HU CHANDRAKANT BAKSHI

PLAY: Hu Chandrakant Bakshi

DIR: Manoj Shah

PROD: Ideas Unlimited

WRITER: Shishir Ramawat

FEATURING: Pratik Gandhi

'Hu Chandrakant Bakshi' (I am Chandrakant Bakshi)....a monologue based on one of the most celebrated and most controversial Gujarati writer - Chandrakant Bakshi. Presented by Ideas Unlimited and directed by Manoj Shah (one of the most active director on experimental Gujarati theatre....may be one in the handful who has kept Gujarati theatre alive) enacted by Pratik Gandhi and written by Shishir Ramavat takes you through the journey of this writer, considered to be one of the most egoistic and the most loved of Gujarati writers, from his early days in Kolkata to his days in Mumbai where he wrote for a lot of daily newspapers, weekly magazines, became a professor of history at Mithibai college then went on to become the principal of Sharda college to be unceremoniously thrown of after a couple of years and then went on to become the sheriff of Mumbai. 

The narrative used here is very simple but words are woven and attitudes are defined very meticulously. It could easily have turned out into a verbose affair but the performance is engaging and enlightening to say the least.

The high points of the play include, a very effective light design (one of the best I have seen in Gujarati theatre), good use of music, minimalistic set design (the use of ladder needs special mention) and off course effortless portrayal of the character both in internalization as well as body language (here we see chandrakant bakshi from his college days to the time he must have been 50 something and had suffered a heart attack).

Worth a watch...Catch it at NCPA experimental theatre on Sat 22nd June 7pm