Play review/ Dil Ka Haal Sune Dilwala

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR 

Dil Ka Haal Sune Dilwala/ Hindi play

Director: Mohit Takalkar

Produced by: Aasakta Kalamanch/ Aadyam Theatre

Written by: Sarah Ruhl, translated by Chirag Khandelwal 

Cast: Dilnaz Irani, Sagar Deshmukh, Vrajesh Hirjee, Faezah Jalali, Bhaskar Sharma 

Rating: *** 1/2

An old and familiar Nokia ringtone goes on and on in a lacklustre cafe, but the phone's owner pays no attention. The waitress, a wannabe starlet called Asha Parekh, soon realises that the customer at the table is dead. A narrator fills in the gaps on how she got there and where things are headed.

The latest Aadyam Theatre play Dil Ka Haal Sune Dilwala, directed by Pune wiz Mohit Takalkar, takes you on a trip that begins with a few calls on this cellphone, which Asha (played by Dilnaz Irani) responds to by saying 'Ji' a few times before getting familiar with the darker and wackier secrets of the dead man, Max.

DHSD - the production team's abbreviation, not mine - is quite a departure from Takalkar's regular style of intense, thought-provoking and often-dark drama. It's a cross between a laugh riot and a musical, as you have the live Dilwala Orchestra playing retro hits as a parallel to the words of the narrator. Not all the jokes land on target and some songs seemed to be just forced to fill in gaps, but for two hours, the play keeps you pretty entertained.

Based on American playwright Sarah Ruhl's Dead Man's Cell Phone, it has been translated in Hindi by Chrag Khandelwal. As the narrative unfolds, Asha meets Max's Russian-origin mother whose initials are KGB, his alcoholic wife Anna, his charming brother Leo, his extramarital fling Razia (who she calls Razai) Sultana and the wacko Bengali trickster DD.

Some of the scenes are brilliantly done - like the church funeral service where Asha says 'Jai Shree Christian', and an outstanding dialogue that begins something like, "I and my loneliness keep talking to each other". Familiar? However, there are too many jokes about theatre personalities which only industry insiders will relate to and the lay audience may be clueless about.

There are natural references to Mumbai's underbelly, ambition, illegal activities et al but the audience has a choice between analysing them with a serious mind or just looking at DHSD as simply a leave-your-brains-behind entertainer.

Though a few songs don't actually fit in, the Dilwala Orchestra takes the crowd back on a nostalgia trip as songs like 'Lekar Hum Deewana Dil', 'Zindagi Bhar Nahin Bhoolegi', 'Ghum Jo Kisike Pyar Mein' and 'Dil Ka Haal Sune Dilwala' are worth a sing-along. The two singers, Amruta Patwardhan and Rugved Inamdar, are joined by percussionist Aditya Dhekale and keyboardist Vardhan Deshpande. Their body language matches the mood of the songs.

To top it all, there are the performances of the main cast. With her natural flair for comedy, Dilnaz Irani is brilliant as wannabe actress Asha Parekh. Sagar Deshmukh as the narrator and Vrajesh Hirjee as Max/ Leo fit their parts. But the super treats come from Faezeh Jalali and Bhaskar Sharma, who play multiple roles slipping into different mannerisms and accents with effortless ease. 

This is the second play of Aadyam Theatre's 8th season, after the interesting but lengthy supernatural thriller Ankahi. DHSD has been produced by Takalkar's Pune-based Theatre company Aasakta Kalamanch, whose other works include Ghanta Ghanta Ghanta, Love and Information, The Nether and Anatomy Of A Suicide. The latest production is yet another instance indicating why Takalkar is one of the most versatile theatre directors on the scene.