<img style="float: left;" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2015/sep/the-guide-logo.gif" alt="" width="150" height="36" />"Enjoy the words a little more," director Arghya Lahiri tells actors Devika Shahani and Jaimini Pathak as we tiptoe into a room at the Cuckoo Club in Bandra, where rehearsals are on for QTP&rsquo;s new play, Wildtrack.
<img title="Arghya Lahiri directs the actors at a rehearsal" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2016/aug/15Arghya-Lahiri-directs-the.jpg" alt="Arghya Lahiri directs the actors at a rehearsal" /> Arghya Lahiri directs the actors at a rehearsal
It&rsquo;s an intense scene, where Shahani is cornering Pathak with sarcasm-laced words. Not wanting to disturb the actors, Lahiri escorts us into an adjoining room.
"Of late, I have been intrigued by long-term relationships. Not necessarily just the romantic ones," he tells us while dipping a teabag into a cup of piping-hot water. "The play looks at two very relatable individuals and the impact time has had on their relationship," he continues, as faint strains of the music, composed by Kaizad Gherda, flow in from the rehearsal room.
<img title="(From right) Jaimini Pathak and Devika Shahani. PICS/ Datta Kumbhar" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2016/aug/Jaimini-Pathak-and-Devika-S.jpg" alt="(From right) Jaimini Pathak and Devika Shahani. PICS/ Datta Kumbhar" /> (From right) Jaimini Pathak and Devika Shahani. Pics/ Datta Kumbhar
Lahiri, one of the founding members of QTP, tells us he had been looking at scripts for a while, trying to match them with the ideas in his head. Eventually, he did what his close friends told him to do, and penned down what he had in mind instead, resulting in this hour-long play.
"Pathak&rsquo;s character is a sound engineer who has a sardonic take on life, while Shahani plays a typical literature graduate who has dabbled in various professions and finally taken to writing. They meet, and the connection is magical. It&rsquo;s not love at first sight, but just emotional compatibility," he says, adding, "Most of us at QTP are in our mid-30s, and romance at this stage is not about staring into each other&rsquo;s eyes."
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2016/aug/Jaimini.jpg" alt="" />
He shares, "I also wanted to explore the fabric of memory, and how delicate and resilient it is." Lahiri tells us that the casting process was fairly simple as he had worked with Shahani before, and his only criterion was bringing two good performers together.
We go back to watching the actors at work, and they&rsquo;re now discussing the beauty of a swear word. There is minimal stage design involved, yet it doesn&rsquo;t make a difference as the two of them hold us in rapt attention, and we hang on to each word they&rsquo;re saying. As the actors break for lunch, Lahiri re-looks at the markings on the floor, which have been made keeping in mind the stage at Prithvi, where the play will premiere.

QTP&rsquo;s latest offering features witty dialogues, nuanced performances and a refreshing take on romance

A wild, wild ride

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A wild, wild ride

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Ganeshotsav 2026