Suits and big corporations go hand in hand. With suits as a peg, Gaurav Jakhu, the founder of Bengaluru-based theatre group Talab, is all set to bring on stage the English-Hindi play Suits and Liesrevolving around corporate drama.
An assistant professor of Economics and Social Sciences at the Indian Institute of Management, Bengaluru (IIM-B), Gaurav has also passionately pursued theatre for over a decade as an actor, director and playwright. Associated with theatre groups in Delhi and elsewhere, Gaurav started Talab (Theatre Action Lab), with a focus on creating Indian content that is a combination of strong writing, acting and direction.
With over 200 stage performances to his credit, Gaurav also has directed plays. With Talab, he hopes to collaborate with directors and artists and connect with theatregoers. Gaurav wants to attempt a unique story-telling approach. “I don’t want to pick up classical scripts that have been tried and tested. We hope Talab is a platform for unexplored ideas and issues,” he says, speaking on the phone from Bengaluru.
Suits and Lies will explore the change in human relationships when a consulting team is assigned a new project. Gaurav, the writer and director of the play, believes most people would relate to the story. “If not the plot in its entirety, many people will relate to it in bits and pieces.”
Four actors in the play. The play is for 70 minutes. There are two shows. One at 5:30, and one at 7:30. The 5:30 one’s cast has 5:30 Ashish Athawle, Mann Chhatbar Akshaay Sahayam, Kanad Dagaonkar.
The 7:30 cast has 7:30 pm cast Ashish Athawle, Imran Pasha, Archana Kumar Aditye Nair.
The play has 5 scenes in total.
With corporate drama being a less-explored topic in theatre, Gaurav hopes to strike a chord with the audience. “Greed makes us ponder as to what extent we can go to satisfy our needs and wants. The play also touches upon many different themes such as love, betrayal, and revenge.”
“People want more money, they want to get to the top, and that is how corporate life is, and this is often associated with a range of emotions,” he says.
Suits and Lies will be staged at Prabhat Kaladwarka Auditorium, Koramangla Club, Bengaluru, on May 21, 2022, at 5:30 pm and 7:30 pm. Tickets can be booked here.
