Unravelling complex relationships

Theatre enthusiasts in the City, who came to Ranga Shankara last Saturday, were not disappointed in anyway as they got to enjoy a fresh and young play that dealt with many  emotions. Dreams of Taleem, presented by Zero Theatre Company in association with Arpana, was a virtual treat with touches of humour.

Before the play began, director Sunil Shanbag made his appearance on the stage and explained to the audience the relevance and plot of the play. He said the play is a tribute to Chetan Datar, who was one of the young writers of Marathi theatre.

“Chetan had come up with the original concept of the play and called it as 1, Madhav Bagh, but he failed to complete it. After his demise, I requested Sachin Kundalkar to complete the task and finally the play Dreams of Taleem took shape.”

The original work by Chetan was a monologue but the current play is a full-fledged drama and the monologue part has been made into a sub-story in the play. 1, Madhav Bagh was a story of a mother who comes to terms with her son’s homosexuality and her mental struggle. Dreams of Taleem deals with the ambitions of a young theatre director, who is gay.

As per Anay’s wish, Sita, a popular theatre actress, agrees to act in his play and kick-starts his promising career. However, his life takes another turn as he loses his partner Yash. Sita struggles to understand gay relationships. The play successfully brings out various shades of human personality and relationships.

The props on the stage — a table, some books, a laptop and a table lamp, were apt for the situations. The cast included Divya Joshi, Geetanjali Kulkarni, Suvrat Joshi and Anand Tiwari.