A Slice of Life
Saw the play "Boiled Beans on Toast", written by Girish Karnad and directed by theatre thespian Lillette Dubey, yesterday. Set in the backdrop of bustling metropolis Bangalore, the Silicon Valley of India, the play shows the underside of development, focusing on the people whom we refer to as the common masses.
Away from the limelight, these people form the backbone of the carefree lifestyle the rich and famous lead. The maids, cooks, drivers, salesmen, office clerks, the unsung heroes, who toil away and do the dirty work, while the privileged few can have fun or do more purposeful work. We often forget that these people too have their lives, their private joys, sorrows and concerns, which they suppress in the daily grind of living.
Interestingly, along with showing the lives of these "others", Karnad also focuses on the very humane side of some of the privileged class. We assume that they lead carefree lives, but is it really so? They are also bothered by domestic crises, they too suffer from feelings of insecurity and worthlessness, their past too haunts them. And the young generation, seemingly carefree and callous, is also capable of deep introspection. A doff of the hat to Mr. Karnad for writing such an insightful piece.
Now for the main applause, reserved for the main cast and crew of the play. The actors have done a splendid job, particularly Joy Sengupta, brilliant as the nervous, over-enthusiastic young executive, and the drunk, aggressive brother. Swati Das, Meenal Patel, Avnish Mehra, Meherangiz Acharia, Avantika Akerkar, and all the rest of the cast have performed excellently. Sets could be improved upon and production design could have been a notch better, but no regrets. The overall experience was cathartic and remains as one of the best theatre experiences ever.
Hats off to Lillette Dubey for such a nuanced play!
Away from the limelight, these people form the backbone of the carefree lifestyle the rich and famous lead. The maids, cooks, drivers, salesmen, office clerks, the unsung heroes, who toil away and do the dirty work, while the privileged few can have fun or do more purposeful work. We often forget that these people too have their lives, their private joys, sorrows and concerns, which they suppress in the daily grind of living.
Interestingly, along with showing the lives of these "others", Karnad also focuses on the very humane side of some of the privileged class. We assume that they lead carefree lives, but is it really so? They are also bothered by domestic crises, they too suffer from feelings of insecurity and worthlessness, their past too haunts them. And the young generation, seemingly carefree and callous, is also capable of deep introspection. A doff of the hat to Mr. Karnad for writing such an insightful piece.
Now for the main applause, reserved for the main cast and crew of the play. The actors have done a splendid job, particularly Joy Sengupta, brilliant as the nervous, over-enthusiastic young executive, and the drunk, aggressive brother. Swati Das, Meenal Patel, Avnish Mehra, Meherangiz Acharia, Avantika Akerkar, and all the rest of the cast have performed excellently. Sets could be improved upon and production design could have been a notch better, but no regrets. The overall experience was cathartic and remains as one of the best theatre experiences ever.
Hats off to Lillette Dubey for such a nuanced play!
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