s 8th Vachan is his first attempt in the genre of comedy and family entertainment at this scale.
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My Wife’s 8th Vachan is an eighty-five-minute comedy and family play inspired by marriages. The play is about a mystery called "marriage" that has deepened with each effort of solving it. This play, at most, is another ambitious (read failed) attempt in doing so. Madhur and Mahak are no different from any married couple who have been co-existing in each other’s lives for fifteen years and have been quarrelling for reasons unknown. So much so that their little daughter has decided to study in a boarding school to avoid daily battles her parents invent out of nowhere. Mahak wants to address the elephant in the room and talk to Madhur about the state of their marriage. She is prepared even if some difficult decision needs to be made about it now. A reluctant Madhur finds himself in the uncanniness episode of his life when the eighth promise that Mahak made at the time of their marriage comes back to haunt her. What is that eight promise? Whom did she make it to? Is this the much-awaited break from their dilapidated marriage that they both needed? Come and discover in this laugh-a-minute comedy inspired from your marriage
Famous Film, TV and Theatre actors Anup Soni, Vinay Jain and Monisha Singh Katial take the audience through this episode of comedy drama. The production bears the stamp of a typical Atul Satya Koushik production i.e., lavish sets, costumes, music and a spectacular wholesome experience for the audience.
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Atul Satya Koushik, writer & Director, said, “Each script comes with its own challenges and opportunities. I have done comedies in the past but more as experimental and workshop productions. This one is my first serious attempt at comedy at this scale. You see, comedy is difficult. You never know what the audience will find funny and what not. All we can do as makers of theatre is to be honest with our content and leave it for the audience to tell us if it struck a chord with them or not."
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Actor Anup Sonii says, " Doing this new play was an opportunity for me to explore the comic side as an actor and every actor wants to explore all roles. I always have a very serious image so it's always nice to keep breaking it and surprising the audience. I am trying to explore another side as an actor. It’s a brilliant script, very well written, contemporary modern couple drama. I am sure the audience is going to relate to this play because it has all the elements which we experience in our day-to-day life. I hope the audience likes my comic side as well.”
Actor Vinay Jain says, “Firstly, it's exciting to be back on stage after a gap of almost 4 years! What's really wonderful is that this play deals with the eternal theme of human relationships in a manner that is extremely contemporary and relevant. Atul has done a stellar job with this slice-of-life script which will bring many a laugh and many a tear in the eyes of the audience. All in all, I can assure you that it will be time well spent - for us, as well as for those who come to watch the show! “
Actor Monisha Singh Katial says, “For me this play is very special as it’s my first one as an actor, the character of Mehek has all the shades of today’s woman and what goes on in her mind. It’s inspired by situations and people around us making her someone you all feel you know. This play will make for a great watch as it’s not just a comedy but also has a strong message at the end of it.”
Tickets: Rs. 300 to 2000/- available online on bookmyshow.com or call 9873579796
Link: https://in.bookmyshow.com/plays/my-wifes-8th-vachan/ET00350394Johnson Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05249207683198967458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8706755065026479488.post-61340443852056568322022-12-14T05:21:00.046-08:002022-12-14T05:36:17.461-08:00Bhagi Hui Ladkiyan #PicksAndPiques #HindiEnglishTheatrePlayReview #JohnsonThomas #Theatrewala#PicksAndPiques #HindiEnglishTheatrePlayReview #JohnsonThomas #Theatrewala
#GoetheInstituteBangalore #RefunctionGrant #SandboxCollective
#AagaazTheatreTrust #TheOtherCirclePR #PaytmInsider #Harkat
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Theatre Play Review
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Johnson Thomas
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A peculiar look within the crucible of Expectations
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Title: Bhagi Hui Ladkiyan
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Cast: Nagina, Jasmine, Nagma, Zainab
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Director: Dhwani Vij
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Rating: * * ½
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Runtime: 50 mins
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Does this play have anything to do with Alok Dhanwa’s famous poem? The title is
the same and reports have it that the poem was the springboard for devising this
play. But this play has nothing much to do with the poem in terms of dramatic
content. The fledgling efforts at feminism are mini-rebellions in the context of
‘personal life.’ Bhagi Hui Ladkiyan was commissioned as a part of Gender Bender
2016, supported by Goethe Institut Bangalore and Sandbox Collective. Initially,
Dhwani Vij collaborated with Aagaaz Theatre Trust to develop a 15 minute long
piece with two actors, which was presented at the festival as a work-in-progress
piece. After the support of the Refunction Grant by Goethe Insitut Delhi, the 15
minute piece became an hour long show with 4 actors. The play has been reworked
to reflect the post pandemic scenario with narratives concentrated around the
socio-cultural milieu of the actors and their world. The experience though
feelsrather experimental and incomplete.
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The play basically explores the actors’ gendered bodies and their relationship
with the self, others and public spaces - the piece uses objects, physical
theatre, and cartography. The play opens with the traditional bidaai song, ‘
Ghar se dola chala ladli ka ’, immediately evoking time-honored traditional
shackles that tether young women to their preordained destinies. But the four
women in the centre of it all have already broken those shackles. Jasmine,
Nagma, Nagina and Zainab - who hail from Delhi’s bustling Nizamuddin Basti
spiritedly draw us into their personal experiences and perceptions of their
existence in tiny hovels and narrow streets. They give us an intimate sketch of
their despair and show us that nothing can dent their optimism for life. They
speak candidly of growing pangs, love, periods, sex, morality and taboos which
they may have managed to come to terms with. Rooted by education and
self-knowledge, these women are unapologetic about their existence.
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The four young women are ostensibly underprivileged Muslim girls so their
existence is minimalistic, the set is a pared down space with interiors that
consists of everyday items that get pulled down and put to order as night
becomes day. The performances have heart even though they are presented without
any artifice. The play though, feels rather incomplete and needs further
development. The plot is a mere combination of moods and moments put together
but there needs to be more meat for a satisfactory consummate experience. The
artistes involve the audience in a tour of their experiences but the purpose is
not very clear. You can admire the way the four girls manage to navigate the
challenges of their minimalistic existences but is that enough reason for a
theatrical experience?
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johnsont307@gmail.com
Johnson Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05249207683198967458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8706755065026479488.post-22730626625680434072022-06-29T00:33:00.002-07:002022-06-29T02:33:27.352-07:00Dhappa - An ambitious Experiment #PicksAndPiques #HindiEnglishTheatrePlay #JohnsonThomas #Theatrewala#PicksAndPiques #HindiEnglishTheatrePlayReview #JohnsonThomas #Theatrewala #AumTheatreProduction #NikitaKamdarPR
An ambitious experiment
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Play: Dhappa (Hide & Seek) Genre: Musical mystery
Cast: Puneet Issar, Sharon Chandra , Pavitra Sarkar , Anuradha Athlekar
Singers & Musicians : Ajitkumar Shrivastava, Amit Ranjan Srivastava, Radha Srivastava.
Director/Writer/Producer : Akshay Mishra
Rating: * * ½
Runtime : 180 mins
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Aum Theatre Production’s musical mystery ‘Dhappa’ Written, produced and directed by Akshay Mishra is an ambitious effort no doubt – set as it is in the 1950’s and influenced by the paranormal mystery films of Waheeda Rehman, Manoj Kumar and Sadhana. But not only that – the play focuses on a developing bond between a failed actor whose disrepute is far more widely publicized than his films or acting prowess and a writer whose idealistic outlook inspires him to make films that do justice to his vision. The narrative goes back and forth into the past and present to elaborate on the tragedies that define the duo’s life and career achievements or lack thereof.
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Akshay Mishra definitely had a grand idea and vision to work on and His attempt to recreate an era when films and film songs were the mainstay of entertainment and stars were adored for their onscreen persona, is appreciable.
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Kumar, a failed actor who has gained notoriety for his rude and crass behavior, is angling for a role that could take him out of his downward spiral. His sister Irawati has a dancing talent that fuels the imagination of Shyam, the foreign returned writer who wants to create his own kind of cinema. Shyam and Kumar form a fragile friendship but will it last when Kumar learns of Shyam’s obsession for casting Irawati as his leading lady in the film of his dreams?
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The 50’s period and the sly allusion to legends of that era are not the mainstay of this enactment though. The construction of the narrative does resemble that of the film as it follows the formulaic pattern employed by Bollywood to tell a story. The acts are interspersed with semi-classical songs lending long pauses to theatrics that fail to cohere into an impactful whole. The songs are beautifully rendered. The acts themselves - are played out in segmented fashion. The personalities embodying the characters - Sharon Chandra as Irawati the dancer/ Shyam’s muse, Pavitra Sarkar as Manju the neglected pregnant wife of the writer Shyam, Anuradha Athlekar as Kumar the failed actor whose notoriety disallows any credible roles from coming his way, do well to stay deliberately muted in order to allow the imposing Puneet Issar as Shyam - the writer to hog the limelight.
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An imposing Issar, riding high on his Mahabharata and Ravan success, overshadows everyone else. Sharon Chandra’s fluent Kathak, Pavitra’s pathos and Athlekar’s despondency lend power and heft to the essay.
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The post –interval part does throw in a few surprises with some mystique and mystery. The live music and singing are expertly performed. The set design is good. Shyam Chavan’s light design is outstanding – lending a ‘Kagaz Ke Phool’ sort of haunting melancholy to the proceedings.
