Direction : Vijay Kekare Cast : Vijay Kenkre, Aastad Kale, Aditi Sarangdhar
MASTERMIND Review
Our entertainment platforms are inundated with thrillers, as it is. So you wonder if a thriller play can scale that level of high octane energy and suspense. And when Marathi theatre’s most prolific director, Vijay Kenkre offers his 106th venture, the expectations are mounting.
MASTERMIND opens in a ramshackle, abandoned sea-facing house. Its owner, Rishabh (Astad Kale), ushers in elite Rashmi (Aditi Sarangdhar). He has just rescued her from huge embarrassment at the mall when she found out that she had lost her phone as well as her wallet at the billing counter. He had cleared her bill so she offered to drop him home. Over a welcome swig of beer can and with Rishabh’s clever prodding, Rashmi reveals how she is trapped in an abusive marriage with her wealthy builder husband, Shantanu. She discloses that her husband has been cheating on her as well. Amidst rising intimacy and further flirtatious exchanges between them, it comes to fore that Rishabh, her ‘knight in shining armour’ has just served a 10-year jail sentence for armed robbery and for reasons of his own, he has an axe to grind with Shantanu. So will the scorned wife and avenging jailbird become conspirators? Is a crime in the offing?
Like any good thriller, the plot is thick with sudden twists, violence, danger and a tantalizing sexual tension between the two characters. The superb lighting by Sheetal Talpade and eerie music by Ashok Patki are two effective tools in the hands of the director. Pradeep Mulye’s mysterious set enhances the mystery element of the narrative. Costumier, Mangal Kenkre dresses up Aditi in a trendy monochrome jumpsuit while Astad is suitably togged in scraggy denims. Kenkre smoothly maneuvers this smart set up of actors and technicians.
Both the quirky characters are essayed spontaneously by Aditi Sarangdhar and Astad Kale. From the choking over a gulp of drink to later asserting her persona, Aditi is suave and sassy. It is easy to be swayed by Astad’s sinister part as he flips from mellifluous gazal singing to a weapon wielding baddie. Astad has a velvet voice, even a couple of lines that he sings bring sudden serenity to the otherwise violence ridden proceedings! So in this chiller thriller, would you come out tingling with excitement and be taken by total surprise? Writer Prakash Bordvekar (adapting Richard Stockwell's KILLING TIME, produced in English as DOUBLE DEAL by Ashvin Gidwani) keeps a firm grip on the narrative throughout and even attempts a shocker end. There is really no blood, dead body or action on stage, yet it is all there in the story! The denouement of the plot leaves you scratching your head â€"“who’s the mastermind?†Will ‘just deserts’ be served or will the rough and risky escape with the booty? Keeps you on tenterhooks, alright!
(Deepa Karmalkar is a senior journalist, features writer and reviewer who is now an ardent yoga sadhak.)
