The dark stage has a screen, and a voice explains the show, describing a road in the passes of Kashmir. A honeymooning couple is driving to the Hotel Kashmir Kashmir and when they reach there, they are subjected to harrowing questions by the manager. Power is scarce, water almost non-existent. There is fear and anxiety all around.
Ramu Ramanathan's ‘Kashmir Kashmir' is about the multiple issues that plague this paradise on Earth — from terrorism, military presence, inaccessibility to certain areas, loss of loved ones, to the imagined romanticism of the place in our collective minds.
As curator of The Park's New Festival, Ranvir Shah says, “Kashmir in our consciousness is embedded in multiple ways.”
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Aasakta Kala Manch of Pune performed the play sensitively. The satire and humour brought out the pain, hurt, frustration and sometimes the State's inefficacy in handling this political time bomb.
Director Mohit Takalkar has used the hotel as a metaphor for the situation in Kashmir. Finally, all that remains is silence. Unfortunately, the silence on both sides of the political spectrum is frightening.
Simple but effective sets, good acting and perfect comic timing marked the play.
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There was a small, but initiated audience that enjoyed the performance, its integrity and intensity.