Apne Ghar Jaisa- Play

 A play with a play on Expectation versus Reality.

An old lady is imagining what a new tenant will be like, while coming to terms with the loss of her son. Her husband has agreed to let out the son's room to a stranger called "Shaukeen" (she thinks). 

It is a solo performance, almost, with her imagining the caste, religion, and habits of the tenant before he appears. She vacillates between a nice picture of him to replace her lost son, and depicting him as a complete outsider with strange habits, eating as well as lifestyle-related.

An unexpected twist at the end makes the one hour play watchable- suspense of a kind.

Padmavati Rao performed the old lady's role very well, with a variety of emotions showing while she sets up the room. Produced by Ranga Shankara, Karnataka. A part of the Shreeram Lagoo Theatre Festival.

Aamne Saamne- Marathi Play

 Saw a great play in Marathi titled Aamne Saamne. It's a story of two couples, one old and one young. The young ones pretend to be married to live as tenants with the older couple. Their stories intermingle, and both learn from each other. A lot of hilarious and serious sequences later. Directed and acted in by Mangesh Kadam, the older husband in the play. Very good dialogue, acting and comic timing.. 

The older couple..

and all four taking the bow at the close..

Zen Katha- Play Review

 Saw this in Pune yesterday (April 26, 2026). Directed by Lillette Dubey, it's the story of Bodhi dharma, a proponent of Buddhism and Dhyana, which became known as Zen. Brilliant in its direction, and acting, and Sets and Lighting. The scenes depicting China are particularly well done. Actors play multiple roles, barring the lead players. A great message too. 

What Plays Can Teach Us

 Why is Shakespeare famous? Due to his plays. And why are plays important, especially today where everything seems screen-based- so much that you sometimes wonder if you are really alive, and pinch yourself to be sure.

I would think that plays are a unique art form. Film of course is easier to do and store, and distribute. And it has an important role to play in entertainment and education. But there is an immediate connect with the characters in a well-enacted play, that is magnetic, and irreplaceable. 

Pic above- a wonderful play I saw at Pune recently, called The Greatest Show on Earth. 

Last three or four years, I saw many plays. In Bangalore, I was lucky to have watched Naseeruddin Shah in two (he was mesmerising), and Vinay Pathak in one (funnily, called The Last Lear, after Shakespeare's King Lear). In Pune, I saw a few Marathi plays, with some good actors and directors- both male and female. 

Some classic Marathi plays were remade into films as well. I liked Natasamrat with Nana Patekar in it, and Katyar Kaaljaat Ghusli with Shankar Mahadevan and Sachin playing the major roles. 

I think the subject comes through more forcefully in a play than in a film. I would strongly recommend that you try them out, if you haven't. You won't regret it.

Filter Coffee- Marathi Play

 This is written and directed by Mahesh Manjrekar. I am convinced that 'kar's  can do creative stuff! A good tale of a conman and his female victims, and how his scheme pans out. There are some twists in the tale, and the characters are quite interesting. The coffee does play a role!!

Good acting, all around. A driver/servant character adds a comic element throughout. This was the first show in Pune we saw. Worth a watch!

The cast and crew including Mahesh Manjrekar take a bow- 

Above- Rangoli at the entrance to welcome audience- Balgandharva Rangamandir

The Greatest Show on Earth- Review of the Play

 A brilliant satire on many subjects- advertising, TV channels, politics, and a lot more.. Vikram Kapadia and team excels at the concept, and execution.

Saw it yesterday in Pune. Enjoyed every moment. Good choreography, acting by all the actors, and sets, sound and lighting. A must-watch, if you get a chance.

Murderwale Kulkarni- Marathi Comedy Play

 Jokes at the rate of 1 per minute. Non-stop comedy.

I have seen a few comedy films, but not many plays. This one is very funny, and well acted and directed.

The plot is not really important, but it sets you off on a two hour romp through fun moments, with intrigue, good acting, parody of many things like TV serials, Bhais in Dubai and their henchmen, and a general commentary on the wasted people who turn criminals in society.

All in all, recommended for viewing.

Nothing Like Lear- Review of the Play

 Rajat Kapoor has directed Vinay Pathak in this solo act, which was staged at Pune recently. I caught it, and was pleasantly surprised to see the Director greeting us at the exit. Shook hands, and told him it was very good. You may recognise the names as actors from Bheja Fry, a few years ago.