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Johnsont307@gmail.com
Johnson Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05249207683198967458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8706755065026479488.post-72192578784670279472022-03-10T07:20:00.009-08:002022-04-20T04:33:00.294-07:00Taking Sides - Theatre Review A past injustice gains currency in today's troubled times #PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas #TheatreReview<p> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 18pt;">Theatre Play
Review</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Johnson Thomas<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Title: Taking
Sides<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiWt5xVX4jkywGsBxbAUYcR_aQzeYo_kJ83O16l5HwKqtviwVMLD98bQeQ_O_jn3gqlnPnTe7MAGo4DBtDMW0DAUbgR2J-95l0hHDbP7Va9taVmgCUV4ltvim4ykbL6v_FsJ0dRmASQvB0IAMlKKt6YYkQcdE6SVyghTu6xRhzV8PwTQ5DueH4kskGU8w=s1152" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="1152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiWt5xVX4jkywGsBxbAUYcR_aQzeYo_kJ83O16l5HwKqtviwVMLD98bQeQ_O_jn3gqlnPnTe7MAGo4DBtDMW0DAUbgR2J-95l0hHDbP7Va9taVmgCUV4ltvim4ykbL6v_FsJ0dRmASQvB0IAMlKKt6YYkQcdE6SVyghTu6xRhzV8PwTQ5DueH4kskGU8w=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Language:
English<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Cast: Sukant
Goel, Atul Kumar, Mallika Singh, Kashish Saluja, Kashin Shetty, Richa Jain<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Asst.Director,
Music, Sound : Vara Raturi<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Light Design
& Operation: Rahul Joglekar<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Production: Vara
Raturi, Kanchan Khilare, Rahul Kumar, Naman Seth<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Videography:
Akash Waghachoure<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Volunteers:
Vicky Rana, Ranjeet Singh, Nikhil Nagpal, Ganesh Pendurkar<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Director: Atul
Kumar<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Written by:
Ronald Harwood<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Rating: * * ½<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Runtime: 120
mins <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhIr9862WCJWl7VfUrSw1GZjxH63GXJPmOSM3FWzCYMA9_Gi1C9fKgoTtNagIVYCrJKgiyRLKaITNQj6qhjd-IMs3tM3LG7dR5VeVcRZRIPnMdS6L40upNI5yueqY7VyaCqGrbPqsGcf1ARmWD9rDOYPxEYtDZ1Lqn8Bp683HpUAFoJnsSk_QXmFkRRzQ=s1152" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="1152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhIr9862WCJWl7VfUrSw1GZjxH63GXJPmOSM3FWzCYMA9_Gi1C9fKgoTtNagIVYCrJKgiyRLKaITNQj6qhjd-IMs3tM3LG7dR5VeVcRZRIPnMdS6L40upNI5yueqY7VyaCqGrbPqsGcf1ARmWD9rDOYPxEYtDZ1Lqn8Bp683HpUAFoJnsSk_QXmFkRRzQ=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Taking Sides, a
1995 play by British playwright Ronald Harwood, directed by Atul Kumar for the
Indian Audience, is about the post-war United States denazification
investigation of the German conductor and composer Wilhelm Furtwängler on
charges of having served the Nazi regime. The play had its first run in Mumbai at
an intimate boutique theatre setting, Lé Chakallas Studios, Andheri (W) from
10th February 2022 to 13th February 2022.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjPNqBugNsi-fVa1iYqhJEfgID38UBuJqbNFcRKT_vXbtmHCFEL7Lf3kU0EQEx2nBhxnZkj4jTRqIaJfvLQw2ZuFPCHaWVr7Es3KFLP5ESqL2Tt2DUTiTPK9cbdhY8UXWob3FAiWHOcEEMgxi5z-DnwIpllo3DIgt0qIzySbqEznwnyvXb169X3PPZH2g=s1152" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="1152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjPNqBugNsi-fVa1iYqhJEfgID38UBuJqbNFcRKT_vXbtmHCFEL7Lf3kU0EQEx2nBhxnZkj4jTRqIaJfvLQw2ZuFPCHaWVr7Es3KFLP5ESqL2Tt2DUTiTPK9cbdhY8UXWob3FAiWHOcEEMgxi5z-DnwIpllo3DIgt0qIzySbqEznwnyvXb169X3PPZH2g=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> Ronald Harwood’s “Taking Sides,” is about Artists
and their art and how it could be seen as facilitating nihilistic ideologies
even when one is hard-pressed to stay ‘silent’ in the face of oppression. The
point the playwright is striving to underline is that ‘sitting on the fence’ is
not an option when hate fueled ideologies wreak murderous havoc on viciously targeted
populations. Playing neutral can also be seen as taking sides. Even though the
play is set in 1946, it’s a topical theme that has resonance even in the
present where we see similar right wing fascist attacks on democratic values
and traditions in several countries across the world, including India. The play
ensues in the form of a series of interrogations carried out by Steve Arnold in
the American-occupied zone of Berlin in 1946.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgTb5FHXlOwsx6DAyin5aoxqwV6cDMGgdWjd02dFC2Bk4cdH4wcav3jXviq0xDSlM3C0y3ByMR4ZjGfKIXZbyYs4TGSXLHWzmTGVkd5gz2jun6SSswQWuVvmRf4ciTnwGc961KIuFFeiURsP8n3N1Md-e_f4YOptkRMcNIoLnTJR0NTNdfOCh9mSQl4vg=s1280" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1280" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgTb5FHXlOwsx6DAyin5aoxqwV6cDMGgdWjd02dFC2Bk4cdH4wcav3jXviq0xDSlM3C0y3ByMR4ZjGfKIXZbyYs4TGSXLHWzmTGVkd5gz2jun6SSswQWuVvmRf4ciTnwGc961KIuFFeiURsP8n3N1Md-e_f4YOptkRMcNIoLnTJR0NTNdfOCh9mSQl4vg=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">German conductor
(and accused Nazi sympathizer) Wilhelm Furtwangler (1886-1954) played by Atul
Kumar, was one of the great conductors of this century. It was his misfortune to
have been at the height of his career when the National Socialists came to
power. While many of his fellow artists were either forced to leave Germany or
emigrated as an act of protest, Furtwangler remained and even helped generate
valid papers for several Jewish musicians who faced persecution.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">But after the
war he was accused</span><span lang="EN-US"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 107%;">of </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">having served the Nazi regime. Furtwangler, who aimed
to be a symbol to the entire world of all that is great in culture and music,
suddenly found himself being denigrated to the level of a Nazi pawn whose
concerts put a high-toned gloss on a murderous regime. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhTCqbbGmvSBMauiCbTsMc_HmlugwB1_k3V7ELovBKEuWTi4yOhDScijtbz1XdvLKGFgSRHV_7S5t9g-Idi17Y0IObhpOp-5fcF-sqr4-goMVsZRUTp09_OGvWZwGW9CssTYUfbGfbc6XQaiPQl3xf1gvajpkemTI0_AXxPKVvFPH4VQHooCbh3Cz1mGw=s878" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="878" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhTCqbbGmvSBMauiCbTsMc_HmlugwB1_k3V7ELovBKEuWTi4yOhDScijtbz1XdvLKGFgSRHV_7S5t9g-Idi17Y0IObhpOp-5fcF-sqr4-goMVsZRUTp09_OGvWZwGW9CssTYUfbGfbc6XQaiPQl3xf1gvajpkemTI0_AXxPKVvFPH4VQHooCbh3Cz1mGw=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Major Steve
Arnold (played by Sukant Goel), an Army investigator, goes all out to prove
that Furtwangler was in cahoots with the Hitler regime. Chosen for his
anti-intellectual resistance to anything cultural, he even dares to refer to
Furtwangler as a ‘band leader.’ The play opens with a film clip showing
thousands of dead bodies being bull-dozed into huge craters, and it brings home
to us the horrors that Arnold bore witness to during the liberation of Bergen-Belsen.
But his lack of interest in ‘justice’ or ‘facts’ becomes a sore point of the
entire two hour debate between right and wrong as seen from the eyes of Arnold,
his assistants as well as those defending Furtwangler and his artistic and
humane credentials.</span><span lang="EN-US"> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Furtwangler, who conducted the Berlin Philharmonic
during the Nazi years was, indeed, a Hitler favorite but that doesn’t
justifiable paint him in villainous hues. Arnold’s belief that Art and politics
cannot be kept separate is defended with a lot of noise but it plays out hollow
and vacuous because there’s not enough material on record to hold Furtwangler
guilty of any crime. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgt8wSctEHIgWOBS8NA53t_JF81_D6Mu-iN1qfix25cubusSrRLf3CjXptMPHxc6yBrSMAh4J9gYumvwESTeHFu59hIHuWJotTb50XUjaug4YqxQ92_1kLZ7fa5qZ19EvO0AiBeMlPqKYvID6aTH_FPzbY8l60ZkuqY8RVLgv5BoHEJStdhaqKRIN4tmA=s1280" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1280" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgt8wSctEHIgWOBS8NA53t_JF81_D6Mu-iN1qfix25cubusSrRLf3CjXptMPHxc6yBrSMAh4J9gYumvwESTeHFu59hIHuWJotTb50XUjaug4YqxQ92_1kLZ7fa5qZ19EvO0AiBeMlPqKYvID6aTH_FPzbY8l60ZkuqY8RVLgv5BoHEJStdhaqKRIN4tmA=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The playwright
had already taken sides when he wrote the play, it seems. Harwood’s play seeks
to underline the complexity and nuance of art but instead it gives new meaning
to victimization and suggests a vengeful taint to perceptions of right and
wrong. As the play runs its course it almost appears that Arnold has an axe to
grind - one which the audience was not privy to and that Furtwangler was being victimized
unduly for doing something that most people in similar positions would do. The film,
of the same name, was better received than this play because it managed to
flesh out a worthy, rather edgy debate, rich with tension and punctuated with subtleties
that resonate. In the film, it was much more difficult to come to any
conclusion but in this play it’s all too easy. The debate here seems all too
lop-sided and loaded to keep Furtwangler in the clear. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Director Atul
Kumar loads up the hollowed end presented by Sukant Goel as Arnold, with lots
of sound and fury while Furtwangler, assayed by Kumar himself, gets the graded
treatment peaking on emotional high points, as he defends his art and his humanity.
The conviction is unfortunately missing from both viewpoints. Goel uses anger
and frustration as the cornerstone of his loud and hysterical performance while
Kumar is more passionate and measured as Furtwangler. While this play has obvious
good intentions it feels rather facile and put on. That’s obviously a failure
of the writing, as it is unable to flesh out a potent justification for the
entire two hour long debate. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="mailto:Johnsont307@gmail.com">Johnsont307@gmail.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> </span></p>Johnson Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05249207683198967458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8706755065026479488.post-47280592197913052752022-02-23T06:43:00.004-08:002022-02-23T06:57:28.204-08:00 Dial-in Performance Theatre 'Lifeline 99 99', an interactive theatre performance that takes place over a phone call at home<b><b><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEic2xfh3MDsIEd8h_vcZZeXBfU-1i0ED5GbA4ASEZPkdItVWkBrA2Dz2Al4yDHBzmXcQ2hs1pphGl5p5agLEB3V4VStSp2rb91ZIoFHKDnev-zEoJZD9kUD_dvaSMyRQ5R95Dv8x2hWYaN_H-qFgqok-doAK_WB29V9ns_NHyRHMklwFdpQ_vprYsowtg=s304" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="166" data-original-width="304" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEic2xfh3MDsIEd8h_vcZZeXBfU-1i0ED5GbA4ASEZPkdItVWkBrA2Dz2Al4yDHBzmXcQ2hs1pphGl5p5agLEB3V4VStSp2rb91ZIoFHKDnev-zEoJZD9kUD_dvaSMyRQ5R95Dv8x2hWYaN_H-qFgqok-doAK_WB29V9ns_NHyRHMklwFdpQ_vprYsowtg" width="304" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgyeLc4a1Ca4MDnq4HAF24oI6e_6dH--N9V2F8MlRHRR_8KtYL-_Z6IqlHWV66Wj0cV_Zz2DXjcHW9IBgWHdPHeu5_YiEoHi8WfVsL1IFx3RoI8ct9VSBfJyH5izq6DYFMhHoe9BYmYh7oP55a_qrAwr_ScBYW_YMlMekPjApsPG7MEnmfO_3LYO-bk1g=s1645" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="1645" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgyeLc4a1Ca4MDnq4HAF24oI6e_6dH--N9V2F8MlRHRR_8KtYL-_Z6IqlHWV66Wj0cV_Zz2DXjcHW9IBgWHdPHeu5_YiEoHi8WfVsL1IFx3RoI8ct9VSBfJyH5izq6DYFMhHoe9BYmYh7oP55a_qrAwr_ScBYW_YMlMekPjApsPG7MEnmfO_3LYO-bk1g=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="color: #ffa400;"> 'Lifeline 99 99', an interactive theatre performance that takes place over a phone call at home.</span></p><p><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is an experimental performance that brings one audience member and one performer together, so there are many moving parts to this. </span></p><p><span style="color: #ffa400;">S<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: small;">taged as part of the Ranga Shankara Theatre Festival's online section, </span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: small;">It's a unique performance that connects one audience member to a living, breathing character on the other end of the telephone for a conversation. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #ffa400;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: small;">You can experience any or more out of the seven dial-in performances available. One of them is called </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Mritunjay </i><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: small;">(English: one who triumphs over death). Performed by Vanshika Verma. Here is a short synopsis of this story: </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><i><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You pick up the phone and hear the emotionless, straight-laced voice of a life insurance agent. Meet </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Anjali</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, who is here to introduce you to a new life insurance scheme called </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mrityunjay</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, which literally translates to</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> ‘one who triumphs over death’</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Whilst she introduces and outlines the different terms and conditions of this new insurance plan, which includes assessing your </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Human Life Value </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">using pre-defined parameters, something seems off about this life insurance agent. It could be the fact that she’s calling you from the afterlife or one of the many thought-provoking questions around mortality, death and the value of life that she leaves you with – including a phone call she wants you to make on her behalf. </span></i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">LIFELINE 99 99 - </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Summary of Experiences</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"><span id="m_-965655744846894877m_-2097532987717828925gmail-docs-internal-guid-be58b1ea-7fff-d0d6-4c5a-492471d6cc8e"></span><b id="docs-internal-guid-fcb081c8-7fff-651b-d8a1-533597713338" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ffa400; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Experience 1 - “Cab Ride to Infinite”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">You pick up the phone and hear a peppy, upbeat voice speaking to you in a strange, </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">almost-human-yet-not-quite language. Meet </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">4 to the power of 42,</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> an intergalactic cab driver who has been tasked to pick you up from Earth and </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">transport you to the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Infinite.