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It’s Not Waht You Tihnk!, yes you read it right and no, it’s not a typo. The title of Mumbai-based theatre company Cartel’s play is deliberately spelt that way to make an obvious point — that the play is not what you think. Directed by Deepal Doshi, it’s an Indian adaptation of the Commedia Dell’ Arte form of theatre that developed in
. It is characterised by the use of masks and a range of stereotypical characters to build a basic plot.
“When people hear that the play is based on an ancient Italian form of theatre, they expect something like a Greek melodrama, a serious play for a highly intellectual and sophisticated audience. But the form we are exploring is quite the contrary. The plot is simple, the characters are funny, and they wear masks. We wanted to have fun with the title too so we settled on jumbling up the spellings,” says Niloufer Sagar, a producer at Cartel theatre company.
The play will be staged in Pune on February 16 as part of Pukaar 2014, an English theatre festival that kicks off on February 7.
Commedia Dell’ Arte is the most influential form of theatre, explains Sagar, and various forms of comedy, be it Shakespearean or modern sitcoms, are derived from it. The defining factors are that all characters are stereotypical such as greedy old men or separated lovers, they wear masks and the comedy is based on situations.
In an attempt to adapt the form of comedy and make it indigenous, Cartel has devised stereotypical characters that are commonly found in television serials, Indian cinema and in society at large.
It’s Not Waht You Tihnk! features a typical household. Chulbul Keswani is an old widower who lusts for his rather sexy maid. He has a son who keeps harassing him for money to go and settle in Italy and marry Italian actress Monica Bellucci, while his daughter refuses to marry a wealthy but aged suitor. Apart from this domestic plot, there are three Guy Ritchie-inspired robbers who are trying to rob a bank, and a corrupt, uneducated education minister. “The characters are inspired by a typical household, but are, of course, exaggerated. Small skits are loosely brought together to form the plot which develops around a classical music performance. Some characters reappear on the stage from scene to scene while some do not,” says Sagar, adding that the cast includes Deepal Doshi, Kathryn Doshi, Siddhant Karnick and Yuki Ellias.
The masks play an important role in the play. “Wearing masks is a regular exercise for theatre professionals. When you wear a mask, you get under the skin of the character and your body language changes accordingly,” says Sagar.
The group has used a wide variety of masks. While most have been brought from Indonesia, other pieces have been sourced from the US and some are even made by the actors themselves. “The play is entirely for entertainment. Though it refers to stereotypical examples from the Indian society, it is not seeking to make a comment,” says Sagar.
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