MY WIFE's 8th VACHAN #PicksAndPiques #TheatrePlayReviews #JohnsonThomas #ArtBuzzInternational #Theatrewala

#PicksAndPiques #TheatrePlayReviews #JohnsonThomas #ArtBuzzInternational #Theatrewala An entertainer with a timely and potent message Play Title: MY WIFE's 8th VACHAN

Cast: Anup Soni, Vinay Jain and Monisha Singh Katiyal Director/ Writer: Atul Sathya Koushik Rating: * * * Runtime: 85 mins Genre: Comedy (premiered on 12th February 2023 at St Andrews Auditorium, Bandra)

One of India’s leading theatre group, The Films and Theatre Society, premiered playwright/Director Atul Sathya Koushik’s latest, a comedic family entertainer apparently inspired by marriages, with Anup Soni, Vinay Jain and Monisha Singh Katial in the lead roles. Koushik has been quite prolific and very successful on the theatre circuit, writing and directing plays from various genres including Historicals, Musicals, mythological and social satires. This time, a first for him, he sets out a curious triangle between a bored and floundering married couple Madhur and Mahek played by Anup Soni and Monisha Singh Katiyal and the wife’s former boyfriend (played by Vinay Jain) who turns up exactly 15 years later demanding she keep the promise she made to him when she chose to marry Madhur.

Madhur and Mahek’s 15 year marriage has become totally dysfunctional - to the extent that their only child, a daughter prefers to stay-on in a boarding school in order to avoid the daily battles the couple engage in. Just when Mahek is all set to address the ‘elephant in the room’ ( the state of their marriage so-to-speak) arrives the former boyfriend adamant on her keeping her promise that she made to him 15 years ago on the day of her marriage to Madhur. A promise she made right after the saat pheras which in fact has come back to haunt her.

The construct of the third person making an entry in order to trigger an awakening between the couple is kosher but when they allow him to dictate the course of their actions from thereon, the set-up takes an unbelievable turn. Koushik uses surprise, incongruity, conflict, repetitiveness, and contrary expectations to good effect. There’s humour to be had in the interactions between the couple, and also the incidents following their run-in with the take-charge ex - mainly because a very mobile and agile Anup Soni displays great timing in dialogue delivery and actions. His measure of dramatic performance having a light, humorous tone, manages to negate the incredulity of a script that postulates a fantastic construct. How his character ultimately triumphs over that adversity is the most engaging aspect of this theatrical experience. Vinay Jain also makes his presence felt but Monisha Singh Katiyal, literally stymied by a Rohit Verma creation, fails to measure up. Even though she manages to use voice, pitch and tenor to appealing effect, her ill-chosen outfit that makes her look rather stiff from the neck down limits her performance drastically. The sets and lighting do their bit to make the stagey look appealing and the music is also fairly ingratiating.

Atul Satya Koushik’s fairly humorous comedy also makes a stirring appeal to married couples entreating them to keep communicating to each other so that they don’t end up in a similar situation. That’s the noble message this newly minted effort hopes to convey alongside the entertainment it delivers. Johnosnt307@gmail.com