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> The </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Infinite</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> is a place where time has stopped existing because the people </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">who live there have stopped believing in time. However, for you to be able </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">to go there, you have to completely empty your mind and think about nothing </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">(yes, absolutely nothing!). It may not be as easy as you think it is... </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ffa400; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ffa400; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Experience 2 - “Welcome To Sensuality”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ffa400; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">You pick up the phone and hear a sultry, seductive voice on the other end. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ffa400; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Meet Johnny, experienced telephone sex line operator whose business has </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ffa400; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">been booming but he’s facing a slump. However, you’re his 10th caller in the </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ffa400; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">row and he is having difficulty in… performing. He drops his act and talks to you </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ffa400; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">as his real self, what made him get into the business and the kind of people that </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ffa400; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">call him up every day with very peculiar kinks and isolation-related requests. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ffa400; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">You’re asked to imagine this sort of intimacy online and whether it’s something </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ffa400; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">that you’d be up for, you know if you were to be into these sort of things…</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ffa400; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> </span></p><div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ffa400; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;">Experience 3 - “Mrityunjay”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">You pick up the phone and hear the emotionless, straight-laced voice of a l</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">ife insurance agent. Meet </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Anjali</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">, who is here to introduce you to a new life </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">insurance scheme called </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Mrityunjay</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">, which literally translates to</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> ‘one who </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">triumphs over death’</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">. Whilst she introduces and outlines the different terms</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> and conditions of this new insurance plan, which includes assessing your </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Human Life Value </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">using pre-defined parameters, something seems off about </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">this life insurance agent. It could be the fact that she’s calling you from the </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">afterlife or one of the many thought-provoking questions around mortality, </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">death and the value of life that she leaves you with – including a phone call </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">she wants you to make on her behalf. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;">Experience 4: “EGAL Network”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">You pick up the phone and hear the rough, heavily accented drawl of </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Murugan</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">, </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">a middle-aged telecom agent whose distrust in the government is exceeded only </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">by his contempt for capitalism. His day job as a telecom agent at the EGAL </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">network – a company that differentiates itself from other global telecom </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">networks by offering subscription plans based on the customers’ economic class, </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">language, heritage and propensity to whistleblow wrongdoings of the </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">authority – is the reason why he’s calling you. But what’s more troubling </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">is that you are Murugan’s last call and you are the only one who can complete his legacy. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;">Experience 5: “When Art Calls”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">You pick up the phone and hear the slow-paced, soothing voice of </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Srijan</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> who is </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">calling from a small publication house in an even smaller sub-urban town. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">He is excited to tell you about a new book written by Ramswaroop Desai – a </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Hindi pulp fiction author and Srijan’s long-time friend – that can truly be called ‘art’. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">However, you seem to find an uncanny resemblance between Srijan and the stories </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">in this book. Is Srijan himself art, personified? He gives you a few ways to confirm </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">your suspicion, leaving you with the question </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">“What comes first, the art or the artist?”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;">Experience 6: “SCAM: Silly, Confusing, Annoying, Malicious”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">You pick up the phone and hear the fast-talking, sneery voice of Sandeep aka </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Sandy, a former telephone scammer (and now </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">ethical scammer</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">) who is dedicated </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">to educating everyday callers about how to avoid fraudulent calls and text messages. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Whilst Sandy has given up his former life of extravagant scams and chances to make </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">quick money, he is currently grappling with some problems in his family and can use a </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">distraction. His habit of talking to strangers endlessly might just be therapeutic enough </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">for himself and for you, as he invites you to play a few games with him to pass the time. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;">Experience 7: “Lost In Transition” </span></p><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">You pick up the phone and hear the enthusiastic, cheerful voice of </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Kalpana </span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ffa400; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">who is calling you on behalf of Memcorp to tell you about a new research project </span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ffa400; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">she is working on that explores the possibility of altering and packaging human memories. </span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ffa400; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">As the research subject, you are invited to answer a few questions and undertake some</span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ffa400; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> exercises that would take you down memory lane, quite literally. Between conversations </span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ffa400; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">about the past and those about the present, you might just discover something about your future</span></span></div><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"><br /></span></p><div><div dir="auto"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #ffa400; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div><span style="color: #ffa400;"><b><br style="font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /></b><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">Lifeline 99 99 is a one-on-one interactive theatre performance that takes place over a phone call. </span></span></div><div><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #ffa400;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #ffa400;"><b>Audience members dial in for a u<span>nique experience</span></b><span> where they get to choose from <b>seven distinct, live and interactive characters</b> – a conflicted sex chat operator, an aggrieved idealist, a dude alien, a morbid insurance ag</span>ent, a memory alteration researcher, an ethical scammer or art itself, personified – all telling you something about the times we live in. <span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">No two shows are alike as each conversation is unique and personalized. </span></span></div><div><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #ffa400;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #ffa400;"><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">Learn more about the show at <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.kaivalyaplays.org/lifeline9999&source=gmail&ust=1645700016328000&usg=AOvVaw1gIgVnAni7JYQslHSmkUZ2" href="http://www.kaivalyaplays.org/lifeline9999" target="_blank">www.kaivalyaplays.org/<wbr></wbr>lifeline9999</a></span><br style="font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /></span><div><span style="color: #ffa400;"><b>Who is the creative team?</b></span></div><span style="color: #ffa400;"><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">Lifeline 99 99 is presented by Indian performing arts company Kaivalya Plays in partnership with Exotel. It is directed and designed by Akshay Raheja and Gaurav Singh. Performers include Gaurav Singh, Nikie Bareja, Kumar Abhimanyu, Raghav Seth, Rochan Mathur, Vanshika Verma and Ramita Menon. Production management by Saumya Upadhyay. </span><br clear="all" /></span><div></div></div><div><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #ffa400;"><br /></span></div><div><div><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">What is it about?</span></b></div><div><span style="color: #ffa400;">Lifeline 99 99 is an absurd telephone line that interrogates a critical question that confronts us today – <b>in the age of growing indifference and shrinking empathy, can one still create a genuine human connection?</b> Audience members dial in for a unique experience where they get to choose from <b>seven distinct, live and interactive characters</b> – a conflicted sex chat operator, an aggrieved idealist, a dude alien, a morbid insurance agent, a memory alteration researcher, an ethical scammer or art itself, personified – all telling you something about the times we live in.<br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #ffa400;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">Has it been done before? </span></b></div><div><span style="color: #ffa400;">This is the third run of the show, which originally premiered in February 2021. It premiered in February 2021, has seen over 200 one-on-one audience experiences across 5 different countries, creating over 150 hours of audio-based conversations. It was shortlisted for the Re-Connect Theatre Festival (April'21) and is scheduled to perform at the Living Record Festival (Jan'22). An early draft of this project was developed under Thespo's Audio-Torium initiative.