Take a walk with the broken Das

Brand new plays, rehearsal backstage, news, gossip u2014 What's On tells you what's up in the world of Mumbai stage, and where you can catch it. Look out for your weekend theatre guide, right here, every Saturday

Brand new plays, rehearsal backstage, news, gossip - What's On tells you what's up in the world of Mumbai stage, and where you can catch it. Look out for your weekend theatre guide, right here, every Saturday

After staging musicals, thrillers and comedies, Ashvin Gidwani (Mad About Money, Double Deal, City of Dreams) ventures into the arena of stand-ups. His latest, Walking on Broken Das, sees comedian Vir Das in various avatars, experimenting with different styles of stand-up comedy in English. Walking on Broken Das has been written and directed by the actor-anchor.

The show begins with a spiritual journey hosted by maestro Ravi Darsaan. The performance then takes a rather bizarre British turn, and Vir becomes Lord Nassar Davis. Later, he metamorphoses into Sara Samdhan, a 60-something woman. Says Gidwani, "Stand-up comedy is a new aspect of theatre that our troupe is exploring. It is a quirky experience for the audience." A while back, when Canadian stand-up comic of Indian origin, Russel Peters performed in the city, he upset several Bollywood stars with his jokes. Let's wait and watch what Das has in store.

At the Tata Theatre, NCPA, on February 22 at 6.30 pm. Call: 22824567

It's the US of A calling

Around this time of the year, several Gujarati productions go missing from the floorboards since they head West. Rasik and Ketki Dave's Tran Crore Chovis Kalak will stage its 150th performance, and its last show, at 7.45 pm at Tejpal Hall, Gowalia Tank (Call: 23802679) on Sunday, before it leaves for a month-long US tour, later this month.

Sanjay Goradia's comedies, Prem Karta Puncture Padyu and Ba-e-Mari Boundary, tour America for two months, this March.

Smriti's doing a Benazir!
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As mentioned last week, Smriti Iraani's next Gujarati production is Muktidham, where she stars opposite Dharmendra Gohil. It is an emotional drama about an old-age home, parents and children, written by Imtiaz Patel and directed by Kamlesh Mota. We wonder why Smriti's look has traces of Benazir Bhutto when it's far from being a political drama.

What else?

Goradia's tale of surrogacy

The recession hasn't hit prolific Gujarati theatre producer Sanjay Goradia. He has already had a lavish mahurat for his next production. Written by Naushil Mehta and directed by Vipul Mehta, this untitled venture stars Pranoti Pradhan. Like his recent plays that revolve around current issues, this production's tale revolves around the subject of surrogate motherhood.

Koko at Prithvi

Konkana Sen Sharma will be at Prithvi Theatre on Monday, at the book reading of From A to X: A Story in Letters by John Berger. It is a tale of love and resistance. This is part of the Seagull@Prithivi initiative, that holds staged readings of Seagull books on philosophy, politics, art, literature and cinema.
At Prithvi Theatre, Juhu, on Monday at 8 pm. Entry is free. Call: 26149546

V Day special

On the occasion of Valentine's Day, B-Town's comics Rajpal Yadav and Manoj Joshi celebrate with a show of Golmaal Pyar Ka. The play is all about love and what happens when it goes haywire, set against the backdrop of the medical profession.

Today, at St Andrew's Auditorium, Bandra, at 7.30 pm. Call: 6459667