Kahani Teri Meri play wows Delhi theatre goers

Directed by

Atul Satya Koushik

,

Kahani Teri Meri

is a beautiful amalgamation of two classic stories from the masters of

Hindi

literature – Premchand’s 'Boodhi Kaki' and Dharamvir Bharti’s '

Gulki

Banno'. The stories are seamlessly woven together and capture the complexities of a social reality through strikingly simple yet powerful visuals. Veteran TV and

theatre

actor Aanjjan Srivastav, popular for playing Wagle in the critically acclaimed show Wagle Ki Duniya, played the sutradhar (narrator). The actor with his conversational skills not only effectively introduced the characters and the settings of the play but during the course, weaved himself into the texture of the play. He kept appearing and reappearing at critical turns in the story while simultaneously provoking the audience to introspect.
While the stories may be set in the past, the issues highlighted are contemporary and real. As Kaki struggles with old age, her family’s cruel treatment of her and insatiable hunger, Gulki suffers from a hunched back, poverty and a violent marriage.

THE SUTRADHAR: Aanjjan Srivastav

What is unique to the play is the fact that both the stories are set in the same village and the characters and their stories are intertwined in such a manner that the essence of their original stories is retained. In the play, both houses face each other and the members of the two families treat each other with superficial kindness. Kaki’s bahu, Rupa, and Gulki’s landlady, Ghegha Bua, and their cruel and merciless ideas come together to worsen the lives of Kaki and Gulki.
The actors mouth the dialogues in

Braj bhasha

with much ease, lending freshness and authenticity to this version of Gulki and Kaki’s story. One of the highlights of the play is that it makes us feel for each of its characters and connect with their tragedies. Gulki and Kaki, played by Latika Jain and Nishtha Paliwal Tomar, respectively, are portrayed quite effortlessly. They deliver their lines with much ease and Nishtha, in a particular flashback scene where she recalls her youth, brings out her acting prowess beautifully as she transforms herself into her younger self.