Sherlocked on screen

Its a timeless classic and yet theres so much to look forward to every time it is adapted Written and published in 1901 Sir Arthur Conan Doyles The Hound of the Baskervilles remains one of the most popular Sherlock Holmes titles Over the decades it has made its way to cinema halls around the world TV screens and yes theatresThe cast includes Vivek Madan as Sherlock Holmes Arghya Lahiri as Dr Watson and Nadir Khan as Sir Charles BaskervilleCitybased veteran actor and theatre director Akash Khurana first brought a production of it adapted by Steven Canny and John Nicholson to the National Centre for the Performing Arts NCPA Jamshed Bhabha Theatre in 2015 It played to a full house then a phenomenon that might seem far from reality today But this week Khuranas Akvarious Productions is set to revive it online through Aadyams Digital EditionAkash KhuranaThe idea of the online launch came about in August and the play was prerecorded live in an empty auditorium with the necessary safety protocols in check Although the plot is in tune with the mystery Doyle has laid out Holmes and Dr Watson are invited to solve the case of the mysterious death of Sir Charles Baskerville who is believed to be killed by a hound the play is infused with humourKhurana shares that the new format and medium hasnt been intimating for the theatre company as Akvarious have been absorbed in the digital realm for a while since celebrating their 20th anniversary last year We had to have reduced physical rehearsals and most of the technical work happened online So how do you rehearse with actors That was the question Then we decided to plot all entry and exit points via storyboards and charts which led to an injoke among the cast and crew Youd hear them say Theres going to be a quiz tomorrow We barely had about seven to 10 days of rehearsals to factor in logistics Khurana saysStarring Vivek Madan as Sherlock Holmes Arghya Lahiri as Dr Watson and Nadir Khan as Sir Charles Baskerville the magnitude of the production Khurana says was huge He calls it an atmospheric play where the importance of light and sound is paramount Yet he adds Its essentially an actors piece the cast is top notch The audience just needs to come and chill The play is an institution in itself and the references are intact It is one thing for people to read the book and then come and watch the play but I think this does appeal to the younger generation who perhaps havent read it They might watch it and say This is good stuff and take to the book And overall we could all do with a bit of laughter right nowOn January 9 16 and 17 650 pmLog on to insiderinCost Rs 399 onwards