If Sarah Ruhl were to watch a production of DIL KA HAAL SUNE DILWALA, she would probably not recognize it as her play DEAD MAN'S CELL PHONE.
Keeping the bare bones of the plot, Chirag Khandelwal's adaptation is a joyous Bollywood style confection, with the protagonist named Asha Parekh, after the yesteryear star. Asha (Dilnaz Irani) comes from Surat to Mumbai to become an actress, and her movie fandom allows director Mohit Takalkar to install a live band on stage to belt out songs that go with Asha's strange adventures.
Asha's movie aspirations being dashed, she takes up a job in a café, and happens to answer a constantly ringing phone that is annoyingly loud. Max (Vrajesh Hirjee), to whom the phone belongs is dead, and she is saddled-- not entirely unwillingly-- with the task of dealing with his Russian mother called KGB, his Hyderabadi girlfriend Razia Sultana, his Goan wife Anna, and later his Bengali business associate DD—all played by Faezeh Jalali, with accents to match. She also meets Max's shy brother Leo (Hirjee) who is a poet and runs a card shop, where Asha finds romance and a break from the frantic goings-on connected to the phone she does not want to return. Because every time it rings, a new story unfolds..
The lonely woman left without even her dreams, suddenly gets an exciting life handed to her, thanks to that phone. Being the kind sort who sneaks in food to strugglers at the café, she concocts stories to make Max's loved one grieve less. The narrator (Sagar Deshmukh) is always at hand to nudge the story forward and be Asha’s spirit guide. Bhaskar Sharma plays multiple parts.
Ruhl's 2007 play (that won the Helen Hayes Award) was about isolation even in a crowded city, and the dead man's cell phone becoming a catalyst for the change in Asha's dreary existence. It is not as straightforward as it sounds, because Takalkar makes it absurd and playful, with the live orchestra chipping in with gusto. It's an Aadyam production, so there's no stinting on production values. Takalkar, known for his serious, experimental work, has fun with this one, and the entire team lets their imagination run wild and keeps their energy high.
Dilnaz Irani (some reason given a drab costume), plays Asha first timidly and then as the character grows in confidence, acquires the requisite poise. She is supported by an equally enthusiastic cast, who look like they are enjoying themselves as much as the audience.
Mohit Takalkar has written a piece in the brochure about his love for Hindi film music, ("before I knew how to understand my own feelings, someone had already written them for me") that speaks on behalf of all music lovers.
Deepa Gahlot is a journalist, columnist, author and curator. Some of her writings are on deepagahlot.com