<br /><br /><span><b>What has been the response so far? </b></span>Audiences have taken to the new format like never before, with many expressing how much they enjoyed the distraction-free nature of the show and its use of audio only. No two shows are alike as each conversation is unique and personalized to the audience member and how their answers drive the story, which is why we have audience members dial back in multiple times to hear different stories. The show has received widespread attention and has previously been covered in <b><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://bit.ly/9999firstpost&source=gmail&ust=1645700016328000&usg=AOvVaw0g4_Y23jhcVrrrFABn6saz" href="https://bit.ly/9999firstpost" target="_blank">Firstpost</a>, <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://bit.ly/9999mintlounge&source=gmail&ust=1645700016328000&usg=AOvVaw27n11AfTCMPwtVEODsfnSC" href="https://bit.ly/9999mintlounge" target="_blank">Mint Lounge</a>, <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://bit.ly/9999indianexpress&source=gmail&ust=1645700016328000&usg=AOvVaw2ZoPP0MM2gmxI9qCIMovya" href="https://bit.ly/9999indianexpress" target="_blank">New Indian Express</a>, <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://bit.ly/9999-midday&source=gmail&ust=1645700016328000&usg=AOvVaw1jKonvmsAQgWGwgPHikwxd" href="https://bit.ly/9999-midday" target="_blank">Mid Day</a>, <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://bit.ly/9999dailyguardian&source=gmail&ust=1645700016328000&usg=AOvVaw2kkrK3dA2z0aTNmCXIunOJ" href="https://bit.ly/9999dailyguardian" target="_blank">Daily Guardian</a>, <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://bit.ly/9999homegrown&source=gmail&ust=1645700016328000&usg=AOvVaw2pZ538KTblcqfHChx2gxmU" href="https://bit.ly/9999homegrown" target="_blank">Homegrown</a> </b>and<b> <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://bit.ly/9999hindustantimes&source=gmail&ust=1645700016328000&usg=AOvVaw3ahQyTWeina4DoENmhIW9F" href="https://bit.ly/9999hindustantimes" target="_blank">Hindus<wbr></wbr>tan Times</a></b>.</span></div><div><span style="color: #ffa400;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">How does the technology work? </span></b></div><div><span style="color: #ffa400;">The show combines <b>IVRS technology with live storytelling on the phone</b>, for which we have partnered with Indian cloud communications company Exotel. The show is a distinctly different experience from Zoom theatre and pre-recorded streams that's emerged in India post the pandemic. It is live and there's something real at stake. It is an audio-only experience, making it suitable for not only those with limited or impaired vision, but also those experiencing screen fatigue. Audiences can attend it from the comfort of their beds. </span></div><div><span style="color: #ffa400;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">Press features:</span></b></div><div><span style="color: #ffa400;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #ffa400;"><span face="Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>"An example of how theatre has adapted to and thrived in socially distanced times"</i> - Mint Lounge
<i>"Lifeline 99 99 shines as an experimental art practice among the evolving theatre explorations in the Indian sub-continent. This is one phone call you definitely do not want to miss." </i>- Firstpost
<i>"(Lifeline 99 99) stands out as one of the more innovative forms of theatre which have mushroomed in the post-Covid, socially distanced era."</i> - The Daily Guardian
<i>“Perhaps the intent of Lifeline 99 is precisely this, to remind us what it means to be human and what it means to offer our humanity.”</i> - Homegrown
<i>"Lifeline 99 99 portrays the urge to connect" </i>- The Pioneer
<i>"Necessity is the mother of invention and in these socially-distanced times, it is art and artists who have managed to consistently surprise and delight the audiences with their creative ways. Lifeline 99 99 is one such interesting concept"</i> - Free Press Journal
<i>"It's a format born of the pandemic. A new kind of theatrical experience invites listeners to dial in and listen to a story as it unfolds live. If they choose, the listener can also engage with the action, helping to shape the play as it unfolds." </i>- Hindustan Times
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"Theatre of life over a phone call" </i>- New Indian Express</span><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #ffa400;"><br /></span></div></div></div></div><div><span style="color: #ffa400;"><br /><br /></span><div><span style="color: #ffa400;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #ffa400;"><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">This show takes place on a phone call, you will require an active network connection, and lasts between 40 to 60 minutes. You will receive more instructions via email and Whatsapp.</span><br style="font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><b><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">ABOUT THE FESTIVAL</span><br style="font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /></b><br style="font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">The Ranga Shankara Theatre Festival </span><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">is a hybrid offering this year, with the online festival curated by interdisciplinary artist Amitesh Grover</span><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">. With two live digital shows and three offline digital shows that can be experienced at your own pace, as well as five in-person performances in the auditorium and intimate sharings in and around the premises. </span><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">Learn more about the festival at <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.rangashankara.org/theatre-festival-2021/&source=gmail&ust=1645700016328000&usg=AOvVaw00x6cej49vpKwueoo2ePN8" href="http://www.rangashankara.org/theatre-festival-2021/" target="_blank">www.rangashankara.org/<wbr></wbr>theatre-festival-2021/</a></span><span><br style="font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /></span></span></div><span><span><span><span style="color: #ffa400;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></p><div><span style="color: #ffa400;"><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" /></span></div><p><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" id="m_-965655744846894877m_-2097532987717828925gmail-docs-internal-guid-3ffa8821-7fff-e777-7db4-3921037ae5ea" style="background-color: white; color: #ffa400; font-size: small;"></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #ffa400; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p></b></b>Johnson Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05249207683198967458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8706755065026479488.post-29898637069973301492020-03-30T21:18:00.000-07:002020-03-30T21:18:05.272-07:00Action and Comedy play “#Khidki”- a family entertainer <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Prism Theatre Society is all set to launch the play “Khidki” a family entertainer in Mumbai, featuring Netflix series Sacred Games Fame Bunty aka Actor Jatin Sharma and Actress Priyanka Sharma. Vikas Bahari known for his modern style of writing has directed and designed various productions under the same banner on stage. After performing successful shows all over in India, now Prism Theatre Society is taking its newly existed theatrical extravaganza 39th show of play "Khidki" in Mumbai on 24th November 2019.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX6rZuiYrkXhCag5pMrsqK_Xe4FDlrucvW0FZ4t1R0WPxNChQl3idoe_0wByvPkmVPHZo7CzhMq23EbVLXBpauGX8D9CpA8v2NTZQ9hwFjCkplXjD7c7bLEmg5vbXb47Dsa8ig2G7njya6/s1600/1.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX6rZuiYrkXhCag5pMrsqK_Xe4FDlrucvW0FZ4t1R0WPxNChQl3idoe_0wByvPkmVPHZo7CzhMq23EbVLXBpauGX8D9CpA8v2NTZQ9hwFjCkplXjD7c7bLEmg5vbXb47Dsa8ig2G7njya6/s320/1.JPG" width="320" height="213" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1067" /></a>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiOe8dz_6qGhV6LeHbssy0uY-r11UmpOboayDYSHjNPF5tc73CnnTch9kAIHSpv3Vlu1yFuQoVEsQ2upJ7E4UuLrbKXs0MxC_U6x_rcFPHDK5ttel-NxbH8rA-WYx8fmRS5aQSjdmeylZy/s1600/Jatin3.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiOe8dz_6qGhV6LeHbssy0uY-r11UmpOboayDYSHjNPF5tc73CnnTch9kAIHSpv3Vlu1yFuQoVEsQ2upJ7E4UuLrbKXs0MxC_U6x_rcFPHDK5ttel-NxbH8rA-WYx8fmRS5aQSjdmeylZy/s320/Jatin3.jpg" width="305" height="320" data-original-width="1524" data-original-height="1600" /></a>
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Khidki story revolves around the hell hole of the struggling writer who is facing a writer's block and dealing with a deadline at the same time. Now he is left with no option but to look around and find characters, by guessing about their lives and actions..."Guesses" with infinite possibilities...will make plan entertaining. But what if even by a slight chance... One of these possibilities comes true? Come and discover life with action and laughter in this funny tale of imagination and reality- Khidki.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrATDqDOrBHu2di15vokJ1H9cfa-wNHPg8AW7ya4RFLqwplUrFhZvWePqj45uDUaZykopQz6H1MJmat4fJ2DAzQz2njrjHtXpRayuapL2zGdaUGYFVvEZilvUg5xkfTEPUXdgW9OE_V_Sg/s1600/IMG-2353.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrATDqDOrBHu2di15vokJ1H9cfa-wNHPg8AW7ya4RFLqwplUrFhZvWePqj45uDUaZykopQz6H1MJmat4fJ2DAzQz2njrjHtXpRayuapL2zGdaUGYFVvEZilvUg5xkfTEPUXdgW9OE_V_Sg/s320/IMG-2353.JPG" width="320" height="213" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1067" /></a>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Kwgq2u5nX8hkkdp1l10o0WEVRu2GsR2WHN_AKDcepjSV0YQcM3XZ7cLF_yoLAD_gRCxAi1TLRBqCL-CKnlPuxtaJOYr4ALWTAKj8EslpXrL3h0WN83vZG_7_AJsjK3Bulfkm0j3J9s5q/s1600/IMG-6597.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Kwgq2u5nX8hkkdp1l10o0WEVRu2GsR2WHN_AKDcepjSV0YQcM3XZ7cLF_yoLAD_gRCxAi1TLRBqCL-CKnlPuxtaJOYr4ALWTAKj8EslpXrL3h0WN83vZG_7_AJsjK3Bulfkm0j3J9s5q/s320/IMG-6597.JPG" width="240" height="320" data-original-width="1200" data-original-height="1600" /></a>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX8gpiXY54EG8Wgxmn0yZS8BIrxplUVa3cEwC4kt2e3tfcOyJoe12J2QQNaE0PWBcIu34RMEYYMC725SgB3AQzAzTygyAFBzdW1ekD1oBH4RgqH-38UDQFrqd277grAsQWUbb1BTl2ePuJ/s1600/Vikas+Bahari.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX8gpiXY54EG8Wgxmn0yZS8BIrxplUVa3cEwC4kt2e3tfcOyJoe12J2QQNaE0PWBcIu34RMEYYMC725SgB3AQzAzTygyAFBzdW1ekD1oBH4RgqH-38UDQFrqd277grAsQWUbb1BTl2ePuJ/s320/Vikas+Bahari.jpg" width="245" height="320" data-original-width="735" data-original-height="960" /></a>
johnsont307@gmail.com
Johnson Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05249207683198967458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8706755065026479488.post-36858102387168326672020-03-30T06:35:00.000-07:002020-03-30T06:35:04.401-07:00A Virtuoso Performance #MaheshDattani written #30DaysInSeptember @ #VedaLive as part of #AntarangTheatreFestivalSeason3<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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About ANTARANG Season 3
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An initiative by The Actor’s Truth, the third edition of Antarang Theatre Festival is celebrating equality in love as we mark 50 years of ‘Pride’ and acceptance of the LGBTQI community across the world. Starting August 16-18, this three-day festival comprises portrayals and narrations that act as a mirror to those aspects of our society that we choose to remain oblivious to.
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Not just that, the festival aims to address various other issues that are of utmost importance and often a topic of discussion in the society, like female foeticide, child abuse, sexual molestation, marital rape, homophobia. At the same time talking about mental illness, that is often shoved under the carpet.
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Mr. Saurabh Sachdeva, acting coach, and curator of the Antarang Theatre festival dedicate this festival to the courage of the LGBTQ community for their unshakable conviction. “Since we started this festival in 2017, each year we bring plays that talk about or address social issues. Last year during the end of season two we received the remarkable judgment of Section 377. This year we dedicate the festival to our LGBTQ, non-binary and gender-variant people who stood strong to fight against the prejudice of the society. The plays are directed by actors and have worked hard to bring something so meaningful this year that will be loved by the audience,' he says.
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Amit Verma, creative head of The Actor's Truth, - ‘Antarang’ is a theatre festival where we encourage actors to push the boundaries of convention and explore the most basic instincts of acting by producing something new and provocative. Our goal is to provide an environment for our actors to develop and showcase new plays, where there is so much more to experience and achieve. We look forward to introducing new and creative work for our community. ,
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The plays for this season are:
1 30 days in September
2. Stop Kiss
3. Khamosh! Adaalat Jaari hai
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Festival Dates
16 - 18 August at Veda Live, Aram nagar, Versova
Shows : 7pm & 9pm
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A virtuoso Performance by the stellar amateur cast!
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30 days in September
Writer: Mahesh Dattani
Director: Pratyush Parashar
Synopsis:
In a world where betrayal has become synonymous to love, play 'Thirty Days in September' talks about the sensitive and tabooed topic of child sexual abuse. It endeavors to lift the veil from this hush-hush subject which addresses the issue unflinchingly. It builds on the trauma of Mala who lives with the haunting memories of her abused past. As Mala withers under the psychological pressure exerted on her by the abuser, her mother watches silently, living through her pain - suffering mutely.
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The lead actress gives a passionate account of the dysnfunctional character and makes the experience moving and intimately hurtful...
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The other plays performed were...
Stop Kiss
Writer: Diana Son
Director: Abhash Makharia
Synopsis:
What happens when two women - who are complete opposites - find comfort in each other's company in a big, bad city?
Cynical traffic reporter - Milli, meets enthusiastic school teacher - Sara, in a wonderful, heart-warming drama set in Mumbai.
This adaptation of Diana Son's ‘Stop Kiss’ focuses on the unfolding of a love story, amidst hate crime.However, it can take far more insidious forms at the center of Son's play.
Khamosh ! Adalat jaari hai
Writer: Vijay Tendulkar
Director: Ritesh Singh
Synopsis:
We brag about the amount of freedom given to women these days but who are we to give that freedom? Isn't freedom an inherent birthright? Many such questions - on a woman's right to choose - are raised when a fun, mock trial during the rehearsal of a play turns into tragic persecution.
