Peep into a married couple’s bedroom

This evening, Prithvi Theatre hosts two Marathi plays by Asakta Kalamanch, that bring you dangerously close to the intimacy and conflict that rages in a couple's bedroom

This evening, Prithvi Theatre hosts two Marathi plays by Asakta Kalamanch, that bring you dangerously close to the intimacy and conflict that rages in a couple's bedroom

"After a performance of Matra Ratra (the Marathi translation of Legitimate Hooey), an English-speaking lady from the audience came up to me, hugged me and said she didn't understand the language but she connected with the play because she'd experienced what the characters had," said Sagar Deshmukh, lead actor of the award-winning adaptation of Bradley Hayward's Legitimate Hooey.

Both plays are "bedroom dramas", but Aanandbhog Mall explores how caste politics affects a couple, While Legitimate Hooey deals with the tension-ridden relationship between an urban couple. "Aanandbhog is about a Maratha man and Brahmin womanu00a0- how the caste and socio-cultural baggage affects their marriage.

It shows how the politics might begin in the bedroom but reflects the politics of the society," says playwright Ashutosh Potdar. The play was written three years ago when caste politics was at an all time high. "It
may not directly allude to incidents of caste politics but it gently nudges audiences into giving the issue a thought," says Potdar.

Legitimate Hooey, on the other hand, is an exploration of a very personal space shared by a married couple. The audience practically sits next to the couple's bed and the multimedia screen projecting the couple's actions on a giant backdrop, gives you a feeling of being privy to their bedroom secrets.

As 17 nights in Nilu and Anju's life unfold, the audience witnesses the freedom the couple experiences when they break free from their their annoying roommate and have a whole flat to themselves. Intense lovemaking, mushy exchanges gradually melt away into petty bickering. So, then is it just better to watch TV every evening instead of slipping into the tricky quicksand of love talk?

Aanandbhog Mall premieres on November 24, 9 pm at Prithvi Theatre, Janki Kutir, Juhu.
Call: 26149546.
Tickets: Rs 200
Catch Legitimate Hooey on November 25, 6.30 pm and 9 pm at the same venue.

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