Talchhat is a Hindi adaptation of the globally acclaimed play , `Lower Depths`, directed by Stanislavsky. It revolves around the hopes, aspirations, conspiracies and plots of a destitute, lower class group residing in a lodging house in Volga, Russia. The central theme of the play involves the debate between the merits of `truth` versus the `consoling lie` and that compassion and idealism are necessary for the weak but the only ultimate reality is the truth.
The kindness and sympathy shown towards the hopeless paupers by an enigmatic old man and the self deception easing the bitter reality of their every day lives is beautifully portrayed. The play displays a myriad of human emotions and how even the most luckless and impoverished souls at the bottom most rung of society cling on to the slightest of glimmer of hope which keeps them going.
Story 2 : Boiled Beans on Toast
Boiled Beans on Toast is a simple, indiscriminate play woven around the lives and times of a group of people living in Mumbai. It beautifully portrays not just the dreams, hankering and yearning of majority of Indians today, but also covers many issues of the so-called modern, urban lives like environmental degradation, the mad-race of consumerism and mass exodus of urban migrants. The tone is warm with benevolent doses of humor interspersed in between.
The characters are all myriad and very distinct from each other, belonging to different social and geographical strata. The story starts from the four walls of a house after which all the characters go about with the business of their lives, branching out in various directions and then intertwining back into each other`s lives.
The play shows us the mirror with respect to the struggles of the poor migrants moving to urban areas in search of a better life, the human tendency of self- sustenance, even if it is at the cost of putting others in a tight spot, the mindless violence and the often aimless aspirations of urban India.
An elegant, suave old lady Anusuya gets into the web of betting on horses to such an extent that she is willing to beg, borrow or lie for the same, a small town youngster, Prabhakar gets lured by prospects of an overseas cushy job, a middle aged well-educated lady Anjana who volunteers at a Cancer home, a trusted house help of many years, Vimala finds herself being alleged for a theft and smartly maneuvers her way through police investigations while another young maid, Muttu fights for her survival, carefully treading the delicate balance of rural family pressures and customs. The final product is a cauldron of emotions, misery, wit and the many ups and turns of today`s urban lives.
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