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Manav Kaul's play revisits simpler times
Summary
‘Pyaar Aadmi ko Kabootar Banaa Deta Hai’, a musical Hindi play, is a light-hearted tale set in a time when handwritten love letters exchanged handsSometime between 2002 and 2003, Manav Kaul penned a short story, Prem Kabootar. It later found its way into his second book of short stories, which was published in 2017 and took its title from the story itself. The actor-writer-theatre director had written the story with the intention of turning it into a play. And now, nearly two decades later, that plan has come to fruition. The stage adaptation, Pyaar Aadmi ko Kabootar Banaa Deta Hai, premiered at the Prithvi Theatre Festival in November, and is coming to Delhi in collaboration with Unmask Theatre Company.
With an ensemble cast, which includes Ajitesh Gupta, Ashish Mishra, Harshika Parmar, Jitendra Singh Rajput, Manasi Bhawalkar and Sonakshi Singh, the light-hearted play is a tale of three friends set in a time when love letters exchanged hands. “This world has always attracted me, the time when just looking at someone you like from a distance and exchanging smiles was the epitome of romance. That world seems to be slowly disappearing in the age of sliding into DMs on social media," says Kaul.
The protagonists of the play, Salim, Raju and Sunil, dwell on themes such as friendship, love and sacrifice in the most fun and comic ways. With his last play Traasadi (2024) being an intense and serious play about grief, contemplation and regret following the loss of a parent, in this one clearly Kaul is looking to have some fun on stage.
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Apart from being a comedy, the play is also a musical. From conversational tracks and classical songs to a typical love song, the actors on stage sing live in front of the audience. “Singing on stage is tough because there are no microphones. You have to reach out to the audience sitting at the back and not stray away from the sur," he says. The director collaborated with Mohit Agarwal, who has composed the music of the play. “When someone sings really well on stage, it just automatically creates magic. Even in my future work, I want to have live music," he adds.
Kaul, who is also an actor and author of several books, seems to have a renewed interest in directing plays. In 2014, he directed Colour Blind after which he took a long break in order to act, write and travel, only to return to direction with Tumhaare Baare Mein in 2023 followed by Traasadi and Pyaar Aadmi… in 2024.
“A friend opened a rehearsal space called Turtle Studio near my residence and invited me to use it as and when I wish to. I used to spend my evenings doing timepass with friends but with this space opening up, I started spending more time there and just exploring ideas. That is how these three plays came up," reveals Kaul.
The writer, who was recently on vacation in Paris, visited French philosopher and playwright Jean-Paul Sartre’s residence and the café where he used to sit and work. “When I visited these places, I was reminded of my own home and its proximity to the studio. I thought, this is how life should be. Here is my house and just nearby is this studio where I work. This is how it should be," says Kaul.
Pyaar Aadmi Ko Kabootar Banaa Deta Hai, 25 January , Shri Ram Centre, New Delhi, 5pm and 7.30pm.
Deepali Dhingra is a Delhi-based art and culture writer.
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