It’s All in the family

Despite the age difference between him and young playwright Adwait Dadarkar,54-year-old director Vijay Kenkre’s interpretation of the play is in line with what Dadarkar intended to portray. The ability to strike a chord with the young minds,says Kenkre,comes from his experience of working as a faculty of dramatics at University of Pune and Mumbai University. “I interact a lot with the students and try to understand their perspective on various issues,” says Kenkre,director of Marathi play Family Drama,which was staged in the city on September 6. The play has been nominated in Best Drama,Best Actor (female) and Best Director categories at Mhaiskar Marathi International Cinema and Theatre Awards (MICTA) 2013. The award will be declared at a ceremony in Macau from September 27 to 29. The other two plays nominated in the same categories include Proposal by Rajan Tamhane and Get Well Soon by Chandrakant Kulkarni.

Kenkre says the play is the story of a distorted family in modern times. “Each character is going through a difficult phase. Though the journey of this family may not be good,the end has a feel-good touch,” he says,adding that the play,which has had around 90 shows till date,does not come with a message and yet makes the audience introspect about the concept of family. “The topic may be serious but has been dealt with in a humorous and non-advocating manner,” says Kenkre. The play features actors Sukanya Kulkarni,Ajit Bhure,Adwait Dadarkar,Bhakti Desai and Nikhil Raut.

Among all the shows staged till now,Kenkre regards the show held in Boston this July as the best performance. “The audience could connect with the play instantly as the idea of a family is a rarity there; family members are disconnected and teenaged kids are left on their own. It was very well-received. If the play compels the audience to think and results in a dialogue between two generations of a family,then the efforts put in by the whole team haven’t gone in vain,” says Kenkre,who has plays such as Othello,Lagnabambal,Mitra,Midsummer Night’s Dream,Virasat (Hindi) and Funny Thing Called Love (English),to his credit.

Talking about his chances of winning the award,Kenkre says,“It’s difficult to say,since both the plays against which Family Drama is contending are equally good.”