From अंजी to Chaos Theory!!

Long time ago I saw a play at the Nehru Centre in Mumbai – Anji [Hindi] by Vijay Tendulkar and I saw a yet another play yesterday at the Prithvi Theatre – Chaos Theory by Rahul da Cunha.
While “Anji” deals with the life of a girl, in her late twenties or mid thirties, trying to find a suitable match for her; “Chaos Theory” is play about two people, each with a chaos to manage in their lives.

One thing that I like about plays is that they are live! You see the actors in flesh and blood and their impeccable performances leave you dumbstruck at the end of the day. There are no retakes, just like our lives and that is what makes you wonder how on earth can someone be so perfect!!

Let me come back to Anji and Chaos Theory. Or rather to only "Chaos Theory" as the memories of the act are still fresh in my mind.

The main protagonists, Mukesh and Sunita “Sen” are in love, but they never express their love for each other to each other. And this is a chaos that they face.

Towards the end of the act there is a very beautiful and heart rendering dialogue. Sunita is meeting Mukesh for the last time and she says:
"You never knew who you were, and that is your Chaos."
To which Mukesh replies:
"You knew who I was, and that is your chaos."
Just two lines and the whole play gets summarised in them.

There were many other instances where the love between the two protagonists was projected in a very subtle but yet a very strong way.

A scene when Sen is marrying another guy and reads the marriage contract: “If the material witnesses present here have any objection to this alliance, they may speak now”.. She looks at Mukesh who is standing there with an air of indifference…. The audience is waiting for an answer from Mukesh… At least he would say something, at least now. And Then Mukesh speaks “Read the fine print”…..

But, apart from the strong portrayal of love between the protagonists, what also appealed me was the ambience of the theatre.

Set amidst the quite surroundings of Janki Kutir, Prithvi Theatre is a delightful place. The Pritvi Café is the perfect place to spend an evening with friends or with oneself. There is a bookshop with a limited but rich collection. I managed to lay my hands on Hindi literature which now-a-days is a thing of passé.

What also makes the play a memorable one is a small incident that happened with a friend of mine who had joined us for the play. Just that she never got to watch the play! And that is one Chaos that she had to manage while we enjoyed a new version of the Chaos Theory inside!!