Agatha Christie is not an unknown name in Delhi’s theatre-circuit. Now, Dramatech, a group formed by the IIT Delhi alumni in 1984, have adapted “Towards Zero”, a play scripted by her, which had hardly been staged earlier. Renu S. Chopra’s search for something fresh led her to the 1944 novel of Christie’s, adapted by the writer herself as a play in 1956. Critically acclaimed as ‘masterly story-telling’ by the critics, the play, in its second incarnation, was adapted for an English film in 1995.
As is said, a murder is not the beginning, rather a culmination point of many different circumstances converging ‘Towards Zero’. Renu Chopra’s production of this murder mystery leads the audience to that culmination point in such a manner that the tension created can be felt through the bones! Work of the director was made easy by the superbly created sound-effects by Radoxium, Nikhil Kumar.
The play revolves around the murder of Tara Devi, a rich old lady, who was host to a motley crowd of relatives and friends gathered in her cliff-perched seaside house.
This crowd includes Navin, former ward of Tara Devi’s deceased husband and heir to his property, his new wife Kangan as well as Navin’s former wife Aarti, whom he has invited to visit his aunt at the same time! Members of this crowd turn into suspects, while the clues present at the site of murder are suspected to be fake by the attorney and the police officer for being rather too-obvious. This whodunit, built on a double deception turning on itself, successfully manages to have been turned into an edge-of-the-seat thriller in its progress to the revealing climax by the creation of right amount of tension by Renu S. Chopra, an IIT alumna herself.
The play has been Indianised by adopting Indian names for the characters and by localising it to the Andamans in India, which helps audience relate to it. Well-decorated set, supported by lovely music and the deft use of video projection helped create the perfect atmosphere of a sea-side locale, where one hears the sound of breaking waves throughout the action on the stage. Costumes also contributed to the success of the play. Such mature presentation by an amateur group is a rarity in Delhi these days, and the effort deserves applause.
Dramatech was formed in 1984 by a few alumni of IIT Delhi. It has been doing plays both in Hindi and English almost regularly for the last thirty-five years. It expanded to attract talent from other institutions, in particular Delhi University and the IIMs. Now, with forty-five productions under its belt, it also boasts of having its two ‘branches’, one in Chicago, and the other in Mumbai – started by the members of Dramatech having migrated to these cities! English theatre has become a rarity in Delhi these days. It is reassuring to see an amateur group Dramatech doing an English play for Delhi’s discerning audience.