Johnson Thomas <johnsont307@gmail.com> Johnson Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05249207683198967458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8706755065026479488.post-60007929619980697432019-12-04T13:29:00.001-08:002019-12-04T13:29:30.003-08:00#OnePlusMusicFestival #DYPatilStadium #Nerul #KatyPerry #DuaLipa<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL5OqhTr2e6iD_3RP4C2akXt5fOYkjs_oqo-5iU9bWlsSDYM4RcdgGIgKY0YZ4ZsHe5Ij6W_ma0eqLjNxn2OHIPdi2MN0GLHeq8Wov3M2LqFUVk3jbSKPU72lCWEwFP5kRDeNRtDKoXkwO/s1600/Image+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL5OqhTr2e6iD_3RP4C2akXt5fOYkjs_oqo-5iU9bWlsSDYM4RcdgGIgKY0YZ4ZsHe5Ij6W_ma0eqLjNxn2OHIPdi2MN0GLHeq8Wov3M2LqFUVk3jbSKPU72lCWEwFP5kRDeNRtDKoXkwO/s320/Image+1.jpg" width="134" height="320" data-original-width="668" data-original-height="1600" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUDw4869fQq3IqXx3ObNBbPCUx3UsGz0BXArBawk3hi8EobyGJEpjZt0s4xGm-IzfXDOcrD0fwNsnGRhENVzjlfOa_Fj4kPke3-yzkPJRKkA9Sf0C6PT3JrB6wADyxcOo1c5arMq-HgSYa/s1600/Image+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUDw4869fQq3IqXx3ObNBbPCUx3UsGz0BXArBawk3hi8EobyGJEpjZt0s4xGm-IzfXDOcrD0fwNsnGRhENVzjlfOa_Fj4kPke3-yzkPJRKkA9Sf0C6PT3JrB6wADyxcOo1c5arMq-HgSYa/s320/Image+2.jpg" width="248" height="320" data-original-width="1241" data-original-height="1600" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikHk4OjN-wnPmNvC5nSZT3BdSZm26OQ58xPYoPGngY5PZBmvo74jSR-brYN8bCj_I258-07Do0mttbLwwuPu0ZgXszv2_5MvMlRNicNTjH203XNo-E2PCl-2HCmARH8DaES8HW_NC-t-6x/s1600/Image+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikHk4OjN-wnPmNvC5nSZT3BdSZm26OQ58xPYoPGngY5PZBmvo74jSR-brYN8bCj_I258-07Do0mttbLwwuPu0ZgXszv2_5MvMlRNicNTjH203XNo-E2PCl-2HCmARH8DaES8HW_NC-t-6x/s320/Image+3.jpg" width="226" height="320" data-original-width="1128" data-original-height="1600" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOuwPXCs8XFa-VUjWLRx4E0gpf_TPizTTvseTrBps4g_glZT6Is-a-w8KwMB9JeT7sB9GMOKK0YXXcHN0e4GMd_7dxmIpXitHmscT2hsd6aX1G499ZJBLVzY8FpaWI6bkLdg5b2466DqGl/s1600/Image+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOuwPXCs8XFa-VUjWLRx4E0gpf_TPizTTvseTrBps4g_glZT6Is-a-w8KwMB9JeT7sB9GMOKK0YXXcHN0e4GMd_7dxmIpXitHmscT2hsd6aX1G499ZJBLVzY8FpaWI6bkLdg5b2466DqGl/s320/Image+4.jpg" width="124" height="320" data-original-width="618" data-original-height="1600" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-7widkcemgWpYyfuFS30RSkWs_gRYAII7oC1hJa9EDy9Y0UcjhE0lh3snwrlh25FoArxtDBC60uji7H90hjoQU3dALqQgeZYdjOklHXvbH-bGMKIrzm0VikvZ1zcRC_PP-1hhz8fTyQcx/s1600/Image+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-7widkcemgWpYyfuFS30RSkWs_gRYAII7oC1hJa9EDy9Y0UcjhE0lh3snwrlh25FoArxtDBC60uji7H90hjoQU3dALqQgeZYdjOklHXvbH-bGMKIrzm0VikvZ1zcRC_PP-1hhz8fTyQcx/s320/Image+5.jpg" width="182" height="320" data-original-width="908" data-original-height="1600" /></a>
Photo caption:
Image 1 – Aishwarya Rai Bachchan with Katy Perry at a party hosted by Karan Johar to welcome her to India for the OnePlus Music Festival
Image 2 – Karan Johar with Katy Perry at a party hosted by him to welcome her to India for the OnePlus Music Festival
Image 3 – Ananya Panday with Katy Perry at a party hosted by Karan Johar to welcome her to India for the OnePlus Music Festival
Image 4 – Aditi Rao Hydari with Katy Perry at a party hosted by Karan Johar to welcome her to India for the OnePlus Music Festival
Image 5 – Pete Lau, Founder and CEO, OnePlus, with Katy Perry at a party hosted by Karan Johar to welcome her to India for the OnePlus Music Festival
Johnson Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05249207683198967458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8706755065026479488.post-88584837763238751162019-08-06T01:14:00.000-07:002019-08-06T01:14:28.952-07:00#PicksAndPiques #EnglishHindiTheatrePlayReview #TheatreCriticJohnsonThomas #BadeMiyanDeewane Rating: * * *<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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#PicksAndPiques #EnglishHindiTheatrePlayReview #TheatreCriticJohnsonThomas #BadeMiyanDeewane
Rating: * * * #ImranRasheed #MuzammilQureshi #YasirKhan #BarkhaSaxena #HarpreetSingh #NishaDhar #AkritiSingh #KhaleeqChaudhary #KhushbooAtre #VarunKumar #NischalSharma
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmEOTLWRKKdbdesqMA0CNUkTSoZ_pXJolOEJd2NtApcz2L_nvMrSFb41bKwW2JwY9hbd2Ctw3HCzV7cpV1-RyI5b9p7x-zqD5oYp5bcjjDqtreyHLTFGhk1HtessL3rfEA8vWJugVg3biw/s1600/bade-miyan-deewane-2019-6-23-t-16-20-11.webp" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmEOTLWRKKdbdesqMA0CNUkTSoZ_pXJolOEJd2NtApcz2L_nvMrSFb41bKwW2JwY9hbd2Ctw3HCzV7cpV1-RyI5b9p7x-zqD5oYp5bcjjDqtreyHLTFGhk1HtessL3rfEA8vWJugVg3biw/s400/bade-miyan-deewane-2019-6-23-t-16-20-11.webp" width="400" height="156" data-original-width="1280" data-original-height="500" /></a>
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Play: Bade Miyan Deewane
Cast: Imran Rasheed, Muzammil Qureshi, Yasir Khan, Barkha Saxena, Harpreet Singh, Nisha Dhar, Akriti Singh, Khaleeq Chaudhary, Khushboo Atre, Varun Kumar and Nishchal Sharma, Mohd Khaleeq
Director: Imran Rasheed
Rating: * * *
Runtime: 120 mins
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Amongst the funniest and most popular Hindi Urdu romantic comedy plays to be staged in India, Rangbaaz’s ‘Bade Miyan Deewane’ directed by ace theatre exponent Imran Rasheed begins its latest re-rerun on the Indian theatre circuit in moth eaten overalls.
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The production values are not up to the mark and neither are the costuming, the singing or the dancing. The entire shoddy production has a rather antiquated and decadent low-brow feel to it. And this, when its about a rich eccentric octogenarian Mir Sahab (played brilliantly by Imran Rasheed) who is used to living a luxurious and flamboyant life and already enjoying the services of two courtesans Heera (Akriti Singh) and Gulab (Nisha Dhar) . Mir gets swept off his feet by a beautiful young girl Suraiya (Khushboo Atre), daughter of his neighbour Sheikh Inayatullah(Muzammil Qureshi). Suraiya happens to be in love with Mir’s estranged son, Tabish and her father, Sheikh Saheb wants her to marry the charming young writer Shaukat(the sutradhar) who is also a well-wisher of Mir Saheb. The proceedings get further complicated by Mir Saheb’s attempt to employ Shaukat as an emissary to convince Sheikh Saheb to accede to his proposal and constant threats to cut his only son out of his will.
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While this musical, based on Shaukat Thanvi's novel Budbhas appears to have adapted quite a few of its comedy set-pieces from 70’s Bollywood comedies( the ones that usually had the Rajendendranath-Mehmood duo in a comedy jugalbandi), replete with stereotypical situations and accompanied slapstick, it’s the actors who really make this comedy work.
The writing has its light-weight moments and the performers make it easier to enjoy the frivolity. While Mohd Khaleeq as Chilla, Yasir Khan as Shaukat, Barkha Saxena as Sheikhani are the ones with the unenviable task of steadying this rather ridiculous set-up, it’s really Imran Rasheed’s Mir Saheb who makes a herculean effort to liven up the imagination and make this experience a jolly good ride!
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Johnsont307@gmail.com
Johnson Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05249207683198967458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8706755065026479488.post-90342328844885026842019-07-16T09:21:00.000-07:002019-07-16T09:51:08.505-07:00Revisit India's Best Hindi Musical Comedy Play #BadeMiyanDeewane<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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BY POPULAR DEMAND, ITS BACK IN MUMBAI….
10 years, 80 shows on….and still running to packed houses
Rangbaaz Presents
India's Best Hindi Musical Comedy Play
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By popular demand, one of India’s leading professional theatre groups, Rangbaaz Productions is back in Mumbai to delight theatre lovers across the city! Rangbaaz will stage their runaway hit musical comedy play -- ''BADE MIYAN DEEWANE'' – that has been enjoying a successful 10-year, 80 show run to packed houses across the country! It is being staged on Saturday, July 13, 2019 at St. Andrew’s Auditorium Bandra (W) at 7.30pm. It is suitable for children Aged 10 years and above.
Bade Miyan Deewane is one of the funniest Hindi Urdu romantic comedy plays to be staged in India and it is based on Shaukat Thanvi's novel Budbhas. The popular musical stars Imran Rasheed, Muzammil Qureshi, Yasir Khan, Barkha Saxena, Harpreet Singh, Nisha Dhar, Akriti Singh, Khaleeq Chaudhary, Khushboo Atre, Varun Kumar and Nishchal Sharma.
Bade Miyan Deewane is Directed by ace theatre Director, Imran Rasheed.
Duration: 2 hours
Synopsis
The play is essentially about a rich eccentric octogenarian who is used to living a luxurious and flamboyant life and is swept off his feet by a beautiful young girl in his neighborhood, who incidentally is also the love interest of his son. Meer Sahab falls for the young daughter of his neighbor Sheikh Inayatullah, his son, Tabish, is also in love with the same girl (Suraiya) and wants to marry her. Sheikh Sahab on the other hand wants to get Suraiya married to a dynamic man, charming young writer, Shaukat, who is an acquaintance of both Meer Sahab & Sheikh Sahab. Shaukat is a genuine well wisher of Meer Sahab who wants him to stop splurging his wealth on his tawaif (Heera & Gulab) and return to his good old days. Meer Sahab wants Shaukat to convince Sheikh that he is a great prospect for his daughter and at the same time, Sheikh wants Shaukat to counter Mir Sahab’s advances and teach him a lesson… As a result, Shaukat is embroiled in an unwanted sticky situation and all this leads to major confusion, misunderstanding, jealously and an utterly hilarious series of events!
Johnson Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05249207683198967458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8706755065026479488.post-20245088608844734832019-06-08T01:17:00.000-07:002019-06-08T01:17:57.780-07:00#PicksAndPiquesEnglishHindiTheatreReviewsJohnsonThomas Play : #PajamaParty <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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PicksAndPiquesEnglishHindiTheatreReviewsJohnsonThomas
Play : #PajamaParty
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Cast: #KamyaPunjabi, #KavitaKaushik, #ShaktiSingh, #DeepaliGarg, #SunilPalwal, #ArjunSingh
Written by #AtulSatyaKoushik
Directed by #AtulSatyaKoushik
Rating: * * *
Runtime: 130 mins
Venue: Royal Opera House , Mumbai
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Crimes against women are being reported every day but the awareness brought on by a more vigilant media hasn’t made much of dent in preventing the rampant, dishonourable and frequent occurrence of the dastardly crime. Social media outrage, though instantaneously gratifying, doesn’t quite take the edge out of the victim’s ordeal while even the intentional, justified defamation of the aggressor/criminal is well forgotten within a few weeks. Media ethics also play an important role. Of late, we have seen many instances where an economically and politically powerful criminal makes use of his or her wherewithal to whitewash his/her sins vis-a-vis character assassination of the victim and at the same time using his/her political clout to withdraw cases and destroy evidence– which in turn leads to further victimization of the weak and vulnerable. Even so, in this age of instant gratification, media plays an important role in making our voices heard. The #MeToo and #MenToo movements are cases in point where both sides of the picture were presented in vivid detail ( not necessarily on the same scale). Director/Writer Atul Satya Koushik’s new play ‘Pajama Party’ tackles the issue of molestation/sexual humiliation in a bipartisan manner, ferretting out the nuances of a sexual exploitation that might probably be looked at benignly depending on which side of the gender divide you profess to support. Koushik’s writing supports a multi-pronged perspective in which the victim may not necessarily be the lamb led to the slaughter but a partially willing participant who suddenly feels out of depth when confronted with a sea of expectations from an alien, bohemian and sexually liberated set.
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The play tells a story of four friends (women pursuing different careers in Mumbai) - Darsha(Kamya Punjabi), Aisha(Kavita Kaushik), Kalyani(Shakti Singh), and Urvi(Deepali Garg) all mature young adults who love to enjoy themselves, party, have fun and joke around.
The play begins with a party scene at Aisha and her live-in partner Abhay’s ( Arjun Singh) abode and because of a fracas caused by uninvited advances from Abhay’s friend, the girls decide to drive the men away and have a private pajama party themselves. But Kalyani who has a night out planned with a top lawyer’s son Raghu Sampat(Suneel Kumar Palwal) decides to leave her friends behind and get on with her pre-planned assignation. What happens next forms the crux of the dilemma faced by the four friends.
Kalyani returns all trussed-up and disturbed, her three friends show her the required compassion and help her deal with the situation without resorting to the police. Using Social media, they out the culprit knowing full well that they will be the butt of chauvinistic malevolence. The women stick to their guns and eventually win a reprieve – but is it what they hoped for?
Atul Satya Kaushik employs modern media as the tool meant to bring home the point and his different perspective here, though interesting, isn’t all that plausible in effect and neither is it as satirical as he intended. Kaushik does well to present the male and female view point and his balancing act is most creditable thereof. It’s never a victim versus perpetrator gambit, the nuances here are underlined with smart dialogue and interesting character arcs that evolve enough to keep the audience intrigued. The sets are pretty basic, lighting is not as accomplished as it could have been, Sound was inconsistent and the performances other than that of Kavita Kaushik, are rather ordinary. Kavita Kaushik manages to strike a chord with Aisha’s inspired bravado in tackling the complexity of a fractured relationship compounded by the circumstances arising from the sexual opportunism prevalent in the film world that she hopes to be part of. This may not be a radical presentation but it certainly digs deeper than most when it comes to sexual exploitation of women!
