 at a workshop by artist John Baby (left) at the art room of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale in December.jpg.image.160.84.jpg)
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M D Pallavi enacting a scene from the play 'C Sharp Blunt' at JT Pac on Sunday, May 25, 2014. The stage was all set. As the audiences sunk into their seats, a dialogue by a person in a hooded jacket broke the commotion. A number of dialogues were looped in the subsequent scenes. While at first it seemed to be another experiment in the world of theatre, in the end, it proved to be a rather commendable presentation of a topic as grave as atrocities against working Indian women.
'C sharp blunt' was a unique solo presentation by renowned actor and singer M.D. Pallavi. The play, directed by Sophia Stepf of Germany depicted the complexities of the life of women working in an industry as competitive as the entertainment arena. This play was staged at JT PAC, Ernakulam on May 25.
The story begins with the creation of a new mobile phone app called 'Shilpa.' This application allows one to convey any message effectively by moderating various aspects such as the language, tone, pitch and even the tune of a message. The app, apparently, is altered based on consumer research and analysis.
Like most mobile phone apps, this app also involved the combined efforts of a programmer, the user and the voice, which is most often that of a known actor/actress. Upon completing its creation, the actress, who was the voice behind 'Shilpa,' takes up many assignments, including that of a lead actress in a Hindi film, as well as playback singing. She is often confronted with several questions posed by her family and the rest of the society with regards to married life, raising a family and of working along with many men even after marriage.
The play also touches upon grave issues of sexual assault and rape. It did throw light upon the way in which actors were instructed to enact these problems in cinema in order to add “commercial value” to the film.
As far as the presentation is concerned, this was one of the most challenging plays to direct. Pallavi has successfully engaged the audiences with her brilliant acting skills. The play also weaved in certain elements of technology to enhance each scene. For example, dialogues were placed in a 'loop' to create the constant taunting given to the protagonist by the society.
The play was experimental in nature. The plot, did not follow a fixed format, but was nonetheless entertaining. However, the highlight of the play was the manner in which the audiences were made a part of the play. The dialogues were rather simple and could be easily related to.
When asked about the purpose behind the play, Pallavi said, "This play talks of the schizophrenic life of the working Indian woman. We (the director and me) wanted to showcase some of these grave issues in an effective yet humorous and satirical manner."
"This play was thought of even before the Delhi gangrape. We had spoken about doing something on these lines for over six months. The play was rehearsed for over a period of a month or two before presenting it to the audiences. We try to improvise to certain extent with each presentation based on the audience that would be attending the play," added Pallavi.
Pallavi and her team deserves kudos for succeeding in the daunting task of moving the minds of a thousand people with one voice.
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