KHIDKYA, a joint production by Max Mueller Bhavan and the Maharashtra Cultural Centre, Pune is the Marathi translation of Clemens Madge's original German play, translated into English as INWARD. Part of the 14th edition of the Nehru Theatre Festival in Mumbai, this contemporary Marathi play blended the classic elements of drama, and the modern technology of stage craft to create an audio visual bonanza. Coordinated by actor-psychiatrist Dr. Mohan Agashe, KHIDKYA sensitizes the viewer to a psychiatric malady rather playfully as well as effortlessly. And, this is the first play that I have watched with sub-titles!

The story revolves around two characters - an ageing Kamala (Jyoti Subhash) and her college-going grandson Prasad (Aseem Palande). Leading an uneventful retired life with her husband, sprightly Kamala isn't ready to squander her time in hollow gossip and ache-pain discussions with her contemporaries. She is lonesome as her husband leads a sedentary life of a couch potato. Her two sons are settled abroad and her only daughter, Prasad's mother is estranged from her for some strange reason. So Kamala seeks adventure in life and that is when her grandson introduces her to the marvels of the cyber world. Full of beans, Kamala takes to the computer most enthusiastically and graduates to the realm of the Internet rather quickly. She discovers the joys of its connectivity as she launches her own blog. With the help of her grandson she masquerades as a young college-goer on it, and connects up with a large blogger community.

Prasad lives in a hostel and visits her occasionally. He tries to work a truce between his mother and grandmother without avail. Gradually, Kamala starts losing her memory as there is an onset of dementia. Her condition deteriorates over the next few months but there is no one around to notice it and get her timely help. Will young Prasad come to the timely rescue of his granny and save her from this debilitating disease? Will the mother and daughter be united at the end? And what is the way to deal with a patient who suffers from? KHIDKYA answers these queries and opens the windows of our minds.

While the original concept is profound, the translator duo, the late Vidyasagar (he succumbed to cancer) and Sunanda Mahajan (his wife completed his work) do a commendable job in adapting it to the Marathi milieu. Though the play conveys a serious message, it does so in a light hearted manner and through the enjoyable soliloquy of the two characters. Director Girish Joshi never lets the proceedings get grim; he engages the viewer and leads him gently to the meaningful crescendo of realization. Both the actors - the veteran Jyoti Subhash and young Aseem Palande keep the tempo up through their inspired performances.

Technically, the audio visual backdrop depicts Kamala's desktop and her hilarious interaction with it. The windows of the computer open a whole new world for her. For non-Marathi viewers, the sub-titles run overhead like a stock exchange display.

KHIDKYA is a wholesome, cross-cultural entertainer, deftly weaving together human values with modern technology. A must watch for every discerning theatre-goer.

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