Cell Shock

“In Sartre’s play,three characters land in hell and give each other hell. But my play has three murder convicts confined to a prison cell. As they spend time together,they bond and bring out the good in each other,” says Paranjpye,who has directed award-winning movies like Katha,Sparsh and Disha.

These three men come from diverse backgrounds. One of them is a ruthless contract killer,the other a jealous husband who has killed his wife’s lover,and the third one is a teacher who has killed his daughter’s rapist.

Putting a group of people together in a certain environment and building the narrative is something that she has done several times in the past. Her movie Chasme Buddoor had three bachelors living together,her Marathi play Maza Khel Mandu De — later made into a tele-play titled Rein Basera — revolved around three women sharing a room. Yet she is aware of the risks that such a setting brings. “Watching three men on stage can be very boring. So I have used video footage to liven up the stage,” she says. The footage is used to depict the story in flashback.

After “fooling around with various media”,Paranjyape takes up a project only when she gets acute creative urges. She started her career as an AIR announcer,but went to make films,documentaries and television shows,apart from dabbling in theatre. However,not being able to make films is something that does bother her at times. “I have scripts for two nice entertainers. However,I don’t see myself making them as I don’t fall into the star-system. Besides,the funding for films has gone haywire now,” she says.