Word Is Out

Publicity and endorsement are two highly effective ways to sell — anything from an idea to an event to a product. And now, even non-governmental organisations have picked up on the drift. They decided to sell their problems and solutions — over a day-long seminar — by inviting Bollywood faces. This is what the NGO, Save Our Children, did to promote the cause of preventing child trafficking. So Saturday saw Manisha Koirala, Jackie Shroff, Tabu, Madhoo, Poonam Dhillon and Kiran Juneja in attendance. A tea session was followed by registration (with free caps and tee shirts involved), a roving bus conference, lunch, a panel discussion, screening of documentaries and a closing ceremony accompanied by distribution of token gifts. An event which could have been over with lunch, started after liberal amounts of air kissing and a lavish meal. The roving bus conference — meant to sensitise people to red-light areas like Kamathipura and Shukla Street — only opened up the wounds of the victims travelling with them.The only part of the conference that evoked a strong emotional chord was the documentary Chameli by Nepali film-maker Ravi Baral. Everyone was visibly moved and there was no need to frame the emotion in words. But try telling Madhoo (of Roja fame) that. Choking up with (crocodile) tears, she said it was wrong of her to attend the function as a bored housewife as these days she has nothing to do. The next time, she prmosied, she would attend an event for the cause and not as a diversion. Too true!

Expensive treat

IT was a true battle of histrionics. Khel, the play which Mumbai’s theatre goers were waiting for, regaled a packed auditorium on Holi evening. In spite of the exorbitant ticket rates — from Rs 200 to a stageering Rs 700. Was it, one wondered, the price one had to pay to see Naseeruddin Shah and Paresh Rawal on stage? Not really. It seems that rates have risen dramatically over the last few years. In fact, last week itself, the man at the counter boastfully informed those who wanted to watch the play, that tickets below Rs 400 were sold out. We think that Rs 700 for a ticket is a trifle too much — the hike actually beats inflation but then we were in a complete minority. Mumbai’s wealthy, thirsting for a chance to watch two Bollywood stars battle it out on stage, paid the price for the show and an assorted variety of people queued up outside Rangsharda, in their Sunday best.

But at the end of the day, it was worth its weight in gold. Both the actors were quite impressive. Paresh Rawal’s controlled, yet highly eloquent comic renderings matched Naseeruddin Shah’s energy as the devious, wounded husband. Shah’s first performance after he walked out of Feroze Khan’s Mahatma v/s Gandhi reiterates his innate flair for powerful drama. However, technically the production was mediocre, filled with abrupt shifts in lighting. An elaborate, but not so detailed, set further deflated the strength of the show. Luckily, the acting overshadowed most flaws.

We have just one request: drop the rates of the tickets. Khel only has two shows in Mumbai before it tours the US for a long stint. Is the city going to be robbed of a chance to see fine theatre just because ticket prices are prohibitive?