HYDERABAD: There was an overwhelming response to the Citizen Reviews for the second day’s play 12 Angry Jurors staged as part of ‘The Hindu Theatre Fest’ 2016. Priyanka N wins a prize, a ‘Meal for Two’ from ITC Kakatiya.
What an experience!
12 Angry Jurors performed by Rage Productions, although based on Reginald Rose's 12 Angry Men had such an incredible impact on the audience because of the Indian-ness Nadir Khan has infused in it. What seemed to start off as a tepid gathering in a dingy Jurors room (immaculate set!), slowly gathered tempo, gradually sucking us into the vortex of an 18-year-old boy’s trial for murder. “Guilty? Not guilty? Of course guilty!” to, “Maybe not guilty....” to “Not Guilty”, every strategy, thought, move, idea, had the audience hooked. Clever insinuations and sly innuendos left us sniggering and clapping throughout. Ah but the ending...poignant, yet so subtle. As close as you can get to reality.
The actors, each one a gem! What an evening!
-Priyanka N, Nagole
Power of prejudice
12 Angry Jurors entertains that possibility, where most of us could be wrong, by simply succumbing to our opinions which are outcomes of our deep-rooted prejudices. And prejudice overshadows any possibility of the investigation of truth, thus shutting our collective vision. Truth just needs one unsure and unacceptant man. Miscarriage of justice can also become a fascinating tale of possibilities. The play was sharp and socially relevant and we have a lesson to learn. There were too many pauses for laughter. The play would have been more challenging without that.
-Amit Tripathi, Shivrampally
Fighting inner demons
You didn’t need to know the synopsis of Reginald Rose’s 12 Angry Jurors to follow the story. From the clarity of the neatly-packed script, the dialogues, the costumes, the set design, the lighting - there were a 101 things about the play competing for first place. The play paints a solid picture of today’s world, and how hard it is to step outside of your own inner demons and personal prejudices while taking a stand.
-Sreshtha Chatterjee, Ameerpet
In Indian context
The most striking characteristic about Nadir Khan’s rendition of Reginald Rose’s classic is the successful way his cast brought an American story to an Indian context. The director left the script almost untouched, but subtle changes in his lines, and strong acting from his crew, enabled an Indian audience to strongly relate to the jurors and to see bits of themselves in the roles being played on stage.
-Sriharsh Bhyravajjula, IIIT-Hyderabad
Worthy of your time
12 Angry Jurors brings out the frailties and prejudices of human mind beautifully. The possibility of looking for a solution beyond the obvious was staged perfectly. Each actor complemented the other to arrive at the decision based on one juror’s reasonable doubt. Everything right from the stage to the props, from lighting to music and from narration to the audience heightened the experience of watching theatre. It is worthy of the time and money spent.
-P. Shyamala, Bagh Amberpet
No women perspective
Prejudice breeds injustice. The Nadir Khan-directed Indian stage adaptation of the courtroom classic by Reginald Rose, explores society that judges people by false standards rooted in prejudice. Of the 12 jurors, five are women in this version, which according to the director could have possibly been the case if we had the jury system in present day India. Strangely enough, the women jurors do not offer any different perspective than the men. Rajit Kapoor excels as the one man standing against the group of individuals who are too quick to pass a judgement which could send a young boy to the gallows and so does Prerna Chawla as a very ignorant and annoying individual.
- Priya Prithviraj, Manikonda
What’s right is right
Sanity is not always statistical! The message is so wonderfully conveyed to the audience by the play. It was a beautifully enacted play depicting our prejudices.
The single dissenting jurist,who nucleates the idea of ‘Non-Guilty’, steals the well earned limelight, through his body language and eloquent silence, though his dialogue part in the play is relatively short.
The stage setting, lighting, the backdrop through videography, music and even silence were impactful. Depiction of ‘wash-basin-counter’ discussions on the main stage, through backdrop screen was novel and impressive. At the end, the play leaves you with a thought that what is right is important and not, who is right.
-Sunil Gupta, South Lalaguda
Survives the test of time
A play is often considered bankable when it is adapted from a classic movie or a novel. On the flip side, it risks the chance of the story being well known and thereby ruining the suspense for viewers. Despite that, Rage productions' 12 Angry Jurors manages to keep the audience hooked through the entire 95 minutes. Their clever use of props sets the mood of the play even before the characters voice their first dialogue. The clever manipulation of dialogue is also witty and adds a distinctly Indian flare. Despite the play following the story line of the original, it remains socially relevant and survives the test of time. In the end, the play can only be described as an outstanding experience.
-Ravi Teja Sangeetha, Barkatpura
Getting into characters
Though I truly appreciate the actors who worked in the movie crafted on the same storyline as The Angry Jurors, they all got into their characters in multiple takes; but in this play, to soak themselves into such critical characters in one go so comfortably and flawlessly was simply mind-blowing. Each one of them were like real jurors defending and accusing the guilty. Even as an audience, I was juggling between the facts of evidences. I really appreciate the actors who convincingly turned audience too as a part of the jurors.
-Etisha Jain, Lingampally
Barrier to justice
The play showcases the value of diversity in promoting vigorous and fruitful discussion to force deeper thinking when a boy’s life is at stake as it hinges on the decision of the jury.
Starting with the brave act of a juror whose lone ‘not guilty’ vote sets in motion the conflict of the play as he stands up against the group to do what’s right, wading through deliberation and dissent, and the way the jurors not only face their own stories and prejudices, but eventually change their thinking as here, prejudice is the true barrier to justice.
-Siddarth Gowrav, Western Hills
Social message
Loads of compliments to all the cast and crew of 12 Angry Jurors .
