When was the last time you fancied documenting all the cathartic experiences you’ve ever had? Or rather, would you if you could? At least that’s what the team behind Katharsis Karicatures did. In a candid chat with the team, we get the inside track...
“Through a collection of nine short plays infused into one, we’ve tried to explore and capture the different emotions of different characters we have come across in our own lives. The intent was to celebrate the realness of theatre, beauty of everyday stories and the cathartic experience a merger of these two can create,” shares Nithya J Rao, one of the directors, actors and playwright of the series. Stringing together nine plays was no easy feat. But it was all about burning the midnight oil and infusing a bit of music to make it happen. “We needed something to tie the acts. Music became the thread with which we tied emotions of one story to another,” she adds.
Armed with a tight knit team of 12 artistes, Jibrael Jos, a city-based theatre artiste and one of the protagonists of the play reveals how it was a long thought-out plan. “We all acted in different forms in different production houses over the years. Recently, we gravitated under this banner and have enjoyed this synergy. The team has a nice mix of actors, writers and directors. The team is trustworthy and over the years, we have become a close knit family. The impact on the audience and positive feedback keeps us going,” he shares. But for Ashank Bhandari, it was all about experiencing the sheer thrill of being part of a hand-picked miscellany of short plays strung together with music and theatrical devices. “Ranging from the wry humour of a common man waging a lone battle against the apathy and arrogance of the powers-that-be to the self belief of a husband to pursue his dreams without rocking his marriage boat and the biting sarcasm on the discriminatory mindset of Indians against dark skin, the stories were very effective in conveying powerful messages. An extremely moving tale of a young Hindu girl and a Muslim shopkeeper in Hyderabad is one of the most acclaimed plays of the show.”
Promising an evening of heartwarming stories, touching emotions and soul-stirring music, Nithya adds in conclusion, “The show is targeted at anyone over the age of 16 for the only reason that the language of some bits is hard to follow. The content is family friendly. We expect it to touch hearts and leave people asking for more. A good word of mouth recommendation for our next show is our aim.”
The play will be presented at 7 pm on December 3 at Lahe Lahe, Indiranagar.
