It's heartening to see contemporary theatre scripts being written and staged with finesse and marked by fine acting. SOMETIMES is among the new writing that is being staged. Subodh Maskara and Nandita Das have chosen it as one of the plays for their "CinePlay" initiative that screens select Indian theatre performances. This in a way would archive the plays and encourage young people in theatre.
SOMETIMES couldn't have been more heart tugging and close to reality. Young professionals in India today find themselves surrounded by familial pressures, job pressures and peer group expectations. Parents have an agenda for marriage; at work they have to contend with politics, a nasty boss and the urge to excel are overwhelming. Drugs and alcohol are resorted to for finding a release.
The play is about a young man called Paramjit Duggal. It focuses on the events of three days in his life. It portrays the pressures - real or perceived - that young professionals deal with at home, office and in their love life, and the subsequent, profound understanding Paramjit achieves, albeit, after his own death.
Paramjit is the son of a Mumbai-based Sikh transporter and a doting Punjabi mother, who fusses around him with parathas, marriage proposals, yearning for grandchildren and family wedding talk. The father can't understand why his son won't join the business instead of working for someone else. Paramjit isn't too happy in the mornings with such talk, and he rushes off to work. At the office , he has to contend with deadlines, a hyperventilating boss and an insecure colleague. At day's end, he chills out with his friends and girlfriend, sharing a heady mix of alcohol and drugs; the girlfriend too has her set of demands. Paramjit's life is a roller coaster ride, with substance-induced highs and crashing lows. The next morning, it's the same old story.
Snapping at the family, girlfriend and even the boss, leads to a burnout of sorts. One night, the heady mix still stirring in him, Paramjit vents his anger and frustration on an auto rickshaw driver, because of a disagreement over the fare, which leads to a full blown fight culminating in a tragedy. Death has the young professional realize that he had never really cared to understand and appreciate the sentiments of all those who really loved him.
The play crackles with humour and lines, which have the audience in splits after every few seconds; but towards the end it leaves one tinged with sadness. Young, intelligent and sensitive people are not meant to get frustrated and die from an overdose of stress, where expectations - imagined or otherwise -- aspirations, ambitions and unspoken words leave no scope for a fulfilling life.
The futility of Paramjit's life and death dawns on the audience towards the latter part of crafted, mature performances by a group of young and talented actors. The performances are exacting, especially Karan Pandit's who shows remarkable intensity in his performance; at the same time, the fast talking disorder (so true of go-getters) comes naturally to him.
Writers Adhir Bhat and Bobby Nagra have turned in a superbly written script, which evokes laughter in large measures in the beginning and then heart rending pathos. Director Adhaar Khurana has handled each aspect of the script with dexterity - careful not to let it go out of hand for even a second.
A play has a limited run, and reasons can range from financial constraints to unavailability of the cast, etc. Fortunately, there is a "CinePlay" version, which can be accessed widely.
Piroj Wadia is a film critic, journalist and copy consultant of long standing. She has been reviewing Hindi films for the Free Press Journal and international films for Screen. She has written extensively on television and films for Screen, Indian Express & Deccan Chronicle. Other papers she writes for are Midday, Afternoon Despatch & Courier, Jame-Jamshed Weekly. She has served on the jury for the ITA awards; and IDPA awards.
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