Portraying the inner strength

Strong Message

This play, written by Michael Cristofer, has received international acclaim including ‘The Pulitzer’ and ‘Tony Awards’, and stands out as the best in the genre.

The theatrical adaptation of the play was organised by HCG Foundation, an organisation that takes care of cancer patients in association with the theatre group ‘Play on! Productions.’

The proceeds of this show would go towards helping the people afflicted with cancer.

With a very sensitive subject like cancer, the play delved into the lives and emotions of the cancer patients, portraying the strengths and vulnerabilities of these victims.

Says Dinesh Madhavan, the organiser of the play, “It touches upon a very important issue. But unlike other plays, it doesn’t give out a message that these people are suffering. It most importantly projects the inner strength of these patients.”

He adds, “We first thought of enacting ‘The Emperor of Maladies.’ But the name had a negative connotation to it. Whereas this play is a more positive take on the disease.”
Says Ashish, “This is an important platform to spread a message. And what is noteworthy is that all the people involved in this play have offered their services for free.”

The play narrates the story of three cancer patients and how every moment they spend with the family.

 It is about the hope and strength of these simple people in the backdrop of
the disease. The cast comprised Ajit Bhide, Judith Roby Bidapa, K Raza Hussain, Kumar Iyengar, Munira Sen, Rubi Chakravarti, Tushar Menon and Veena Sajnani and was directed by Ashish Sen, who also doubled up as the narrator of the play. The performance by the artistes was accentuated by the perfect lighting by Preetham Kumar and Sushank Purushotham.

Many in the audience could relate to the characters on stage. One such person Jeff, a resident of London, who came just to watch the play says, “What I have known of the theatre in Bangalore is that it is very flat. So this was my chance to see how this play is enacted on stage and I have to give it to them for their brilliant performance. Usually, all the plays are based on the disease as a subject. But this is a different take on it by giving us a sneak peek into the lives of the victims. It is more about the experience of the people, so it certainly is much more honest and it strikes a chord with everyone.”

Aravind, a graphic designer, says, “To be honest, I came to this play because I know the director and one of the artistes and also because my mother is helping with this play.

Besides that, the subject this play touches upon is something very different and very endearing to almost everyone.”