After 10 years

Shweta Tripathi Sharma in a scene from Timeloss

What day is it today? How long will we remain entrapped in an environment where normalcy is stifled to such an extent that our social lives are gasping for breath? When will our perception of the world around us be freed from being caged within four walls? These are the sort of questions that many of us have been grappling with ever since the lockdown started. That's why a new play slated for this weekend is an apt reflection of this period in human history, since the central plotline blurs the concepts of time, reality and space.

Called Timeloss, it is a take on Iranian playwright Amir Reza Koohestani's original piece from 2014. Akarsh Khurana of city-based Akvarious Productions has adapted it to suit an Indian context, and he tells us that the story revolves around two actors. These characters had worked on a film 10 years ago, when they had also been involved in a relationship. But that romance soured with time, and the bitter aftertaste it left lingering behind is something that the duo have to confront when - a decade later - they meet again to complete the recording for the as-yet-unfinished movie. By now, they aren't their younger, exuberant selves anymore. The ravages of time have taken a toll on their mental and physical well-beings. And the two have to negotiate the tricky territory of keeping their resentments at bay while embarking on a professional - if not romantic - journey once again.

Siddharth Kumar, Dilshad Edibam Khurana, Chaitnya Sharma and Akarsh Khurana

Khurana tells us that the two actors playing the younger characters - Chaitnya Sharma and Shweta Tripathi Sharma - are in fact a real-life couple, which helped him add certain nuances to their performances. The roles of the older couple are essayed by Dilshad Edibam Khurana and Siddharth Kumar who, in keeping with the plot, are not engaged in a relationship. The play was conceived during the lockdown, meaning the rehearsals took place online before a day was set aside for recording the entire performance on a physical stage, for it to be relayed to the audience via Zoom this weekend.

It's not the ideal medium for theatre shows, Khurana admits. But he adds that there is no point in sulking about it since there's nothing else that can be done at a time like this to recreate the visceral feeling of watching live theatre offline. Plus, the bright side is that thespians are now pushing the boundaries and innovating with different techniques that they might not have had the inspiration for earlier. "Another big advantage is that at least it's generating work, and actors are finding ways to keep themselves engaged. That's important because their riyaaz isn't broken," the writer-director says, pointing out how we need to keep our chin up even when time and reality start to feel like an illusion during these days under lockdown.

On August 29 and 30, 7 pm
Log on to insider.in
Cost Rs 350

Keep scrolling to read more news

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news