The play tells the story of last few years of Ishwar Chand, a retired man, who recently died. When his son tries to invite his father’s colleagues for the funeral, he receives the rude responses. Even the priest is not interested in attending to the rites. The son is in shock. After all, his father was a common man! What can a common man do to cause angst to so many people? Especially when the departed was such a simpleton as his dad. What is even more surprising that while even the dead’s colleagues excused themselves from attending final rites, there is crowd of seemingly unknown people who have come to pay a final visit. What can a common man do to inspire such respect from so many people? The play answers these questions and more by switching between Ishwar’s flashbacks and his office colleagues’ accounts, as the audience and Ishwar’s son learn about his father he never knew.
The play excels on all parameters. The portrayal of Ishwar by Aanjjan Srivastav is done so well that audience fails to differentiate between the performer and the character. Other characters also act very well, especially Niraj Pandey.
The play is a must watch and among the best performances in Mumbai theatre with an engaging script and tight screenplay. The play evokes complete spectrum of emotions and is highly recommended.
AglaPlay Verdict: Must Watch AglaPlay Rating: 4.5/5 Language: Hindi Duration: 2 Hours (Approx.) Writer: Ashok Lal Director: Raman Kumar Cast: Aanjjan Srivastav (Ishwar), Pramod Dubey, Nivedita Baunthiyal, Shivkant Lakhanpal, Akbar Khan, Niraj Pandey & Others
Below are few relevant links. The play is inspired from Japanese movie ‘Ikuru’ whose trailer link is also provided.
Play performed by IIM Lucknow Review on HT [Potential Spoilers] Ikuru (1952) Movie Trailer