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’.­