This was delightful, and covered a lot of ground. Interactive, with a few jokes directed at the interactive audience as well. Pathos, comedy, tragedy, and great solo acting, in a clown's costume. Reminded me of Mera Naam Joker. 

Holding people for more than 90 minutes itself is huge, in my view. I have seen Naseeruddin Shah and Arundhati Nag do it, so it's not impossible, but it's tough.

The accent he used is typical Bambaiya, with a touch of the Bandra crowd, which the Mumbai crowd will identify with. But a must-watch for theatre lovers.

Purush- A play in Marathi

 Written by Jaywant Dalvi, a revival of this play is on in Pune.

A powerful indictment of the way a woman is treated in our society by the powerful patriarchy. It has a lot of messages about politics, corruption in public life, the susceptible judiciary, and so on.

The story unfolds through an upright social worker, whose daughter is in love with a low caste revolutionary. But when push comes to shove, he and most others turn their back on her. Desperate for revenge and to teach a powerful man a lesson, she takes the law into her own hands, after the justice system fails her.

A lot of twists in the plot and good dialogue, acting keep you engrossed. It's a social statement within a play. Actors including Spruha Joshi playing the young girl excel.

Book Review of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf

 Brilliant material for a play. I first saw the movie, and by chance, found the book last week. The movie was very good, starred Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton (he was a prof.). The play is of course the raw material, and is worth a read.

The whole story unfolds in the home of the couple, where another young couple (a professor and his wife) are invited to get to know each other. And they get personal, and skeletons tumble out, one by one. Of ambition, or lack of it, and extra-marital flings by the professor's wife, and a gold-digger (the younger husband).

By the way, the play has nothing to do with Virginia Woolf, the author. Just a song the characters sing.. that says, Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Nathuram Godse in a play

 This is a play about the guy who killed Mahatma Gandhi. It tries to put forth his perspective on the act. Not too convincingly, I might add. 

It's good as far as a perspective goes. But justifying murder for any reason, to my mind, except rare cases of self-defence, is a no-no.

Written and directed by Bharat Dabholkar, a celebrated Ad man. It is well-acted, and is a bit thought-provoking, showing some warts in the Mahatma's ways of dealing with the Partition of India. Anant Mahadevan acts as Mahatma Gandhi, and his son. Bharat also plays a small role himself.

It's also a bit hard to believe that he was acting all alone. Anyway, a good theatre experience. This was the Hindi version.

Sahir Ludhianvi- His Life and Times

 He was known for some wonderful lyrics in Hindi films ranging from Abhi na jao chhod kar in Hum Dono to Kabhi Kabhie mere dil mein, and many more in between. His was a long struggle, supported by his mother and few others. How he tried hard to break in after participating in the freedom struggle pre 1947, and being labelled a commie and being persecuted, is a long and interesting story.

Brought to life by Danish Husain and his team at WOPA, who staged a musical play called 'Main pal do pal ka shayar hoon', after one of his songs. With a unique style of presentation, alternating between his songs being sung on stage, and he himself narrating pieces of autobiographical tidbits, it was a delight for the senses. 

The team, wih Vrinda, Sreejoni etc. singing and also narrating in third person, in a conversational style, the effect was magical. How he fought for the rights of lyricists to be acknowledged in credits on radio and paid well in films, is a part of the story.

Guru Dutt's film Pyaasa brought him his first recognition in films, and he went on to do some awesome song writing. My only regret is that the show left out two of my favourite films.. Humraaz and Gumraah, where I thought he wrote some brilliant songs. Chalo ek baar phir se is a favourite from Gumraah.

A bonus? Co-writer of the play, Mir Ali Husain, was a junior of mine at Osmania and IIMB.

Char Chaughi- Marathi Play

 What the title means is Women like Any Other - or Ordinary Women. But here it refers to four strong women of a family- a Mother and her three daughters, and the life choices they make, which are ahead of their times. Set in 1991, written by Prashant Dalvi and directed by Chandrakant Kulkarni, this is a powerful narrative about women's 'place in society', and how some of them chin up and challenge those patriarchal views. In general, a unique perspective emerges from each of the four women. 

The brilliant cast (Rohini Hattangadi, Parna Pethe, Mukta Barve, Kadambari Kadam...) only adds to the appeal of a well-knit story. Ahead of its time certainly, with some of the choices staggeringly so, it is all very convincing, the way the story unfolds. The men in the play also do their parts well. I like the reference to another well-known play, Hayavadana, which sort of mirrors the dilemma faced by one of the characters.. though she explains later the differences between the two.

