Direction : Majee Ashok Writer : William Haris Cast : Abhishek, Akhilesh, Aman, Ansh, Arpita, Bhavesh, Deepak, Jayam, Nisha, Pankaj, Nisha, Vikas, Vinay
SONE KI CHIDIYA Review
SONE KI CHIDIYA, is a comedy adaptation of Nirmal Roy's work. The original text is by William Haris. The writing is entertaining and reflects our society. SONE KI CHIDIYA is indeed an apt title for a satirical play like this one. We are introduced to a strange city by two characters two birds. One is a 'Koyal' with a shrieky voice and the other a 'Crow' with a surprisingly soothing voice. You get to know from the very beginning that you are going to be on this abstract and satirical roller coaster ride of fun and laughter. You have a wide variety of characters in the play. The two birds represent the artist class and the class of people who want to make a difference. The birds not meant for entertainment are not taken seriously as such in the society. The play is a satire where the ones who really want to bring a change are ignored, whereas criminals are put on a pedestal being hand in glove with other members of society.
The director of this play, Majee Ashok, a postgraduate from MPSD, Madhya Pradesh School of Drama, has been acting and directing plays like GUFAYEN, THE DOG OF GOD, BHOOK, etc. since 2009.
SONE KI CHIDIYA opened with great energy, which dipped for a while but picked up a little later and maintained the right till the end. Some actors had great stage presence and held on to their characters till the end of the show. Artistes who opened the show and the two actors performing the parts of the criminals were outstanding. Though some actors looked under-prepared, there was still good chemistry to be seen on stage. The actress played their parts well. Physical comedy by some characters was superb.
The music is very entertaining. The Hindi film songs used add to the fun element of the script. You see no set as such and very few props are used and it seems perfectly fine as the play is entirely based on the performances. The comedy and energy are great, but it overpowers the satire at times--maybe that was intentional.
It is a very sincere effort by the whole team. It is a play that offers scope to many young performers.
Diiva Dhanoya is a Mumbai based writer, actor and voice artist. She is the lead actress in the film Jacqueline I am coming and is currently working on a book translation written by John Britton.