Johnsont307@gmail.com
Johnson Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05249207683198967458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8706755065026479488.post-25651066213997487102019-06-07T05:54:00.000-07:002019-06-07T05:54:01.852-07:00*Sonu Nigam, Sanaya Irani, Drashti Dhami, Aftab Shivdasani, Salim-Sulaiman and many other grace the premiere of Umrao Jaan, the musical in Mumbai*<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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*Sonu Nigam, Sanaya Irani, Drashti Dhami, Aftab Shivdasani, Salim-Sulaiman and many other grace the premiere of Umrao Jaan, the musical in Mumbai*
Ever since Umrao Jaan, the musical has been announced, the curiosity was high and finally the musical opened with house packed audiences in Mumbai on Tuesday i.e. May 21st, 2019 at Rangmandir, Bandra west.
The red carpet of the musical saw who’s who of Bollywood and TV industry. Composer duo Salim-Sulaiman along with the entire cast and crew of Umrao Jaan opened the media panel. They said, “We have been a huge fan of Umrao Jaan since 1981. It was a dream for us to create a musical on the backdrop of a struggle of courtesan. We have worked really hard on it and are so emotional and proud to see a packed house at the premiere.”
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTHWG0kp1MvMhMe4hMLraSpQuEnmkMzLq6XYKBIp-roJkuSwmpaP9E02tdhOWyF2Bjl8FxyEffaHBGpL0-1PMBzjDRdWia29JpTETcTS2wKqDyQLBoTC0xAO-KkGz6oU6BUvF1ZRW-2lXB/s1600/IMG-20190520-WA0050.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTHWG0kp1MvMhMe4hMLraSpQuEnmkMzLq6XYKBIp-roJkuSwmpaP9E02tdhOWyF2Bjl8FxyEffaHBGpL0-1PMBzjDRdWia29JpTETcTS2wKqDyQLBoTC0xAO-KkGz6oU6BUvF1ZRW-2lXB/s400/IMG-20190520-WA0050.jpg" width="298" height="400" data-original-width="744" data-original-height="1000" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUer11rPtUfgXg0yElsC5Cm9LgL3w2scFexBgwiS3I-Xg42UocQxDZQonsPLOAXHYb9z1TuovtTK4ZxYhdTz70EOqRIGRfhigUElLHGDdUv7ybmVh1nCslIb72e58_fcgrzVtAHhskMz9V/s1600/IMG-20190522-WA0034.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUer11rPtUfgXg0yElsC5Cm9LgL3w2scFexBgwiS3I-Xg42UocQxDZQonsPLOAXHYb9z1TuovtTK4ZxYhdTz70EOqRIGRfhigUElLHGDdUv7ybmVh1nCslIb72e58_fcgrzVtAHhskMz9V/s400/IMG-20190522-WA0034.jpg" width="267" height="400" data-original-width="853" data-original-height="1280" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihzATHq4vQHQ7SL5xODFSdFG8LBZUturoI6GweJFJ9_XKkAAsZnPwlmB35eYfZvDelkAHEb7W-5DvLrC8Hjz3bs-iLIsVai4QalOBzlVZtJrjEvI2lYBb29fvl2SBZn6iy3jkYMTPHB77o/s1600/IMG-20190522-WA0037.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihzATHq4vQHQ7SL5xODFSdFG8LBZUturoI6GweJFJ9_XKkAAsZnPwlmB35eYfZvDelkAHEb7W-5DvLrC8Hjz3bs-iLIsVai4QalOBzlVZtJrjEvI2lYBb29fvl2SBZn6iy3jkYMTPHB77o/s400/IMG-20190522-WA0037.jpg" width="267" height="400" data-original-width="853" data-original-height="1280" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihcJmyKGUsJV9x4fDadgTiZ7ekbEl9iKXWZTeYm40_FScP9tjnpE6l89E5JEqOfhKv19c97V_r0L8Ja9xeSE1SfVnhAo7PLWfi51qKJfMiQP6eassrLwosa-XN7woQCdCkmU_pmj_OLNh7/s1600/IMG-20190522-WA0038%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihcJmyKGUsJV9x4fDadgTiZ7ekbEl9iKXWZTeYm40_FScP9tjnpE6l89E5JEqOfhKv19c97V_r0L8Ja9xeSE1SfVnhAo7PLWfi51qKJfMiQP6eassrLwosa-XN7woQCdCkmU_pmj_OLNh7/s400/IMG-20190522-WA0038%25281%2529.jpg" width="267" height="400" data-original-width="853" data-original-height="1280" /></a>
Other who attended the premiere were veteran Khayyam, Sonu Nigam, Talat Aziz, Aftab Shivdasani, Aditi Gautam, Shreyas Talpade, and Kabir Bedi. Others from television joined were very popular Karanvir Singh Bohra, Drashti Dhami, Sanaya Irani, Kinshuk Mahajan, Maninder Singh, Urvashi Dholakia, Juhi Parmar and many more.
About Umrao Jaan, the musical:
Umrao Jaan is a journey of a courtesan, a story of love and struggle that is immersed in culture and opulence with traditional ghazals, thumris and qawalis.
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It is the first time ever that the life of Umrao Jaan will be showcased in a theatre musical. Directed by Rajeev Goswami, it is produced by Gravity Zero Entertainment. The live music is composed by popular music maestro duo Salim-Sulaiman and the lyrics are penned by Irfan Siddiqui.
The musical will have 10 shows in the capital, New Delhi between May-June 2019. The musical is based on a novel Umrao Jaan written by the renowned Urdu novelist Mirza Hadi Ruswa and besides the courtesan, the characters Nawab Sultan, Gauhar Mirza and Khanum Jaan will also play eminent roles in the musical.
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For this grand musical, Gravity Zero Entertainment has collaborated with Insider (https://insider.in/umrao-jaan-ada-the-musical-2019/event) and Paytm (http://m.p-y.tm/umraojaan) to make this experience a quick reality as the ticket bookings will be a click away for the fans rooting for it.
So, come and witness this epic saga live on stage for the first time ever, a masterpiece that you have never experienced before. Relive and be a part of the traditional Lucknowi culture.Johnson Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05249207683198967458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8706755065026479488.post-2647098656766837952019-05-19T12:17:00.000-07:002019-05-19T12:17:18.654-07:00#PajamaParty a Hinglish play with a message on women empowerment launched in Mumbai on 18th May 2019<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Pajama Party a Hinglish play with a message on women empowerment launched in Mumbai on 18th May 2019
Known Television Actress Kamya Panjabi and Actress Kavita Kaushik debuts in theatre with a strong message of crime against women
The play says “it’s a play for all women. It’s a play for all men.”
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India’s leading theatre group The Films and Theatre Society is all set to launch the “Pajama Party” a new social satirical play by Atul Satya Koushik on women empowerment. The play is funny, glamorous, flamboyant and thought-stirring. After a successful run of their plays Ballygunge 1990, featuring Actor Annup Sonii, Chakravyuh featuring Actor Nitish Bharadwaj, Draupadi featuring Actor Rakesh Bedi and Himani Shivpuri, Wo Lahore, Raavan Ki Ramayan featuring Actor Puneet Issar and others, Atul Satya Koushik is all set to launch Television Fame Actress Kamya Panjabi and Actress Kavita Kaushik in theatre with Hinglish play. After creating a brand value in grand Historical productions, Musicals, Comedies and Social Satires, ace Theatre Writer and Director Atul Satya Koushik comes up with yet another original play for his audience; this time, a totally different take on how we look at and deal with crimes against women in Hinglish play “Pajama Party”.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ4di531eRqhwPgkjirgW5gIVhbx_0o4ft_R5jJwb1UcxNebwkJtEj0LmX5-K4nHV6-N9wgmka6_cC0-pJIqObYmSBvqWqDPWfQjLTtMUcNwC_madaamkaqX753P0NlUsMakVX1vOo04om/s1600/FTS-Pajama-Party-poster-theme-b-bg.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ4di531eRqhwPgkjirgW5gIVhbx_0o4ft_R5jJwb1UcxNebwkJtEj0LmX5-K4nHV6-N9wgmka6_cC0-pJIqObYmSBvqWqDPWfQjLTtMUcNwC_madaamkaqX753P0NlUsMakVX1vOo04om/s400/FTS-Pajama-Party-poster-theme-b-bg.jpg" width="400" height="267" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1067" /></a>
The play is a quintessential “Atul Satya Koushik” production with a stellar star cast, enviable sets, and production values, original music and unabashed original content. This play is a joint production of The Films and Theatre Society and co-producer is Ishan Yadav and Aditi Chauhan. Kamya Panjabi, Kavita Kaushik, Shakti Singh, Deepali Garg, Sunil Kumar Palwal, Bhanu Pratap Singh Rana, Kalyan Choudhury, and Arjun Singh are the cast for the play.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoZacjeoI2EaSPFlVVD9bBBLcMM3SR0ved4P-f37HhUMwh19u0xjNROuJtZzQZoT_1wmoJGc5YiaZ5wQeD7wUmba-bYSiwTvu9FAVWKjineMUbmCabCKmeSXgYInI3CqiReojJ_km7KElw/s1600/Capture+One+Catalog1278.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoZacjeoI2EaSPFlVVD9bBBLcMM3SR0ved4P-f37HhUMwh19u0xjNROuJtZzQZoT_1wmoJGc5YiaZ5wQeD7wUmba-bYSiwTvu9FAVWKjineMUbmCabCKmeSXgYInI3CqiReojJ_km7KElw/s400/Capture+One+Catalog1278.JPG" width="285" height="400" data-original-width="465" data-original-height="653" /></a>
The play is about Darsha, Aisha, Kalyani and Urvi are four friends from Mumbai and each of them is standing at a crucial juncture of her life looking forward to something great in times to come. They gather for a Pajama Party at Aisha’s place who lives there with her boyfriend Abhay. The night progresses with music, fun, jokes, and food but what happens post that changes their lives forever. But instead of succumbing to it they decide to stand against it and find a maverick way to deal with this sudden change in their lives.
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Atul Satya Koushik, a Director, says. “I have been meaning to write and make an urban play on crimes against women, focusing on the one un-noticed and un-reported crimes that are more prevalent in cosmopolitan cities and cultures. At the same time, I wanted to keep it light, having a mass appeal and keep the audience involved in the play. The whole package has come out like that thankfully.”
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“Pajama Party has been one of the most difficult plays for me to write as I was simultaneously creating four different women characters who are connected with each other, yet totally different in their personalities, aspirations, insecurities and their pasts. I had to think like four different women in each scene. I am glad that the play is finally here and I feel lucky to be working with some of the finest actors in from the industry.” Adds Atul Satya Koushik.
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Actress Kamya Panjabi says, “Violence against women isn’t cultural, its criminal. Equality cannot come eventually. It’s something we must fight for now is the message I am coming with a debut in the play. When I heard the script, I thought to come with a strong message for all of us. It’s a mix emotion looking forward to all of your support.”
