The external play staged by the IIM Calcutta Dramatics Cell on Saturday at Gyan Manch in Kolkata was an extremely successful attempt of showcasing talent other than business management by the students of Joka. 

Directed by Harsh Mishra, Mani Prakash and Rais Sheikh, ‘Naina’ is a sensitive play with a clear message. It looks at the shallowness of society whilst probing the question of gender discrimination. The main characters Naina and Chandan, are conjoined twins who were separated at birth and subsequently have only one leg each. The twins not only have to deal with a life that revolves around doctors, physiotherapists and hospitals but also have to constantly weather the ridicule of society.

The play shows that there is still a section of society that, whilst seeming pleasant to anyone that is different from them, can never really understand and accept what people are going through. Although the play explores the love of the parents who dote and care for their children, you get a feeling that there is still more to be unravelled. Why does the mother care so much for Naina, and not so much for ChandanWhy is the father, who at the outset is so loving, so mean and angry with the mother? Why, when we see the twins walking around trying to lead a normal life, is Doctor Iyer brought in to talk about the surgery that took place 20 years ago?

We see Naina go from the happy girl to a girl haunted by the fact that her own mother sabotaged her chances of having a normal life by opting to give the third shared leg to her brother, when it was abundantly clear that it was meant for her.  We see Bharti slowly digress towards a nervous breakdown as this secret bears down on her. We see Chandan struggling to accept reality and Patel who breaks down under the weight of the mistake his wife made so long ago.

While the script was extremely well crafted, what made everyone sit up and stay gripped for every second of the two hours was the performance delivered by each one of the outstanding actors on stage.  Monisha Rajaram did a brilliant job of portraying the extremely tumulus character of Bharti, the overbearing mother. There were scenes in which Bharti goes overboard with her love, and we see a maniacal streak in her. Portraying these scenes could not have been an easy task, but Monisha pulled them off brilliantly, making the audience gasp in their seats. Then we have the father, Mr. Patel (Aseem Nasnodkar). Patel is a hardworking, loving father. But he is strict, angry with life and particularly harsh on his wife. Aseem transitions from one role to another with utmost ease, making us feel his frustration. Ah and let’s not forget the brilliant Rupa (Komal Agarwal), the silly, bitchy 17 year old who manages to display the hypocrisy of society in her friendship with Naina.  Then we have Doctor Iyer (Nivetha Sundarapandian) who keeps the audience gripped with her narration of the story of the twins.  Enter Chandan, played by the lanky Phani Kishan. Chandan is a tough character to play, transitioning constantly from the past to the present and back, playing two different sets of emotions in a matter of minutes. Chandan, a devoted and protective brother and a concerned son and Dan, a budding writer. While Phani did an amazing job portraying his role as a brother and a son, he was absolutely enthralling as the writer who is struggling to write a play about his sister’s life! And lastly, Naina, Namrata Agarwal who had arguably one of the toughest roles, takes us through the ups and downs of her life, forcing us to think about how society reacts when someone is different, making us feel her pain, her joy and her suffering. Namrata did a fantastic job and she got an applause at the end of the play that resounded through the halls of Gyan Manch.

The brilliant acting was complemented with live music by Sachit Handa which further built the mood as the play progressed. The well-laid out sets by Ms Gitanjali Jolly, who pursues stage setups as a hobby, perfectly depicted the seedy suburban apartment of London, a upper middle-class home in Bombay and a street outside, all set in the 90s.

All this could not have come true without the constant support of the production heads Kanupriya Sharda and Zubin Ray and the brilliant transition of lights by Dhananjay Wanare .A special mention to the last year’s Dramcell members of IIM Calcutta for their generous contribution and encouragement that was vital in making Naina a success! Take a bow guys!

(This writer acknowledges the contribution of Kanupriya Sharda to this article.)

About Udit Sood

Udit Sood is a member of the Dramatics Cell, External Relations Cell, Quiz Club and Team Intaglio 2012 at IIM Calcutta. He also claims to be a “student” of the 2013 batch, though we haven’t seen him studying yet. He is also an ardent athlete and rubbishes the run of the mill “six pack” by sporting a healthy family pack.