Loteshwari, protagonist of director Makrand Deshpande's new fantasy play -- What A Lota! -- takes you through a spree of bizarre incidents
Loteshwari, protagonist of director Makrand Deshpande's new fantasy playu00a0-- What A Lota! -- takes you through a spree of bizarre incidents
Famous actor-director Makrand Deshpande stares into space, jogging his memory, to remember the last time he worked on a play that wasn't written by him. "Jungle Ke Paar!" he finally remembers. But that four-hour-long theatrical was performed in the early '90s. Now, nearly two decades later, he has picked up the play What A Lota! written by 29-year-old copywriter-turned-playwright Nivedita Pohankar.
The cast and crew of Ansh Productions' What a Lota!
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With the play, Makrand also takes a leap into the genre of fantasy. While most of his plays require a leap of imagination, this one ufffd with a lota deciding the fate of various characters ufffd is different. "When I read the play, first of all, I found it funny. Secondly, the play also deals with faith, which is a subject I've been examining for a while now. It is a wonderful fusion of magic and science and that's what interested me," explains the director.
It's a tad difficult to jot down a synopsis of this experimental play. But it is safe to say that actor Divya Jagdale, plays a girl with an active imagination, a great deal of faith in the powers of a magical lota and the will to overcome a weakness in mathematics to understand the intricacies of Quantum Physics. Divya plays the protagonist in the hour-long monologue and is supported by mime artists: Mayuri Mohite, Aakanksha Gade and Bharat More.
Working on a play by a first time playwright has been an engaging experience for both, Makrand and Divya. "It has been very easy making the character my own. I've never been intimidated by the script," says Divya.
Makrand, on the other hand, sees spontaneity and flair in the story. Nivedita, who sits by as the two senior theatre persons discuss her play, says, "I'm honestly very flattered. I feel I've been immortalised to have got a beginning like this. They've loved the script."
On Today and tomorrow, 6 pm and 9 pm
At Prithvi Theatre, Janki Kutir, Juhu Church Road, Vile Parle (W).
Call 26149546 TICKETS Rs 80
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