Play on consumerism and art Adlay Ka…? to be performed for 50th and last time

The actor makes elaborate plans to trick and manipulate the corporate representative while she argues back by showing him a real world where market-friendly solutions and budget cuts determine who keeps their jobs.

“The play is about all kinds of art and not only theatre. What will happen if the market begins to dominate art – that is the theme of the play. There is the budgetary concerns on one side and art on the other and the contentious space in between will remain that way. It is heartening that we have been able to take the play to the spaces and places we wanted to and engaged with a lot of people, including intellectuals, such as the playwright Mahesh Elkunchwar,” says Atul Pethe, a doyen who has created a legacy of path-breaking productions in the past 30 years.

Written by Swiss playwright Charles Lewinsky, Adlay Ka…? is also the first time that Atul and Parna Pethe are working together. He had to forget that she was his daughter and confront her as the young corporate who prioritises monetary gains over the finer, incalculable elements of art.

“The social practices in which the grown-up generation engages today range from competition and global trade to ownership of resources, growth focus and economic advantage. These are very different from the concerns of the earlier world. The idea of art has changed. The world of art values discussions, explorations and impracticality, in contrast to the environment inhabited by political leaders and capitalists. It is the people who fall victim to these capitalist policies. My character is the representative of this world,” says Parna.

“It was a privilege working with my father on this play and it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me. It was a rare possibility that theatre-goers witnessed. I am going to take all the energy from this play and keep doing theatre,” she adds.

One of the crucial elements of the production is the synergy between Atul Pethe the actor and the protagonist that he plays. It is only a few times when an astute performer takes the stage in a role that seems to be tailored for him. Rehearsals, however, were intense and lasted six months. “I don’t think anybody other than Atul Sir could have taken the play to the level that it has reached,” says Dharmadhikari.

Adlay Ka…? opened in a post-pandemic world where theatre was one of the worst-hit art forms, suffering a paucity of funding and support from the government and other institutions. “When we opened this play, the restrictions were still on. You could only have 50 per cent capacity in auditoriums. The response was overwhelming not only for this play but theatre in general. For two years, we had been craving live performances and, now, people came not only for commercial plays but also experimental theatre,” says Parna.

As the curtain rises and falls for the last time on Adlay Ka…?, Dharmadhikari says, “I just wish government officials and politicians could watch the play to understand the sensitive eye that is required to look at art when you are in a position of power.”