Kaleidoscope

Smoke And Mirrors

by Deepa Gahlot February 18 2017, 7:51 pm Estimated Reading Time: 2 mins, 5 secs

Pankaj Kapur returned to the stage last year, with a charming one-man show, Dopehri. Kapur is an illustrious alumnus of the National School of Drama and did quite a few plays in the early Eighties. Those who have seen Kapur perform on stage in his heyday, say that he is a rare gem of an actor, and his films have simply not done full justice to his talent. His incredible hold on the audience is there to see in Dopehri, as he reads a story, written by himself, of a lonely old woman, Amma Bi, living in a large haveli, who finds meaning to life in an unexpected way. He reads with minimal movement and with a serenity that can only come with the innate skill of an actor who does not feel the need to impress his audience. After a few minutes, he senses that he has them enthralled just by the power of his voice and gently flitting expressions on his face, there is no need for histrionics. Kapur keeps busy with his film work, but is now thinking of increasing his theatre work gradually. Encouraged by the wonderful response to Dopehri, Kapur and his wife Supriya Pathak appear in a play together. Based in another of his stories, Dreamz-Seher, directed him has him play Professor Mishra who arrives for a brief holiday in the hill town of Kasauli. He is enjoying the cool weather and the beautiful view on a walk over the hillside when a distressed-looking woman (Supriya Pathak) asks him if he has seen a girl with very long hair, dressed in a yellow salwar suit.

Prof Mishra has nothing to do in Kasauli, except chat with the caretaker of the bungalow where he is staying, gossip with the news vendor and the layabouts in the bazaar. His idleness and piqued curiosity lead him to making enquiries about the missing woman in yellow named Nisha, and try to help the woman who turns out to be worried sister, Seher.

Seher is standoffish for some time, but soon warms up to Mishra and tells him all about the runaway Nisha. The professor is drawn into the mystery of the two sisters and the story takes a peculiarly dream/nightmarish turn.

Beautifully designed and lit to depict a hill station, Dreamz-Seher has a wonderful performance by Kapur and Pathak as well as some of the supporting actors. It has also triggered off in Kapur, the idea of doing a series of plays under the Dreamz series.