In theatrical transit

The plight of an immigrant stuck at an airport comes alive in a poignant new play

A man lands at an airport with dreams in his eyes. Things take a turn when he is forbidden entry as his passport is invalid and is unable to return to his native country, a land in the throes of a civil war. Stuck at the terminal for an indefinite period, he meets several people and makes an indelible impact on them, thanks to his quirky mannerisms. This might remind us of Steven Spielberg’s critically-acclaimed film The Terminal but there’s more to the play, Charlie and the Tin Can than the premise outlined above. The Hinglish production that will be staged this weekend tells the tale of one such immigrant, Charlie. Unbeknownst to many, the protagonist, a Charlie Chaplin-esque character, carries a tin can that piques the interest of all those who he meets at the terminal.

Charlie and the Tin Can is the debut production of Safarnama Productions, a theatre group founded by Shrikant Bhatt and Anshuman Malhotra. While Bhatt has worked as an assistant director with filmmaker Tanuja Chandra and also assisted actor-director Atul Kumar in his plays, Malhotra is a popular face on the small screen having appeared in shows such such as as Nagarjuna - Ek Yoddha, Warrior High and Class Of 2017. In addition to Ritwik Bhomick, who plays the protagonist, the play also features Malhotra along with Liliput, Naveen Kaushik, Samara Tijori, Disha Thakur and Syed Ali Arif.

Bhatt, the writer, director and co-producer of the play was hugely inspired by

The Terminal

and decided to model his production around it. At the same time, Bhowmick was keen on showcasing a character like Chaplin on stage. The duo decided to amalgamate the two ideas and set the story in a contemporary Indian milieu. “The Tom Hanks-starrer was based on the real-life story of Mehran Nasseri, an Iranian immigrant who was forced to stay at a Paris airport from 1988 to 2006,” explains Bhatt. “During the course of my research, I learnt that were many others like him whose stories haven’t been told to the world. Intrigued, I wanted to know more about them and was keen to tell their story.”

Co-director, writer and designer Inderjit Nagi adds that the Indian setting was crucial as it gave them the opportunity to introduce an eclectic mix of culturally diverse characters who are battling their own demons. “The play dwells on a lot of modern-day conflicts such as the clash between parents and children due to generation gap and lack of communication, people battling depression and developing suicidal tendencies and even issues faced by the LGBT community,” says Nagi. “We have dealt with them in a matter-of-fact way without being didactic. This would help the audience to relate to the characters.”

The duo had specific ideas about the treatment of their script. “The play opens like a film with music playing in the background and the characters being introduced,” says Nagi. “This is followed by interludes with music and dances too. We also have a segment called time-lapse where the audience can watch the play in fast forward, which is a quirky way of moving the story forward on stage.”

As the protagonist is reminiscent of Chaplin, Bhowmick plays a loud and animated character who indulges in animated expressions and uses pantomime. “We have ensured that the buffoonery is not over the top,” says Bhatt. “Also, everyone who has watched the film or even heard of it would compare it with our play. We don’t want to lie to them. For the first 10 minutes, people will think they are watching

The Terminal on stage but then they will be transported to another world due to the human conflicts that we are depicting.”

Charlie And The Tin Can will premiere on October 15 at Bal Gandharva Rang Mandir, Bandra West at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. See bookmyshow.com for details.