Actress Kavita Kaushik says, “Owing to the fun times and funny society we live in, things don’t turn out the way the girls wanted and the plan backfires. They are left with no option but to quit and succumb to the pressure from all over. Will they do so? Who will stand by then when no one is willing to? Come to the Pajama Party and find all these answers. It will be fun and inspiration as well.”Johnson Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05249207683198967458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8706755065026479488.post-9498647089549835202019-05-15T00:29:00.000-07:002019-05-15T02:40:26.799-07:00#PicksAndPiquesEnglishHindiTheatreReviews #TheatreCriticJohnsonThomas #KaiseKarenge?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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#PicksAndPiquesEnglishHindiTheatreReviews #TheatreCriticJohnsonThomas #KaiseKarenge
A mindful, humourous and intelligent approach to mental Illness
Play : #KaiseKarenge
Cast: #AbhishekPattnaik #DarsheelSafary #DilnazIrani #PrakharSingh
Written by #AbhishekPattnaik
Directed by #SuketuShah
Rating: * * * *
#OutOfTheBoxProductions #RimshaMinocha
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCgqvP_wVxATLkU4yXKQSo4-Apo1mGYd6RCdMYGuJdNHAR_-TL-IBA1pSpwQLAq-tjkh-U71Fs3VhV0nhakuT1JUltGvoX2UiSYKGvpTXvhzhZTNJT1IdZ-hHI_IrqnBlb3qpxwDQ4m8E-/s1600/kaiseKarenge1.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCgqvP_wVxATLkU4yXKQSo4-Apo1mGYd6RCdMYGuJdNHAR_-TL-IBA1pSpwQLAq-tjkh-U71Fs3VhV0nhakuT1JUltGvoX2UiSYKGvpTXvhzhZTNJT1IdZ-hHI_IrqnBlb3qpxwDQ4m8E-/s400/kaiseKarenge1.jpg" width="400" height="156" data-original-width="360" data-original-height="140" /></a>
With an intriguing and open ended title like ‘Kaise Karenge’ this Suketu Shah directed theatre of an Abhishek Pattnaik written play, already had a lot of curiosity going for it. Darsheel Safary of Taare Zameen Par (2007) fame plays a charming young IIT-ian named Saurav Parasrampuria (SP), a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT ) aspirant, who has cleared the selection and is all set to crack the interview. Just when he is making plans of meeting his long-distance girlfriend, Riddhi(a voice in the background) and looking forward to together time in the USA, tragedy strikes. His single mother, Kavita dies in an accident and Saurav is left coping with the aftermath and an older brother Kapil(Pattnaik) a copywriter and ideator for an ad agency who just lost his job prior to the accident, and may be mentally unhinged.
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Kapil is diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder better known as Multiple Personality Disorder and is conflicted with two other personalities within him. Other than Kapil, he also gets triggered into assuming the roles of Kabir, a Professor who specialises in speaking chaste Hindi and Sunny, a boorish Jat who speaks with a pronounced Haryanvi accent and lingo.
Juxtaposing a technical brain(Saurabh) against a creative one(Kapil), Pattnaik the playwright, designs a constructive, structured demystification of a mental illness that, though simplistic, makes innate sense. The characters are superbly constructed and the writing is meant to entertain rather than degenerate into melodrama. In fact, despite the heavy-duty theme, the play is intelligently light hearted with the dialogues and superbly timed performances generating enough laughter, shock and awe to make the audience fall under its spell.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi-aGasv6tJibMUIFRF7Bj01dLqMtghVFKggVKL8iRfgej-S3InRV2XG9PboG21q4eyUMn888l43iN2ndLBMtEGuDuk617xYjt-D6Ib2DemMHByvARdxqALnURpp9NXQyZjOMP5Z7KnPpA/s1600/KaiseKarengePlay.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi-aGasv6tJibMUIFRF7Bj01dLqMtghVFKggVKL8iRfgej-S3InRV2XG9PboG21q4eyUMn888l43iN2ndLBMtEGuDuk617xYjt-D6Ib2DemMHByvARdxqALnURpp9NXQyZjOMP5Z7KnPpA/s400/KaiseKarengePlay.jpg" width="284" height="400" data-original-width="726" data-original-height="1024" /></a>
The nearly three hour duration is not a negative here. The conflicts are well represented. The see-sawing dramatic highs and lows leave the audience reeling from a barrage of fluctuating emotions w.r.t the two main characters Saurabh and Kapil. This comedy-drama has everything – humour, smarts, emotions and inveigling attachment. Writer and lead actor, 26 year old Abhishek Pattnaik’s prodigious talents are well defined here. His triple axle(splits done with consummate ease) performance is amongst the best we’ve seen in Indian theatre in a long, long time. Not only is his writing award worthy, his performances too – first ‘Two Adorable Losers’ and now, ‘Kaise Karenge’ deserve the highest praise. Darsheel Safary is an effective foil, drawing on experience and strong aural variations to make Saurabh a willing participant in the quashing of his own dreams – all for brotherly love. Prakhar Singh who plays the Psychiatrist Dr Shankar and Saurabh’s envious Richie rich friend Rudra aka Frog, who piggy-backs on Saurabh’s achievements, into MIT, is also note perfect in both his roles. Dilnaz Irani as Kapil’s colleague and the Boss’ daughter Amrita, also does her strong bit to convince. The music score by Rahul Popawala is subtly becoming, the lighting sharpens the variances in space and time and the sets, though spare, convey a suitable homely set-up and disco pub atmosphere whenever required. Suketu Shah’s direction drives this experience to its fullest potential. Out of the Box is definitely a team to watch out for in the near future.
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Kaise Karenge is an outstanding experience with it’s deeply sensitised thematic content, tastefully incorporated situational humour and superbly delineated performances. You really can’t afford to miss this amazingly alchemic experience!
Johnsont307@gmail.com
Johnson Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05249207683198967458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8706755065026479488.post-36758878778547548012019-04-19T01:10:00.000-07:002019-05-07T01:10:36.251-07:00#PicksAndPiquesEnglishTheatreReviews #TheatreCriticJohnsonThomas #TwoAdorableLosers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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#PicksAndPiquesEnglishTheatreReviews #TheatreCriticJohnsonThomas
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Play : #TwoAdorableLosers
Cast: #DarsheelSafary #AbhishekPattnaik
Written by #AbhishekPattnaik
Directed by #MurtuzaKuttanawala
Rating: * * * ½
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#TheTurningPointBrandConsultants #RomaPerieraTalwar
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A culture clashing comedy highlighting the differences between two people from different corners of the country while they learn to cope with their deficiencies, each teaching the other to paper over his ineptitude.
This two character play revolves around a statistics teacher, an Oriya who hasn’t yet polished his English speaking proficiency, Professor Jolly (Abhishek Pattnaik) and a poorly performing TYBA Statistics student, Akshay (Darsheel Safary), who, on the Vice Principal’s recommendation approaches the former for extra classes. The Professor has issues with the VP for having superseded him to the post and is reluctant to take on someone who will need too much attention but eventually they arrive at a bargain(beneficial to both) where the Professor teaches Akhay(as he calls him) statistics while Akshay teaches him spoken English. What follows is a rib-tickling clash of speech patterns and manners which eventually lead to an unlikely, though wary friendship between the two disparately opposite personalities.
This is a mannered comedy where the two characters play off each other and strike enough sparks to set the entire auditorium rumbling with laughter. Abhishek Pattnaik’s Jolly is brilliantly toonish with ticks and traits that stand out when pitted against a suave, smooth and mouthy Akshay played by Darsheel Safary, working up an efficient foil. There is enough slapstick here to keep you regaled – save for some unnecessary monologues that lengthen the playtime and sometimes tend to tedium.
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There’s a supple understanding between the two actors which allows them to time their speech to perfection. The make-up is convincing, the sets are spare but adequate and the lighting and sound do well to lend greater definition to the two characters. This play is certainly worth the price of a ticket or two.
Johnsont307@gmail.com
Johnson Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05249207683198967458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8706755065026479488.post-72016359979872009242019-03-10T01:56:00.000-08:002019-05-07T01:11:14.808-07:00#PicksAndPiquesHindiTheatreReview #TheatreCriticJohnsonThomas #Ballygunge Rating: * * * <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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#PicksAndPiquesHindiTheatreReview #TheatreCriticJohnsonThomas
#Ballygunge Rating: * * *
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Hindi Play Ballygunge (बालीगंज) 1990, about romance and revenge, has an ex-couple reminiscing about their unresolved past. The subtleties in relationship mechanics are brought into play in order to draw out the psychopathic nature that comes into play when one partner feels scorned and abandoned. What happens in the end comes as a surprise! A neatly, packaged, intriguing thriller, this one holds your attention down to the wire. Director #AtulSatyaKoushik gets his actors #AnnupSonii and #NishtaPaliwalTomar to lend diabolical credence to a relationship fracas with a soul stirring acuity that is all too rare. Definitely worth a watch!
johnsont307@gmail.com
#NikitaSKamdarPRJohnson Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05249207683198967458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8706755065026479488.post-75965320079134616502018-12-19T01:06:00.000-08:002018-12-19T01:06:50.609-08:00Welcome to the heavenly choral ensemble this #ChristmasEve #WildVoices at #AfghanChurch, Colaba, Mumbai on 24th Dec 2018from 10 pm onwards<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Welcome to the heavenly choral ensemble this #ChristmasEve #WildVoices at #AfghanChurch, Colaba, Mumbai on 24th Dec 2018from 10 pm onwards
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQB32HdlhH23zu2hbpEISiEpx8a5KeDD3uy7A2Lc9seXhVol_S5EWnwEVE5iEvXpRijBIHlUo-ot0JNoMfIaekUgH43Fcd5hgru4hWi7paSmmIZHY3MCqgnGohI_oaVle5RH2K1KOZCg6P/s1600/wildvoicesatAfghan.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQB32HdlhH23zu2hbpEISiEpx8a5KeDD3uy7A2Lc9seXhVol_S5EWnwEVE5iEvXpRijBIHlUo-ot0JNoMfIaekUgH43Fcd5hgru4hWi7paSmmIZHY3MCqgnGohI_oaVle5RH2K1KOZCg6P/s400/wildvoicesatAfghan.jpg" width="234" height="400" data-original-width="600" data-original-height="1024" /></a>Johnson Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05249207683198967458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8706755065026479488.post-46860969360259126122018-08-25T20:13:00.003-07:002018-08-25T20:22:21.951-07:00#PicksAndPiquesHindiTheatreReview #BlindDate #JohnsonThomas Rating: ** 1/2 <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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#PicksAndPiquesHindiTheatreReview #BlindDate #JohnsonThomas
#Sakaar #PrasadKhandekar #RamanKumar #PranavTripathi #HarshBadheka #JaySoni #ChestaBhagat #PritamSingh #GlocalCommunications #NikitaKamdar
Play Title: Blind Date
Rating: * * ½
Cast: Jay Soni, Cheshta Bhagat, Pritam Singh, Sanjay Bhatia, Ani Shah And Pranav Tripathi.
Producer: Harsh Badheka
Director: Prasad Khandekar
Adaptation: Raman Kumar
Presenter: Pranav Tripathi (A Sakaar Creation)
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A Drama about love and choices, this play is a comedy drama about Dhara(Chesta Bhagat) who returns from an independent International back-packing sojourn to pressure from her parents to get married to Nisarg(Jay Soni), an Engineer who has come down to India specially to design and build the Bullet Train. Sly asides regarding the commissioning of such an unwieldy project notwithstanding, the drama is concentrated around Dhara’s courtship with Nisarg and her eventual realisation that they both are incompatible in their thinking and beliefs - brought on by a tragic circumstance. A major portion of Dhara’s rehab involves meeting and following Pawan’s (Pritam Singh) motto regarding life.
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There’s not much excitement to be had here, But for a few stray laughs, the writing is pretty much pedestrian. Pranav Tripathi’s original Gujarati play based on a story idea by Prakash Panchal has been adapted here by erstwhile TV series creator Raman Kumar. Raman Kumar tries to give the play a contemporary bent by including side topics like the bullet train and suggesting political nefariousness but none of it is hard-hitting enough to score with an audience. The performances are loud, the sets are suitable though and the lighting garbs the mood but the direction and the scenario setting is a little wayward. The protracted and silly ending destroys the little hope held that this play might just be a radical beginning of sorts. The contretemps before that makes it next to an impossibility.
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The title of course is misleading, this play is not about a blind date - though blind may be a story element in itself. Actor Jay Soni, of TV fame, plays Nisarg decently enough, Chesta Bhagat as Dharna loses voice and diction intermittently while enacting her lead role, Pritam Singh as Pawan attempts an Amitabh Bachchan stereotype and brings on the drama at full blast. Director Prasad Khandekar’s treatment is influenced entirely by mainstream cinema and theatre with the requisite signature music, flashy costume, romantic settings and songs. The major problem here though is that none of the characters appear believable and therefore remain un-affecting.
