With just four days to go to the New Year, Feroze MNA of Sifar Theatre gets reflective as the group reruns two of its plays — Round and Round and Round and Almost Flawless, updated to connect with current events in the country and as a prelude to taking the plays to Bengaluru and Kochi in January 2020.
Round and Round and Round is about a lonely old man (played by Feroze) and his reminiscences after a few drinks in a bar. Based on Nirmal Verma’s Dedh Inch Upar, it is a monologue of a man whose activist-wife disappeared during the Emergency in the ‘70s. “He talks of how he couldn’t see his favourite film Aandhi that was banned then and sees a connection with the current curbs on freedom of expression,” explains Feroze. The monologue turns interactive, as the man talks to strangers in the bar all night.
Nirmal Verma’s short story was written during his stay in Germany, Poland and Czecholsavakia, when he saw a man speaking about his life incidents with others in a bar. “We have adapted the concept to the Indian context, keeping the Emergency in focus. We have also added present events so that when he interacts with the audience, they can relate to it,” he adds.
A scene from ‘Almost Flawless’
The second play Almost Flawless features Chandra Singh Shekhawat and Feroze in the cast. It is the story of two people whose lives are turned upside down by an incident. The first character is of an Urdu writer, an assistant professor set to submit his research paper, whose life changes drastically after a bomb blast in a hotel. The second character is of an aspiring actor who is mistaken to be a homosexual, and faces harassment after that. “The story is not fictional, it is based on true incidents,” he shares.
Directed by Feroze, both Round and Round and Round and Almost Flawless deal with harsh realities of life and society at large. Aren’t these themes rather serious for the holiday season? “The plays are quite relevant to the times we are in. Almost Flawless is a black comedy with many humorous scenes. On the other hand, Round and Round and Round is interactive so the audience will not get bored with just one actor’s monologue on stage,” assures Feroze.
( ‘Round and Round and Round ’ and ‘Almost Flawless’ will be staged at Phoenix Arena on December 28 and 29 respectively; from 7 30 pm onwards; Tickets available at the venue and on bookmyshow.com)
