Direction : Manish Chaudhari Writer : Shruti Mishra Cast : Manish Chaudhari, Mandakini Goswami, Shruti Mishra, Mukti Das
ANTATAHA Review
Losing a loved one is devastating. But only a few might have experienced the pain of letting go of the beloved, little by little, with each passing day… as inevitable death approaches their physically ailing bodies.
Living through such kind of a slow loss saps the life force of a person. But what if, after living through such a bleak scenario, you can find deep happiness? That's the premise ANTATAHA explores.
It's a play that looks at death - commonly associated as the end point of life and togetherness â€" as a starting point of the two. Excellently written by Shruti Mishra, it's a nuanced take on relationships that are brought together through the sharing of a profound loss.
In a sense, the narrative too moves in a circle, exploring a new idea of hope. A lighthearted yet emotional play, ANTATAHA, has moments which touch you deeply. And the relationships explored in this play are all very profound and layered.
All the actors stay true to their characters, especially Manish Chaudhari and Mandakini Goswami, who play the parents. Manish's characterisation of the physically challenged father is especially brilliant. With angst in his eyes and boisterousness in his demeanour, he really humanises the character.
Although the beginning of this play is painfully slow, it more than makes up for it towards the later half as the intentions and motivation of each character become apparent.
As the struggling mother, Mandakini delivers some exceptional scenes, which are goosebump-inducing with the sheer anguish they portray. After being loyal caregivers to their parents for so long, and facing the loneliness of ultimately losing them, when the two protagonists are united through their shared pain, it feels so cathartic to the audience.
Even though the theme explored by ANTATAHA is grim, the underlying message is still very much filled with hope. Not hope packaged in pink wrapping paper, but a more mature hope. A hope weathered by the punches of the world, and yet, somehow still there, standing strong. It's the resilient spirit of the play that makes it a delightful watch.
The dictionary meaning of ANTATAHA is eventually. And what warms the heart is that after all the pain and sadness, the protagonists eventually get happiness.
*Divyani has worked as a journalist for The Quint, where she was also among the Founding Team members. While there, she also hosted and produced a podcast and fronted several standups. She's also worked for The Times of India group. She's now a theatre and film actor.
