Written and Directed : Makarand Deshpande Cast : Makarand Deshpande
PIYAKKAD (A) Review
The name of the play, brings to mind were the drinking and driving incidents by wealthy almost-adults this year, that led to the deaths of non-wealthy adults, and were taken seriously only when social media picked up on them.
The play has absolutely nothing to do with this.
Instead, it's a poetic, philosophical enquiry into the act of drinking itself, sidestepping any morality associated with it, through Makarand Deshpande's inimitable storytelling and performance style.
The play begins with the disappearance of the fourth wall as Deshpande barges straight through it, and the audience meets their storyteller - a man who's had a little too much to drink and wants to provide entertaining company as much as he wants to speak his mind - establishing the light-hearted mood in the room. Over the next hour, this funny, friendly, harmless drunk teases us, gets us to examine our pre-conceived notions of people who drink, firmly differentiates between a bevda and a piyakkad and without us realising it, leads us into and through the stories of two piyakkads in his life, leaving us with much to think about and feel at the end of the journey.
Deshpande's masterful Bambaiya storytelling transports us across time and space, constructing the mise-en-scene of both stories through words, on the canvas of a simple stage design (Deva). The ease with which a costume contorts into another one, and then another, as the stories progress is woven into the storyteller's drunken toddling. Social commentary is dished out in the little details - highlighting inequalities, resilience, double standards and changing priorities - as we are taken on the piece's arc, carefully accompanied by the music (Ketan) that guides the tone and mood of the journey.
The journey itself is a fascinating one: very entertaining and quite thought-provoking. Since the premise is that the difference between a piyakkad and a bevda is purpose and intention, drinking itself is normalised, creating breathing room for the stories. In a city like Mumbai it's easy to forget the cultural stigma associated with alcohol, leaving us with very little vocabulary or space to talk about our relationship with it, even if there is a need. In a city like Mumbai, there are also many reasons to drink.
Catch this play for a high-energy, entertaining performance, accompanied by well-delivered, thoughtful nuggets to chew over. Bonus points include being a part of an excitable, generous and loyal audience - a rare find in today's day and age.
Bhagi R finds joy in contemplating, examining, and working in the space between artists and audiences.
