A dramatic rendering of the novella by the same name, written by Pankaj Kapur two decades ago, ‘Dopehri’ doesn’t make for a conventional drama. Pankaj Kapur’s one-act play is a solo performance as good as a theatre master class. You will forget the technicalities as soon as he begins narrating Amma bi’s worldly tale of the loneliness that comes with old age.
Pankaj Kapur makes you work hard; he intricately explains to you the dimensions of a “Laal Haveli” in Lucknow whilst you begin to imagine the emotions it encapsulates. Kapur’s understanding of human nature, its doubts and fears, reflects in the way he rounds off each character, adding nuances and subtleties that only a storyteller of his caliber can achieve.