A must see for anyone who thinks progressively- man or woman. Pic from Balgandharva theatre as the actors took their bow. They got a standing ovation.

Knives Out- A Play

 Views of my blog have been 776668 till date. So I trust I have some regular (loyal?) readers, and some who browse and stop by.. so I want to share an experience of a live play performed by IIM Indore students starring some friends, and superbly directed by another friend Shweta Kushal. Knives Out, adapted from a film of the same name, was staged on Feb. 17th. Some of the excitement is captured in these pics-

, 

Some of the cast including Prachi and Aakansh. 

The private detective and the policemen.

The immigrant nurse with the detective

Other important characters - members of the family

Aakansh looking old- older than me, he joked.

Some more caught in the act!

The audience is important too.. Pratishtha and Neeti behind us- Sohni with me.

Before it all began.. Sleeping Beauty Prachi and a part of the set- well designed.

All in all, a great show! 

Friends Through Golf and IIM Indore

 Golf has given me a lot of new friends- teaching it, I mean. One of these I taught on request, was a talented actor from IIM Indore FPM program, Prachi Jain. She also brought in Akansh, another young actor who'd also acted with her in a play directed by Shweta Kushal- The Merchant of Venice, in Feb 2020. Through her, I got to meet and make friends with a few more Ph.D. students. These will all be stars of the academic firmament soon. Some pics from a recent get-together where we got to eat some good food, accompanied by banter- both very tasty :)

Geeti, me, Prachi, Akansh, Pratishtha, Minali, Vartika, Neeti, and Puloma, above.

Getting lovey-dovey, below- Puloma and Minali.

The eco warriors (from Economics area) pose -above,  and the whole jing-bang, below.

Next stop- a Golf Driving range.

Naseeruddin Shah Again!

 To my great fortune, I saw him back to back this month, in two plays at Ranga Shankara. This one, Dear Liar, had him playing George Bernard Shaw (not Shah, as the first exchange of dialogue pointed out).

It's almost an out-of-the-world experience to watch someone like him perform, and I will not try to describe it. This play is based on an exchange of letters between him and his long-standing lover (extra-marital) of 44 years. Ratna Pathak Shah complemented him beautifully in the other role.

A lot of references to Pygmalion, Shaw's most famous play, and how she auditioned for the part, and made it a big success. Lovely repartee, humour, and use of the language. Enjoyed it thoroughly, and will check one more thing off my bucket list- though I had forgotten to put it there! Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro!

Review of Einstein- a play

 Naseeruddin Shah as Einstein. That was an irresistible proposition, and I succumbed. I had watched a lot of his films. Two that particularly stand out in my memory are Finding Fanny and Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron. I think he had comic talent that remained underexploited. 

Anyway, back to the play about Einstein. Essentially, it's a one-man act. He is old, and reminiscing about various things. It's about science too, but also about war and its futility, and scientists and inventors who sell their soul and do things that are detrimental to humanity, along with politicians and other war-mongers.

The play also touches on his marriages, mostly unsuccessful due to his immersion in his work, his ability to take Newtonian Physics many steps ahead and understand time, space and the nature of the universe. Some of the stuff was known, like that joke about relativity- A minute on a hot stove seems like an hour, but an hour talking to a pretty girl seems like a minute. 

But what acting! Set design was fantastic, with a bust of Newton to which he speaks occasionally, and a projector showing pics from history, related to what he is saying at any point in time- I thought that was innovative. And a blackboard with mathematical equations all over it. The lighting too, particularly towards the closing scene where stars are simulated, and in highlighting his face and arms when that emphasis was needed. 

I was also reminded of the excellent staging of some plays at IIM Indore by a colleague, Shweta Kushal,  with amateur actors-students. Prachi Jain, Shreya Surana, Sanjana, are you listening? 

Pune Meetup with an IMT Alum

 Among other things (read family reunions, happened to also meet Harshad Lunavat, an IMT alum from a few years ago, after long. I had posted a pic of a Play that I saw and he responded. Luckily both were free that morning, and we met up. Great conversation, and lunch near Sadhu Vaswani chowk. 

These are pics from the Pune- Bangalore highway, on way back after my holiday.

the play ticket..