Written and Directed : Priyanka Sharma Cast : Priyanka Sharma, Nikita Rawat, Kapil Saaraswat
HAAYE PADOSAN Review
Love thy neighbour. That's a maxim taken far too seriously by Indian writers. And while at that, they also add some more of their own creative volition: Stalk thy neighbour. Jeopardise thy neighbour. And so on, and forth. You get the drift.
The play, HAAYE PADOSAN, is a staunch proponent of all the aforsesaid maxims. The plot goes like this: Bumpkin city lads Prem and Rahul run a modest magazine dedicated to revolution. Their lives get a jostle of fresh air, when Maya, a spirited Punjabi girl, moves in next door. Prem is instantly smitten, but his affection goes unreturned. This causes him to lose all focus in his creative endeavour of writing for the magazine. In a bid to save their fortunes, Rahul hires Maya, as a paid 'prop' that can smile at Prem and get his juices, ahem..creative juices flowing. However, as Maya's feelings veer towards Rahul, tensions arise, jeopardising not only their magazine, but also their friendship.
HAAYE PADOSAN is a comedy combining elements of love, friendship, sad finances and distant dreams. The play shows how the protagonist's obsession with his neighbour leads to hilariously disastrous situations.
The play's comedy essentially drives from the conflicts between the three central characters: Maya's pointed refusal towards Prem's advances. Prem's refusal to adhere to Rahul's creative diktats. And finally, Prem's refusal to understand Maya's disinterest.
The story elements — love's difficulty, and mischief— are used throughout the play. The comedic genre of farce is used heavily to tell the story.
Sadly, such type of humour finds few takers in contemporary theatre, and are certainly not the most effective tools in eliciting laughter. And although the overall plot seems very 90s, it succeeds in coming a step further through the opening and closing monologue, which essentially lambasts the Romeo-esque behavior valorised throughout the play.
Although none of the main characters show any kind of development during the course of the story, their interactions with each other are endearing and certainly add to the comedic atmosphere created by the play. Coming to the performances, that's the biggest USP of the play. Priyanka Sharma excels with her stagecraft, dialogue delivery and expressions. Maya's character too is performed brilliantly and so is the character of Prem. Each has a solid comedic timing, and can fabulously engage the audience with the world they've built on stage.
The stage lighting adds to the storytelling with its strategic displays during the romantic dream sequences. It adds a light sense of romance to the scene. Similarly, the use of Bollywood romantic dialogues and songs enhance the comedic moments in the play. The flailing of dupatta with formal black plants and top, add an ironic take to the classic Bollywood-tadka of romantic songs.
Overall, the play HAAYE PADOSAN, is a fair theatrical take on the old trope of the next-door neighbor. While it doesn't add anything new to the conversation, it does attempt to answer important questions during the play: What makes for a good lover? How is love won? Perhaps the most important thing the play shows is that all is NOT really fair in love and war.
*Divyani Rattanpal has worked as a journalist for The Quint, where she was also among the Founding Team members. While there, she also hosted and produced a podcast and fronted several standups. She's also worked for The Times of India group. She's now a theatre and film actor.
