"...a delightful mix of agony, ecstasy and a bevy of real life emotions..." Vijay Marur

#Ismat Chughtai wrote extensively on themes including female sexuality and femininity, middle-class gentility, and class conflict, often from a Marxist perspective with a style characterized by literary realism.

But there is a flip side to this Padma Shri awardee that shows how the tongue of the writer/poet can whiplash an everyday situation into a delightful mix of agony, ecstasy and a bevy of real life emotions that paint amazing portraits of stereotypical individuals who play key roles in defining familial interactions of the subliminally hilarious kind.

The Weekend of Theatre curated by the Nritya Foundation saw Sutradhar presenting two #Vinay Varma directed playlets penned by Ismat Aapa.

It speaks amazingly well of #Sutradhar, that they chose the two pieces #Saas (Mother in Law) and #Chidi ki Dukki (Two of Clubs) inspite of possible objections and reservations. They were both single actor/single prop productions and they were both demonstrations of Vinay’s genius.

Pallavi in 'Saas'

In Saas, Pallavi Varma takes mono acting into the third level as she seamlessly switches between the characters of the bahu, the saas and of Asgar, the Miya. Using body language that explores various stances of sleeping on the lone couch; Using the dupatta as a pallu of aggression one moment and as a fabric of modesty the next, #Pallavi brings to life the rigors of living with a normal, virile son and a cantankerous Mother in Law.

The way her body posture changed as per voice being used was extremely effective. She strutted into the house as Asgar, limped across to her son as an old lady suffering the most in the world, and made aggressive overtures to her son’s bride…all in one breathless sweep of her 'dupatta'.

All the three roles she got to portray were diverse. The language changed tone and gender. The body had to be tweaked and the audience had to be hypnotized into seeing the three people...not just one. And Pallavi was like a fluid potion that spread like fragrance into the various body suits required.

Deepti in 'Chidi ki dukki'

After that the script did its trick and the audience had a hard time keeping a straight face. But if Pallavi Varma’s Saas was a muted display of multiple roles, #Deepti Girotra actually sizzled onto stage with her retro numbers, her retro postures and her retro swagg.

As she introduced the Hai of the story using her versatile tongue to tickle the sound into sensuality the audience realized that the ordinary looking sibling had a guile and a street smart that was unique and it was only a few laughs and a few amazing bouts of near hysteria that the ‘lived happily ever after’ climax was reached.

Deepti too played her many roles with elan and ease. ‘Haalanki’ she had more characters to portray and as a result, had to find more variations in her repertoire…which she did effortlessly.

Only in her depiction of the older mother did I find a kind of similarity to Pallavi’s Mother in Law coming through. You could see that they had both been trained by the same Guru. But using the same tricks in two playlets performed one after the other was pushing for being spotted and caught out.

Nonetheless, the portrayals were caustic enough to be funny in a hunched back, ‘throat full of phlegm’ kind of way and it is quite possible that the average audience never made the connection.

Overall, both the performers and performances were worth every moment of time invested in them, and though Deepti had the advantage of more dramatic and audience satisfying entries and finales, both she and Pallavi managed to recount Ismat’s wickedness in inimitable style.

The sheer standard of a Sutradhar performance apart, this session brought to the festival a class that only a masterpiece could. And #Nritya can consider itself blessed for having staged these two gems.

Something about the reviewer: Mr #Vijay #Marur is a communication professional, an ardent blogger, a Voice Over artist, a Social Media & Performing Arts evangelist, and also a seasoned actor, writer & director.