It's all about the family

Why go for one, when you can have two? Watch this family saga unfold in two Kannada plays this week

Sheenu, a 35-year-old man is performing the last rites of his estranged father while Ramanna, middle-aged advocate is fed up of the daily squabbles between his mother and wife.

These are a few glimpses from the two Kannada plays Shraddha (Last Rites) and Home Rule to be staged at KH Kala Soudha this week.

The play explores the inherent nuances of human relationships and mirrors the bittersweet moments and the importance of family ties. We give you a peep into the two plays.



Shraddha, April 14

A play set in the 50's, Shraddha explores the importance of a father-son relationship. Sheenu's father is a strict follower of Bal Gangadhar Tilak, the freedom fighter.

He wants his son to follow and believe the same ideals and principles. But the generation gap shatters his dreams.

The son cannot relate to his father and the relationship turns bitter as Sheenu grows up feeling that his father does not love him. The father's effort to teach him the values of life suffocate Sheenu and he turns rebellious.

Now Sheenu is a man in his mid 30's and it is almost over a decade since his father's death As Sheenu performs his father's Shraddha, he remembers his growing up years and suddenly realises how much his father loved him all along.

"The whole idea is to show how generation gap most of the time makes us feel that our parents don't understand us.

It is about how as you grow you realise that they meant well and were right," says Vinayak Joshi, the director of Shraddha, who is also a radio jockey.u00a0

According to Joshi, the loss of his father three years ago influenced him to explore this theme in his play. He said, "This is my way of paying respect to my father."

Narrated in a lucid manner, the play shows how with the birth of a child, a new set of parents are also born.
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However, at times children misunderstand the expression of love and end up hurting themselves and their parents.

Clubbed with videos, where people recount their personal experiences, this play makes you feel how special parents are.

Home Rule, April 17

Ramanna, a 55-year old man loses his wife. He remarries a girl, who is more than 15 years younger than him. Life turns into a hellride, as his wife and mother never get along.

Every evening he returns to a home where a nagging wife and an uncompromising mother are ready to vent out their day long frustrations onto him.

The play not only shows the age-old saas bahu saga but also brings out the complexities of late marriage with age difference.

"The play explores how important it is to have a proper understanding between the mother and the wife. It also shows the problems of an incompatible marriage," says Uncle Shyam, the director of the play.

Staged by Antaranga, the play is a humorous account of how lack of understanding in families creates misunderstanding and affects relationships.

At KH Kala Soudha, Hanumantha Nagar
On 7.30 pm onwards
Tickets Rs 50, 100 and 150