If a mystical thriller is your idea of summer fun, Akvarious Productions’ new offering DON’T LOOK NOW is certainly worth a look. Debutante director Trishla Patel gets full credit for a credible rendering of Daphne Du Maurier’s short story (made into an Anglo-Italian thriller film in 1973). Patel, an accomplished actress trained under the likes of Satyadev Dubey, has done well in mounting a coherent two-act production that engrosses audience attention.
The original story, rooted in Venice, has been transported to Shantiniketan, thereby bringing in the obvious Bengali ethos. Patel and her lead actor, Akarsh Khurana (who also produces and directs plays of Akvarious Productions) have deliberated for quite a while on the choice of the backdrop for the story. In November last, they chose Kolkata over other milieus in Kerala and Goa. Their Kolkata based adapter Manjima Chatterjee then narrowed it down to Shantiniketan. The trio thought it to be an adequately ‘surreal, insular and mystical’ setting that was needed to tell the story of a vulnerable couple recovering from their daughter’s tragic death.
Except for some lack of finesse that can sometimes be associated with a new production, the artistes (even the off-stage ones like production manager Kshipra Jain and costume designer Dhanendra Kawade), do a good job. The lead pair (Akarsh Khurana and Geetika Tyagi) makes a believable, married Ahuja couple vacationing in Shantiniketan. Their physical intimacy is depicted unselfconsciously. Their different ways of dealing with the personal loss are identifiable – a practical man trying to retain his sanity amidst intriguing circumstances and an emotional woman seeking refuge in the supernatural.
The supporting artistes, particularly the two strange elderly sisters (Tahira Nath and Sarika Singh) who claim contact with the dead daughter of the Ahujas, help in building the tempo. The series of disturbing experiences faced by the Ahujas does lend itself to an edge-of-the-seat excitement. After a long time the element of horror provides a creative input to a contemporary production. Humor is also woven very well into some situations ; there is comic relief to be had at the cost of the tourists visiting Shantiniketan. Special kudos to the background music track, which befits the play’s tenor. Light and music are infact used as characters, just as some of the wooden props also serve as more than functional stage property. Minimal but recurring motifs reinforce the Shantiniketan ambience.
As a theatre group trying new forms and genres, Akvarious’ tryst with horror does of course leave a few questions fomenting in the rational mind. What does one make of the mysterious child-like figure that props up from nowhere? Are the hero’s visions mere dreams or are they to be interpreted as premonitions of a grisly end? If so, should a young, modern director put forth such an unscientific premise – all in the name of creative freedom? The director has left the end to multiple interpretations. But that in itself spells a non-committal stance. In this day and age of religious revivalism, especially when the young are easily attracted to fads like tarrot card reading and numerology, Akvarious Productions and Madame Patel need to be more responsible. Unless they are looking for the daily soaps’ horror show audience. Shhhh koi hai...
*The writer is a Media Assistant with the Public affairs Section of the American Centre, Mumbai. A keen observer of theatre and other Performing Arts, she is a freelance writer and a journalism teacher at the Xavier’s Institute of Communications (XIC). She also writes a fortnightly column on Marathi theatre trends for Time Out Mumbai.
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