Be witched

A still from Shikaar. Pic courtesy/Neville Sukhia

Do you sometimes find yourself wondering if the Maximum City is also home to otherworldly beings? And if yes, what do they do here - do they hold underground meetings in railway yards, perhaps discussing their villainous portrayal in popular movies? For the curious, a group of chudails are meeting up this week at Prithvi Theatre, and us, mere mortals are invited, thanks to Patchworks Ensemble's play Shikaar.

The production, which had its first run in 2019, marks the theatre group's return to the stage post the pandemic, shares co-founder Sheena Khalid. During the pandemic, the team didn't embark on online shows, other than exploring a few characters on Instagram Live and some virtual workshops. "It was a conscious decision, as we felt that none of the works that we had or were excited about could translate online. So, we kept waiting for restrictions to ease, and here we are now," she tells us.

Rehearsals in full swing for the play

The idea for Shikaar, Khalid recalls, came from author Shubhangi Swarup, post which the two of them, along with co-founder Puja Sarup, developed the script. The Hindi play, directed by Khalid and Sarup, revolves around a group of chudails who live in a city inhabited by humans and otherworldly beings. Every few weeks, they go on a shikaar, where they have to hunt men. "In the play, they're set for a special shikaar as it is one of the chudails' birthday. All of a sudden, they get interrupted by a government official who arrives with a funny mandate. There's a certain training programme that the chudails have to undergo," Khalid reveals, adding that the mood of the gathering then changes quickly, turning friends into suspects, and victims into predators.

The kitschy horror-comedy thus investigates what it takes to turn a group of people against a person. "It explores how doubt is planted and an environment of fear is artificially created, so much so that despite having known someone for long, you stop trusting them," the co-director adds.

Sheena Khalid

The play was created in collaboration with the cast, which now comprises Sarup, Shruti Vyas, Rytasha Rathore, Prerana, Priyanka Setia and Saurabh Nayyar. It will also feature music composed by Donn Bhatt. How does it feel to come back to a live audience and to the physical stage, we ask Khalid. "Nerve-wracking," she laughs, adding, "And anxiety-inducing, but also very exciting. It's so good to be able to do
this again."

From Today till December 16, 8 pm
At Prithvi Theatre, 20, Janki Kutir, Juhu Church Road, Juhu.
Log on to in.bookmyshow.com
Cost Rs 500