An open-ended journey
It is 2.25 am. I was supposed to leave for home five hours back. But these three hooligans imprisoned me in the hostel. Unless we put up a 45-minute play, we can not go to the festival in Pakistan. So, here we are – struggling to create a standard production with five nights, four days, three cigarettes, two writers and one good actor.
After quadrupling on a bike, we reach VKRV. Over paraanthas, we discuss the chains that restrict us. We have only one more person in our team, the only girl who had a passport ready. Hence, we have fewer options. We can not dream of big sets. No script in our knowledge can be performed by such a small team. A kind of frustration builds up. We start asking questions.
Who am I?
How free am I?
What am I looking for?
The search for a good script actually transforms into a more personal search. I close my eyes. Three friends in a room explore issues of identity, freedom and purpose. We are able to visualise the product in the process. I take the pen out of my pocket and get hold of a tissue paper. Our “baby” is born – ‘Kamra Khula Hai’.
Thursday, 12. February 2009
Will you also share the story now?
Thursday, 12. February 2009
Well I guess that is the story of how the script evolved!
I had the pleasure of viewing the play on one of its showings. Very interesting concept in which the human mind is compared with a hostel room. About keeping the windows open such that fresh air can continue to find its way in…though the only girl with the passport seemed to have used it and gone away!
Thursday, 12. February 2009
@ Harish: as hinted by Piyush, it is more of a concept than a story. I will surely invite you if we have a performance of the play in future.
@ Piyush: we tried to optimize our resources by sketching a character of the girlfriend of one of the three protagonists. However, we needed somebody for production and backstaging.