I felt it’s a bold initiative by Nadir Khan to mix gender and people of different social background, which teamed to give a prefect blend. Rajit Kapur has been excellent as ever, supported well by Devan Khote, Dipika Roy and Rohit Malkani.
I would have liked to see a social message, to or against jury system that has long been abolished in India. Though jury system has its own drawbacks the play has shown that the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.
-Mohommed Ghouse, Mehdipatnam
Well-scripted whodunnit
Faced with the mandate of returning an unanimous verdict to sentence or acquit an 18-year-old boy accused of killing his abusive father, 12 motley men and women are isolated in a shabby room on a hot and sultry day.
In a well-scripted whodunit that Miss Marple would be proud of, the dissenting juror punches holes in vital testimony presented to swing the vote from 11-1 to 1-11 eventually over 4-5 phases of voting.
Personal prejudices of various jurors flare up threatening to affect a rational debate but finally, reasonable doubt is established and a ‘Not guilty’ verdict is reached.
-Kunal Mukherjee, Hyderabad
Classic in modern era
Having watched the Sidney Lumet directed 1957 12 Angry Men I was already familiar with the content of the play, the cast however bested my expectations and I was an overwhelmed viewer at the end.
One man’s inhibition where another’s life is at stake and the courage it takes to stand up against everyone was exemplary. Personal prejudice and lack of empathy with the convict can come into action and hinder the best judgement one can provide, if based solely on the facts. Some facts which were not discovered in court were revealed here portraying the inquisitive human mind determined to find answers and the role that team work plays in it. Towards the end there was a moment of redemption as well when the last juror for the ‘guilty’ verdict gave in.A stupendous rendition of a classic in modern era.
-Piyush Bansal, Miyapur
A feast!
The play will leave you thinking even long after you finished watching the play.
Everything about the play is nothing less than brilliant the actors, direction, dialogues. My personal favourite is the stage and lighting and the use of camera and projector. While all the 12 actors are on stage for almost the full length of the play, this has a very interesting way of showing a conversation between 2-3 characters who sometimes meet in an adjacent rest room within the discussion room.A great way to spend an evening.
- Suhasini Sonti, Kukatpally
A reminder of our society
Eleven votes for ‘guilty’ and as the play takes us through the facts and evidences, we hear the prejudices, biases and personality traits of each of the jurors. Sitting in the audience, it’s painful to watch the kind of baggage that each one of the jurors carries, seeing the case through each of their experience, and sometimes so disconnected, so preoccupied with trivia. A reminder of our own society.’
-Anuradha Pati, Somajiguda
Of consensus building
This play is a lesson in consensus building and the words ‘beyond reasonable doubt’ acquire a new meaning when a person’s life depends on the verdict to be delivered by the jury. The sets mirrored the court premises anywhere in India and the deliberate misspelling of ‘toilet’ was a good touch! The use of electronic media for narrating the ‘behind the scenes’ activity was brilliant. Most of the actors were brilliant but a couple of them were obviously new to the stage, specially when compared to the actors in the original Hollywood film 12 Angry Men . All in all an evening well spent!
-Sunita Reddy, Banjara Hills
Welcome inevitability
During the interval, the audience were asked how many thought the man whose fate the 12 titular jurors were deciding upon, was guilty. Not a hand went up. Given that most of us knew the ending before the lights came on, it is astonishing that at no point during the 95 minutes of Twelve Angry Jurors does it seem like the conclusion is inevitable. As juror after antipathic juror inexorably gives in, the sincerity that the actors imbue their characters with makes you suspend your own cynicism.
Absolution, when it is time, comes swiftly and through a glorious crescendo as the man who sees himself in the murdered father finally lets go.
-S. Ravichandran, Narsingi
Perfect to the T
12 Angry men from 1957 was staged as a 2016 play with sublime ease at Ravindra Bharati. Veteran actors like Rajit Kapur, Sohrab Ardeshir, Deven Khote, Suresh Venkat were flawless. Director Nadir Khan was instrumental in making the young actors like Prerna Chawla, Rohit Malkani, Deepika Roy, Shivani Tanksale match them. The set was technically and aesthetically apt for the play. A semi-transparent wall for the toilet was an added feature. The projection visual effects gave an additional dimension. Though not background ‘music’, there were certain sound effects like lightning. Lights were also designed intuitively and realistically. The 12 Angry Jurors enthralled the audience to a standing ovation in the end.
-Vijay Suresh Naik, Vidyanagar
Ethos of society
It was a very lively and an engaging performance. I found it was a very honest portrayal of our ethos. The diverse and inclusive nature of the jury and the witnesses portrayed social and economic milieu of our society if not the country.
It served as a reminder of how public is mobilised and opinions are formed based on prejudices and presumptions without examining the facts and how the ‘presentation’ of facts can be misleading and the truth eludes even the best practitioners.
-Deepti Priscilla, Salarjung Colony
Could have been better
Two plays, same director - could not stop myself from drawing a comparison. The God of Carnage definitely scored several notches higher. Probably more number of characters in today’s play failed to make a connection with the audience. Expected a lot more from Rajit Kapoor — an actor of very high repute.
The set was very impressive in its detailing. The typical pathetic, drab interiors of a court premises, misspelled 'toilet' as tolet and use of audio-visuals was interesting.Performances of the actors could have been better.
-Ravi Meenu, Trimulgherry
The Hindu Theatre Fest 2016
The Title Sponsor of the event is YES BANK. The Associate Sponsor is Telangana Tourism. The gift partner is Terra Earthfood. The Radio Partner is Chennai Live 104.8. The Merchandise Partner is Focus Art Gallery and the Event Manager is evam.
