Lovebirds play review

Writer-director Girish Joshi's reputation precedes him. He is hailed as one of the foremost people in contemporary Marathi theatre and his plays are considered to be very modern in terms of plot, structure and design. Joshi's writing is also supposed to be cerebral as in FINAL DRAFT and MAKDACHYA HATI CHAMPAGNE. His recent directorial venture KATKON TRIKON has also received much praise. So when his new play hits the theatre, it creates quite a rustle of anticipation amongst Marathi theatre buffs. Well, LOVEBIRDS lives up to the expectations for the major part and that's no mean achievement.

The play centres on a dashing, whiz adman Vishvas Inamdar (Aniket Vishvasrao) who meets with a near-fatal car accident in which he not only loses his memory but also his face. While his face and health are restored with efficient surgery and the caring of his doting wife, Devika (Amruta Subhash), his memory still remains clouded. Vishvas attempts to reconstruct his past with whatever information he can glean from home and office, and he is in for a surprise when he finds a bill for a 1000 lovebirds that he's purchased from a pet shop and not gifted them to his wife. He's further baffled by the intimacy with which his secretary, Supriya (Ketaki Saraf) meets him. But when the pet shop owner Sane (Girish Salvi) turns out to be a private detective - Vishvas is troubled by the past. What follows is a crackling sequence of events that involves murder, betrayal and mayhem.

Joshi creates a smart plot which keeps the audience on the edge of the seat throughout. But the writer succumbs to his urge for taking the audience by surprise, and then he goes about juggling the characters and situations aimlessly. The plot becomes contrived and the play begins to drag on its feet. But to his credit, Joshi is able to retrieve the tempo with an action-packed climax.

The protagonist, Aniket Vishvasrao is impressively vulnerable in his role. His fits of anxiety and panic are most convincing. As his wife, Amruta Subhash delivers a well-rehearsed performance. But her nervous, rapid-fire speech rankles and gets irritable after a point of time. Her performance is that of a theatre veteran with calculated pauses and punches - it lacks the requisite spontaneity. Perhaps, a fresh face would have worked better in the role. As for the detective Sane, he's terribly caricaturish. Ketki Saraf as the lovelorn secretary is vivacious.

There are two highlights of the play - firstly the effective use of video footage for depicting the outdoors and flashbacks and secondly the interchangeable sets. Kudos to the genius of set designer Pradeep Mulye - how he manages to change a plush living room cum bar into an advertising office - is simply amazing. The sets are simply superb. Also Narendra Bhide's music is effective in enhancing the thrill of the proceedings. Geeta Godbole's costumes are refreshingly modern and very apt. Last but not the least, the director does lend his masterly touches - when the totally frightened home-alone Vishvas welcomes detective Sane on arrival with an unexpected hug of relief. Joshi's dramatic lighting effects add to the suspense of the play. It's a play with a smooth finish, rich production values and some thrilling moments. Well worth Joshi's rep!

*Deepa Ranade is a film and theatre reviewer. She has been an entertainment journalist for over fifteen years