The Revised Kama Sutra at Akshara Theatre kept the audience rivetted with melodious numbers and mesmerising acts. Director Anasuya Vaidya in conversation with Ila Sankrityayan
A young boy, Vijay Prabhu is always searching for love and spiritual understanding and at the same time grappling with awkward growing-up situations, some sexual, some social, some familial. And this quest takes him from Mangalore to Washington DC and back with plenty of adventures, conflicts and girls along the way. And a lot more twist in the tale was there in the play, The Revised Kama Sutra, at Akshara Theatre.
It was a story about his relationships — with his parents, teachers and of course, with girls — whom he is always thinking about. The play is based on Richard Crasta’s amusing, nostalgic story of a young boy growing up in the 60s and 70s on India's southwest coast, and his quest for love, sex and salvation. It is full of gentle ironies and rollicking laughter, taking the audience on a journey of humour, music and dance. The play featured favourite songs of the 60s and 70s, from the Beatles and Rolling Stones to Neil Diamond. Nisa Shetty electrified with live renditions of Abhi to main jawan hoon and Fever.
Asked about the changes made to the stage presentation from the original story in the book, Anasuya Vaidya replied, “The play has its own distinct identity than that of the book. My mother Jalabala Vaidya, who originally adapted and dramatised the book, took certain parts of it, which she felt would work on the stage. It’s not the whole book, nor do we go to its end. We just adapted the essence and spirit of the story.”
But why did she choose this particular book as a subject of her playIJ Anasuya said, “My brother Jai first read the book when he was living in New York. Since the book is set in the period of the 1960s to the 80s and that part of the book is set in New York, he identified with certain aspects of the character of Vijay Prabhu.”
Vijay Prabhu was brilliantly played by Sunit Tandon whereas his younger versions were enacted by Ankur Anand, Armaan Pratap Singh, Dhruv Shetty and Rakesh Palisetty. There was a combination of narration and enacted pieces. The play had more or less used the dialogues from the book but certain songs added a great deal to the play. There were choreographed dance numbers too, making for a very entertaining evening. Anasuya was happy with the response she got. She said, “Everyone loved the show, though it was meant for people of 18 and above only. Youth loved it because it’s amusing and entertaining. The older people loved it because it reminded them of their own growing up years. Men loved it because they identified with the awkwardness that Vijay Prabhu experiences, women loved it because they learn something new about men!”
The play was successful in engaging the audience. There are, of course, different types of comedy. But in this play comedy has been used in the right dose and at the right place.