Writer : Penelope Skinner's Adapted by Niranjan Pedanekar Direction : Anupam Barve Cast : Shubhrajyoti Barat
ASHANT PRASHANT Review
Here is a keenly observant, darkly comedic solo performance tracking the psychological unravelling of Ranjan-a middle-aged, divorced everyman adrift in modern society. Paralyzed by feelings of inadequacy and emasculation amid increasingly independent women, Ranjan stumbles into the algorithmic rabbit hole of "Men's Rights" activism. He latches onto Prashant, a slick online motivational speaker whose rhetoric weaponizes male grievance against modern gender equality. What begins as a search for belonging quickly spirals into ideological radicalization.
Ranjan soon sinks a heavy amount into attending an exclusive, cult-like residential retreat run by Prashant. Surrounded by like-minded men and even women validating his worst impulses, he absorbs the toxic, misogynistic ideas. His newly acquired worldview shatters unexpectedly when his estranged son, Ishan, requests a meeting midway through the workshop. During an awkward hiking excursion, Ishan reveals his transgender identity. Caught between his paternal love and his morbid beliefs, the father must grapple with this life-altering confession.
At the epicenter of this theatrical tour de force is Shubhrajyoti Barat, whose shape-shifting, deeply nuanced solo performance commands the stage from opening to close. Barat navigates an astonishing emotional spectrum with total fluidity: he is alternately a cautious, insecure partner, a swaggering flirt, a wide-eyed zealot, an unhinged ideologue, and ultimately, a shattered father. His total lack of inhibition is palpable, punctuated by seamless onstage costume transitions - unabashedly shifting from boxers to trousers right before the audience's eyes. Delivering dialogue peppered with contemporary buzzwords like "harvesting attention", Barat captures the absurdity and tragedy of the character without reducing Ranjan to a mere caricature.
Barat's strong on-stage presence is complemented by Anupam Barve's brisk, inventive direction and meticulous technical design. Barve keeps the narrative pacing taut and injects breeziness into an otherwise heavy psychological descent by adding seemingly unscripted-feeling transitional moments-such as a backstage crew member matter-of-factly downing a glass of juice during a scene change rather than whisking it offstage.
Like its source material-Penelope Skinner's acclaimed Angry Alan—the adaptation interrogates patriarchal grievance and extremist rhetoric, inducing the audience into thinking and questioning their own stance regarding gender issues.
Ashant Prashant is by all means a triumph of Indian fringe theatre, a definitive proof that incisive writing, fearless execution, and pure craft will always outshine the star presence sought after by commercial productions.
(Deepa Karmalkar is a senior journalist, features writer and reviewer and also a yoga instructor.)
