It was a pioneering and one-of-its-kind production from the
Department of English, Anna Adarsh College for Women, Anna Nagar, Chennai. Titled, 'SELFIE,' the play was directed by Mathivanan Rajendran & