Predictable, but has its moments
Some Times by Akvarious is a story about a typical 20-something living in Mumbai. It had a cast full of potential, with multifaceted director-protagonist Adhaar Khurana playing Pammi, a guy with the routine problems of nagging parents, a sullen girlfriend, and an affinity to weed and booze. The cast was young, with a good stage presence and an ability to connect with the audience.
The problem lay in the clichéd script, with a set of overused jokes, obvious puns and plenty of drunken, stoned humour. While it did evoke laughs from the audience, one wished that the characters were more fleshed out, with more to their personality than a one-dimensional relationship with the central character. The ending was too hasty, and there was a missing link that left the audience wondering what was happening. The lighting and sound were used to good effect.
Shruthi Vishwanath, Alwarpet
Some funny moments
When the announcer gave you a brief synopsis of Some Times being about the troubles of a young professional, one didn’t really think much of them. Despite some genuinely funny moments, the performances didn’t really make an impact. The twist towards the end and what followed dampened rather than elevated the play in any way.
J J Siddharthan, IIT Madras, Chennai
Promising start
Some Times started off promisingly with the contemporary urban youth's life — his pestering parents, the prickly boss, the girlfriend who plays ‘hard to keep’ and his hilarious buddies. The characters were typical next-door types that many could relate to. The witty dialogues and the camaraderie among the friends were the highlights of the play. The protagonist's epilogue seemed contrived to spell out a morality that was nothing new. The actors were good, especially the lead who enlivened his character of a young, professional go-getter.
Vamsi Viraj, IIT Madras, Adyar
Engaging throughout
Some Times provided a glimpse into the life of a middle-class urban boy, his family, friends and office. The play was humorous, the presentation and the performances, excellent. There was minimal use of props showcasing professionalism. The protagonist portrayed a pessimist but in the end he realised his mistakes. An engaging play with a beautiful message.
Natasha Nangia, Fort St. George
Disturbingly hilarious
Some Times was a hilarious yet tragic take on the life of an urban youth, who faced problems at every turn of his life. Rib-tickling jokes, powerful performances and a thoughtful introspection were the high-points of the play.
Adhaar Khurrana gave a consummate performance as both the lead actor and director. Playwrights Adhir Bhat and Bobby Nagra deserved a standing ovation. Some Times made us both laugh and think simultaneously.
G. Akilesh, Valasaravakkam
‘A’ class
Arey Wah! If you are a hard core Indian with a passion for Bollywood Masala and Bombay, this play would have been your elixir! The only thing that made this more of a play than a movie was the circular chairs depicting the circle of Pammi's life. While the acting was ‘A’ class and the script beyond that, the dark lighting meant to create the aura of double life backfired as the actors were more of a silhouette than actual figures, hence blinding us to their facial expressions. But the play was so realistic that many in the audience were seen muttering along with the actors, engrossed.
Akshyah Kumar, IIT- Madras
A very good effort
To provide somewhat of an eclectic perspective, as an American-Indian, I found Some Times to fulfill all aspects of a quality play — it provided humour, the right amount of context and an interesting plot to go by — one that all of us face through our life. The interesting twist spearheaded the plot, which truly brought perspective into the situations themselves. It reminded us all of who we should be and what our duties are, while, at the same time, trying to understand who we are and what we should live for. The actors portrayed their roles with wonderful accuracy as each of them had different dynamics to their personalities and roles. A very good effort indeed.
Priya Prabhakar, Chennai
80 minutes, no interval, no impact
Some Times by Akvarious Productions, the penultimate play in this edition of MetroPlusTheatre Fest, was a low-intensity damp squib.
The plot was confused. No one really knew the genre the play was supposed to belong to! Was it a comedy? Most definitely not. A string of Internet jokes and feeble verbal jousting do not create a comedy. Was it a melodrama? Not until the last 20 minutes when everyone got preachy and moralistic. Was the acting good? Oh, no! Except for the father and the boss/friend, the other cast members were hamming. Was the production good? Minimum props and random people on the stage were more distracting than effective.
What then was the whole point of the play? The meaningless lives of the young or was it about generation gap? If the producer and director knew what to say through the play, they certainly kept it a closely guarded secret.
At the end of the play, one was reminded of the amateur school plays which wants to please all but ends up pleasing none. Any positives? Oh yes. The play was only 80 minutes long!
Priamvada Viswanathan, Nungambakkam
Some Marvellous Times
Generation gaps, typical fascist mindsets about our neighboring countries, boring family customaries with distant ‘relatives’ were some of the itching issues of the urban man pragmatically portrayed by Akvarious Productions. Right from a nightlife to die for and a girlfriend to kill for, to haggling with autowalas, Adhaar Khurana brought nostalgia, love, and cheerful sighs from the rebel within each one of us, reminding us of our regrets and riches. For a play with such a brilliant cast to put up an astounding performance like Some Times is not difficult, but to connect with us on an emotional level is an achievement altogether. In this touching dramedy, enhanced by humour and acoustics, one is left to applaud with tears and a smile…
Ekshikaa S., Royapettah
