"The theater is so endlessly fascinating because it's so accidental. It's so much like life" - Arthur Miller

“Revelation”, is the word that defines my experience from yesterday.

One of the advantages of being in Mumbai is that you have a chance to come across so many different art forms which form a part of our culture, for in no part of country do we see these art forms being performed today. For the reason I think Mumbai can easily be accepted as the cultural capital of India.   Theater is one such performing art form which is quite popular in Mumbai and the play that I went to watch was “Raja, Raju, Ram aur Main” by Kedar Shinde.

 Before this I never had a chance or for that matter it never occurred to me to discover this medium.  Even during my stay in Mumbai, it took me 2 years to consider watching a play. It was on a friend’s suggestion and basically just to tick this off my bucket list, which I decided to watch this play. The impact it had on me can be realized from the fact that despite having pushed aside so many experiences where I wanted to write but did not, this one made me write about it. For the thrill was, unimaginable and something that just could not be kept to oneself. The thrill of watching live performances, this can never be compared with what you watch on TV or what you watch on 70mm screen. This was so real, actors bringing to life the characters right in front of you, there were no retakes, no scenic locations, cinematographer or editor in their support. It was created then and there, off course there would have been rehearsals that went into the preparation, off course there was a writer, a director, sound team, costume team, team that had set up the stage, who supported the actors create that world. But once the play started, the actors on the stage were on their own.  And god! What amazing work was done by all the actors in the play!

Without giving away anything from the plot, Sharman Joshi had to play 4 characters. Amazing work by him! He was continuously on a run, getting out of one character and getting into another one and all four characters were so different from each other, it must not have been that easy but it appeared so easy and smooth on stage. I have liked his roles, his acting in films but after watching this play, respect for him as an actor has grown many folds.

Overall, the play was such a treat to watch. For me it was an experience that I will always cherish. It opened up my mind to a new world. From now on I will try to explore this world a bit more.  I will in fact, recommend the same to all those who read this post.