Johnsont307@gmail.com
Johnson Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05249207683198967458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8706755065026479488.post-1222272498056555922018-07-24T09:03:00.000-07:002018-07-24T09:03:23.955-07:00#PicksAndPiquesTheatreReview2018 #TheatreCriticJohnsonThomas #TheSoundOfMusic #AceProductions <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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#PicksAndPiquesTheatreReview2018 #TheatreCriticJohnsonThomas
#TheSoundOfMusic
#AceProductions #CreateFoundation #RodgersAndHammerstein #RaelPadamsee #AdvaitHazarat #KarlaSingh
Cast: #ArunodaySingh, #MeherMistry, #KunalVijayakar, #MarianneDcruzAiman #HoshangKatrak
Director: #AdvaitHazarat
Associate Director: #KarlaSingh
Rating: * * * ½
Venue: Tata Theatre, NCPA, Nariman Point
Runtime: 120 + mins
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This much loved timeless, old-school musical made famous by the classic film and live performances in prestigious theatres across the globe, comes to the Mumbai stage in an ambitious amalgam of heavenly singing, nimble dancing and astonishing visual artistry. The musical compresses the tale of romance between the postulant Maria Ranier and the navy Captain Georg von Trapp, after which they escape from Nazi entrapment, with his seven children. It’s of course based on the real life ordeal of Von Trapp Family Singers.
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This latest stage adaptation has stacked the deck with impressive performers, sets and costumes that evoke the period and drama that is still remembered with an aching sense of nostalgia. This may not be a cinema but it plays like one with the background props looking incredibly real and the use of space and visuals, so beautifully done that it almost feels like you are in the Austria of the period leading up to the Second World War. The set design is definitely the highlight of this production with the backdrops capturing most of the elements of the film with a sweeping magnificence that takes full advantage of the entire auditorium. The Captain’s grand estate, the abbey, and the Chapel where the wedding scene takes place, backlit by the stained glass windows look stunning to say the least. Even the Nazi swastikas that provide a backdrop to the Festival concert where the von Trapps perform before they flee Austria look eerily real here.
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When you think of The Sound of Music, of course it’s Julie Andrews who comes to mind- not the many immensely gifted performers who have graced the stage across the globe. That’s but natural, for cinema is a far more accessible medium than stage/theatre. And it certainly wouldn’t be justified to compare a live stage performance with that of a film. Having said that, I must say that the lead actress here is a phenomenal singer. She has a wonderful range and her voice is sharp and pitched strikingly enough to compare with the best we’ve seen on stage in India. Meher Mistry who plays Maria, the wilful, free spirited novice who breaks the rules of the Abbey with her loud singing - of Advait Hazarat’s ‘The Sound of Music,’ falls into place largely because of her singing talents. Arunoday Singh’s Captain Von Trapp has the imposing presence required but his singing voice, while strong enough, doesn’t feel as confident. The 7 Von Trapp offspring are adequate and the school children who participate in the background also add some gaiety but it’s essentially Marianne D’Cruz Aiman as the Mother Superior who hits the highest notes and brandishes her extraordinary range and voice for all to be floored. The Sound Of Music, Climb Ev’ry mountain, Edelweiss, Maria and My Favorite Things are the songs that keep ringing in your mind much after the show is done.
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After the romance finds fruition, Hazarat dutifully encapsulates the Von Trapp escape, during a family performance at a prestigious festival of music, which happens during the early stages of World War II, when Nazism was spreading throughout Europe. Unfortunately despite the dialogue fillers which inform you about the tense situation prevalent there, there’s no tension or fear in the performance. While the plot of the musical is similar to that of the film, the sequence of the songs varies and the background score has contemporary resonance. The romance doesn’t feel organic either. So basically this musical works largely on the basis of the lead singing and stunning digital backdrops that spread across the walls of the theatre in perfect symmetry, thus conveying to the audience a feel of being an integral part of the performance. Special mention must be made of the digital props used for the Chapel in the Abbey which is envisaged as a stained glass endowed stunner. This memoir to the enduring human spirit that finds hope even in the most trying of circumstances is undoubtedly a heart-warming experience!
Johnsont307@gmail.com
Johnson Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05249207683198967458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8706755065026479488.post-60555373278763509532018-07-23T20:43:00.001-07:002018-07-24T09:07:57.866-07:00#PicksAndPiquesJulyTheatre2018 #TheatreCriticJohnsonThomas #Opera #HarpAndSopranaConcert #AMusicalMarriage Rating: * * */5<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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#PicksAndPiquesJulyTheatre2018 #TheatreCriticJohnsonThomas #Opera #HarpAndSopranaConcert #AMusicalMarriage
Rating: * * */5
#GioacchinoRossini #IsabellaColbran #MariannaGubri #MariaChiaraPizzoli
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As part of the brand new Opera Season in Mumbai envisioned by #AvidLearning supported by the #ItalianEmbassy and #TheRoyalOperaHouse and performed by artistes from the #GivingVoiceSociety, the Harp and Soprano musical marriage concert was a one of a kind rare event that gave the rapt audience a glimpse of what was to come in the coming weeks. With #MariannaGubri plying her unique magic with the Harp and #MariaChiaraPizzoli performing classical lyrical arias created by Rossini and Colbran, it was a night of learning that took the yearning for the experience of an Opera to new heights. Their exploration of the rich and beautiful selected works from the classical repertoire for soprano and Harp had an incandescent fusion that was mellifluous as well as interesting. Their carefully chosen repertoire in combination with their unique qualities, created an unusually intimate and alluring ensemble, taking the level of performance to a standard never experienced before in Mumbai. The magnificent performance by the two supremely gifted, talented and internationally awarded artistes had the enthralled audience totally mesmerised and I am sure that this musical curtain-raiser will win more enthusiasts and connoisseurs for the upcoming performance of the Opera #LaFedeltaPremlata.
Johnson Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05249207683198967458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8706755065026479488.post-59312002541294971132018-06-07T04:53:00.001-07:002018-06-07T04:53:49.213-07:00#DadsGirlfriend #TheatreReview #JohnsonThomas #Hindi #English<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Hindi-English Theatre Review
Johnson Thomas
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Play: Dad’s Girlfriend
Cast: Satyendra Malik, Suman Vaidya, Anumeha Jain, Karishma Singh
Director: Atul Satya Koushik
Writer: Atul Satya Koushik,
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Rating: * * ½
Playtime: 130 mins
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After a successful opening in Delhi, Atul Satya Koushik’s new play, a sitcom, ‘Dad’s Girlfriend’ opens in Mumbai to decent crowds. Staged by one of Delhi’s leading theatre groups, The Films and Theatre Society, and promoted by Kaushik’s frequent marketing collaborator Coconut Theatre, ‘Dads Girlfriend’ is an urban family drama that hopes to get you cackling with it’s frequent resort to slapstick.
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Written and directed by Atul Satya Koushik, this play which is daringly different from his largely mythological ( Chakravyuh, Draupadi, Raavan Ki Ramayan) oeuvre hopes to grab the eyeballs of millennia’s facing similar situations on the home-front.
The writing though is a little too heavy-duty to be credited as an out and out comedy. There’s neither depth nor satire in the visual connotations here. Picture this- Diya(Karishma Singh), a brilliant and successful architect and Kanav(Satyendra Malik) a down and out theatre actor, a happily married odd couple, get news that her father Mr Vaidya(Suman Vaidya) a successful author, is flying down from the US to spend some family time with his daughter. Kanav, though unhappy about the visit, has resigned himself to the expected insults while Diya, who hasn’t had much to do with her father after her Mom’s death is really looking forward to having him stay with her.
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The opening sequence is a fantasy one with Kanav dancing with his fantasy woman in gay abandon and then being brought down to earth with Diya’s announcement about her father’s visit. Kanav and Diya are shown to have a playful relationship which comes under great pressure with the presence of the dreaded Father-in Law who is pompous, peculiar and particular about his family’s achievements and therefore looks down on his son-in-law - who I must say takes it all in his stride. Then comes the inevitable fourth wheel- a former student cum fan of Vaidya, Avni( Anumeha Jain), a PYT about Diya’s age, who idolises the author and eventually falls in love with him. That’s when the main conflict occurs. But the treatment and writing here is very much half-hearted. While Koushik’s resistance to melodrama is appreciable, his attempt to curb natural human emotional reactions is not. Diya’s response is not brought out well enough and Avni’s appears to be an after-thought rather than the mainstay here. Vaidya, who apparently has just returned from a long stay in the US is so without spiff and polish that Suman’s turn appears off-colour. Koushik’s attempt to make that deceit obvious by plonking Vaidya in Delhi after having withdrawn from the game of love, doesn’t help the engagement along, either. The final acts deteriorate into sombre unwieldy dramatics which in fact pours cold water on the flush of fun experienced in the middle. Satyendra Malik is the one who enlivens the experience with an obviously overt show of slapstick combined with superbly intonated verbal repartee that help lighten the mood and keep the audience involved. His unbridled energy lifts the otherwise inept acts, lending some comfort to an otherwise sloppy drama. The actors sound better when they talk in Hindi. The attempt to add English phrases in the dialogues subverts the humour - actors enunciations don’t come across as clearly as required. ‘Dad’s Girlfriend’ lacks in subtlety and craft, the Delhi style humour is forced and the performances lack direction. There’s not much fun to be had here!
Johnsont307@gmail.com
Johnson Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05249207683198967458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8706755065026479488.post-34340318874496542632018-05-06T19:15:00.002-07:002018-05-09T09:50:28.080-07:00#RaavanKiRamayan #EpicTheatreReview #TheatreCriticJohnsonThomas Rating: * * * 1/2 <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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#RaavanKiRamayan #EpicTheatreReview #TheatreCriticJohnsonThomas
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Rating: * * * 1/2
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Coconut Theatre Takes the lead in presenting The Films and Theatre Society's relaunch of it's epic play “Raavan Ki Ramayan” in Mumbai on 5th may 2018. Director Atul Satya Koushik who has also written the script, delineates Raavan's viewpoint regarding the Ramayana.The Director who has always managed to get celebrities from films and TV to act in his plays manages to scoop out once famous cinema villain Punnet Issar from the obscurity of TV, to star in the titular role as the agonised and deeply pained Raavan who believes he has been wronged by Shiva, to whom he has been the most ardent devotee.
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The production may not have the lush majesty of the super successful #MughalEAzam but the emotive en-treatment cannot be denied. Raavan who most of us saw as the villain of the Ramayana, is the protagonist here.The play is his version of events that transpired and looks at why his eventual defeat at the hands of Lord Ram was inevitable. Puneet Issar who has played Duryodhana, another villain in epic mythology, in B R Chopra's super-successful TV serial Mahabharatha, gets to expose his talent as an actor through a series of hard-hitting, intense dialogues that shed light on Raavan's particular angst. And he is simply majestic here. A virtuous king's dilemma when his sister's Surpanakha's modesty is outraged, his idea of a dignified revenge,his blind faith in his sister's claims that eventually leads to his own downfall, his clash with his sons and ministers who advice him against the disastrous course of action, his conversations with wife Mandodari who chastises him for abducting Sita, keeping her confined in Ashokvan and Shiva's disenchantment with his ultimate devotee are brought out succinctly and powerfully in the sing-song dialogue, (though long winded), which sound like music to the ears. Raavan 's war with himself that pits duties and responsibilities as a king against that of a brother, father, husband and devotee is brought out beautifully by Puneet's majestic performance.Actors playing Surpanakha and Mandodari also strike at your heart with their plaintive cries of anguish over their fate.
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The idea that beauty is but a parameter laid out by men who wants to control the way women think and behave,brought out by Surpanakha's predicament, is quite profound.The writer links Raavan's inner struggles with that of every-man - the eternal good versus evil fight that we wage within ourselves and it's enlightening to come face to face with our own culpability. It's to the actors credit that they manage to render it with pungent aplomb. While the length of the play could have been trimmed a bit considering it's overly verbose and wearisome at 2 hours and 30 minutes, it still manages to be spell-binding enough to keep you interested.
The production may be spare in terms of sets but the costumes are befitting and the lighting makes the visual experience more fulfilling. This is a less ostentatious epic with plenty of heart.
Johnson Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05249207683198967458noreply@blogger.com0