It was a treat for theatre lovers. A performance by ‘Chilsag Chillies Theatre Company’ for a Hindi play, ‘Wakeup call’ at K H Kalasoudha in the City recently was rather insightful.
The actors did well to pack a lot of action and expression in their performance and held the audience attention with its colourful portrayal of each of the characters.
The opening scene was interesting and interactive with the characters literally getting off stage and mingling with the audience.
As soon as the audience entered the hall, there was a surprise waiting for them. The theatre turned into a sort of flea market with booksellers, cloth merchants and flower vendors wandering around the spectators, pressurising them to buy something. There was also a fight between a madwoman and a policeman sending the audience into a tizzy. People were left wondering what went wrong but soon things settled down and one of the characters took centre-stage to continue the play.
The opening scene was a bright morning with people hurrying to their respective destinations in a City. All their plans were spoilt when a powerful bomb explodes in the City. The blast kills a school girl who was receiving an award in the school, a pregnant woman who was awaiting a baby, a graduate going for an interview and a young girl who was getting engaged on that day.
The play effectively portrayed the effects of violence on the lives of the common man. At the same time, it sarcastically commented on the insensitivity and inactiveness of the people with money and power. More than entertaining, the play was aimed at educating and awakening people on social and environmental related issues.
Even the cast of the play urged the audience to make a resolution on environmental, educational and social issues. Manisha, who is working in an NGO, expressed her feelings after the show.
“I enjoyed the show and the theme was timely. I have been working for street kids and special children for eight years. By showing a little concern for others, we can create a better place to live,” she felt.
The hour-long play was written and directed by Sachin Gupta. All the artistes did a wonderful job by breathing life to each of the characters.
The cast comprised Vasundhara Das, Sangeeta Panda, Swaroopa Sahu, Vaishali Dubey, Yuvraj Haral, Gaurav Sharma, Divya Tandon, Ashwini Kaul, Nitin Sarna, Pallavi Jaggi, Surbhi Vasishtha, Adavaita Dubey, Suraj Dhigra, Vidya Sharma, Pankaj Sharma, Girija and Sangamittra.
Deccan Herald is on WhatsApp Channels | Join now for Breaking News & Editor's Picks