A new play explores the crisis of modern urban relationships
The team of Main Lover. Pics/Suresh karkera
This play promises to hold a mirror to us from inside our computer screens. Because holding a mirror from anywhere else is quite pointless with the way screens now hold our attention.
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A moment from a previous show. Pic courtesy/Arko Datto
The fragmentary play, Main Lover, which will be staged in Mumbai for the first time, comprises a series of monologues peeking into the lives of two women and a man, who are all celebrities and involved with each other. Through them the narrative explores the crisis of modern lives. To drum up the tale they use artworks as wall projection, a minimal light design and a pop/ electronic soundscape.
In the play, Tanmay Dhanania (right) plays three women and Bornila Chatterjee plays a man
The crisis, Priyanka Chatterjee, the director and co-author of the play, says is the crisis of “powerlessness” of the characters.
“The purpose of writing these pieces was to imagine criss-crossing relationships amongst a set of people and investigate the psychological ramifications that often get played out in public. It delves into these crisis-riddled minds that battle a sense of disillusionment and powerlessness – a telling commentary on feminism and how inequalities are present even in liberal/progressive societies. The pieces reflect a sense of despair not only towards traditional relationships like marriages but also the current sexual regime (hook up culture driven by technology) in privileged spaces,” she mentions.
And when talking about modern relationships, social media now imperatively makes its way in. This world here comes with the desires of a young girl seeking artistic validation online and intimacy in real life. Chatterjee points out how everyone is struggling for their few moments of fame. “Because of social media, all of us are now the willing participants of constant surveillance. We perpetuate, disseminate, endure and enjoy this online culture of stalking, cyber bullying and exhibitionism, which has bled into our offline lives. Everyone wants to be a celebrity,” she explains.
In the world of these monologues, gender confuses, reflecting the social situation of our time and to bring to life the blurring of identities, Tanmay Dhanania, plays three women and Bornila Chatterjee plays a man.
Chatterjee explains, “Thematically, the intent was to play with power dynamics. Practically, we wanted to keep the production very streamlined and simple. Since we have three female parts instead of having three actors play those roles we have one actor do so, and another actor play the part of the solo man. We found that this also added another layer of complexity exploring the ideas of the self.
On: Today, 7 pm and 9 pm
At: Chatterjee & Lal, Arthur Bunder Road, Floor 1, Kamal Mansion.
Call: 22023787
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