Looking for something?Maybe Not!:P

Continued from previous post:

Mohini had been his assistant for almost 2 years now. She was familiar with his ‘phases’. It always went the same way. Aakash sir would get an idea in his head and mull over it for weeks. What she didn’t get was why he didn’t like ‘normal’ people in his plays. She had asked him once-“Sir, why don’t you make a nice, filmy style love story. Why do all your characters have to be so complex?”Aakash had looked at her and smiled. She was so naive, it amused him. He said, “My child. It has always been my strategy to never give the people what they want. Our audience always expects a happy-ever-after. They’ve been accustomed to the same mushy crap for decades. I want to give them something new. Something fresh. Something which urges them to think.Otherwise, I’ll just be lost in the hoi-polloi of the theatre industry. You’re 24, educated and you’ve got a head on those shoulders. Surely you see what I’m talking about here?”

Mohini was looking at him with amusement. The old man had gone senile. Impractical to the core. Yet his philosophy was intriguing. She had always thought directors gave the people what they wanted. And here he was, challenging the accepted notions. She felt a certain respect for the way he loved his work and innovated and played with the audience’s mood swings. He was right as usual. The people would hate his bold views first but then they would come back for more.

She remembered what her mother had told her when she was ten. “Be the change you want to see in the world. The Mahatma said that. It’s something we should all try.”

She understood Sir now. So she said, “Well, in some very unusual way, you’re following the Mahatma’s advice. It’s kinda cool!”

The old man smiled again. He said-“And there you have it. Your generation in a nutshell. Saying the Mahatma’s name and trying to sound hip by shortening words. One confused lot I must say. ‘Kinda’..Hmm.You know you just gave me an idea. Scrap the Mandira thing. I’m going to make a play on the confused lot that is your generation-trying to ape the West and yet trying to retain your roots….”

"Wait.Dude,are you like drunk or something?"

"No.And I'm 50.Are you calling me a 'dude'.Interesting.Why don't you fill me in how you 'guys' talk these days?"

And he started rambling again. Mohini went back to her cabin thinking-“The dude is eccentric. Never gonna change is he? By breakfast tomorrow, he’ll be back with a new idea.”

Looking for something?

He thought he could never find the perfect fit for the role. No one really seemed to fit the bill. They were all 20 plus pass outs from the various renowned drama institutes over the country.Yes, most of them could act well.But no one seemed to have that air of nonchalance, that unassuming demeanor that he pictured the character,'Mandira' would possess.

“Is my vision of the character unrealistic? Does no one have that-what is it I want-damn even I can’t think of a word myself to describe the character! How, then can I explain to these actors? Well, we’ll see.”

He got up to address the gathering. “Ladies and Gentlemen, I understand you’ve all come to audition for the part of Mandira and Shoumitra respectively. My young assistant here must have briefed you about the characters you’ll be trying out for.However, before we move on to the second round, let me tell you a little more about the protagonist, Mandira.I want  you all to listen carefully.”

“Where do I begin? Mandira is an amalgamation of all the different women I’ve come across in my life….”

They all smiled and winked each other. “Of course. Had to be misconstrued yet again” He thought to himself. He cleared his throat and began again. “Please do not take this the wrong way. I meant she possesses different qualities-for instance my mother, my sister, my former boss, my college girlfriend-they were a huge part of my life and I’ve taken one quality from each of them and created something unique-Mandira.I find it hard to exactly explain what I’m looking for, but here are a few pointers-I want you to be the exact opposite of the girly stereotype. As in, the stereotype that society has of girls-the love of the color pink, the enthusiasm to shop, the whole susheel kanya thing? Do not want that in the character. Mandira is a tomboy-she hangs out with guys, is a little rebellious but knows her boundaries, very mature, unassuming, and has an air of nonchalance about her. She’s a photographer.Basically,I want to convey that women can be very diverse, and the women these days are not what they are shown like on those regressive saas-bahu sagas. This is purely a realistic portrayal of the modern Indian girl. So now I’d like you all to start with the auditions in five mins, after rehearsing the script.”

Phew.He breathed a sigh of relief. He hoped he’d been able to make people understand what he wanted.

To be continued……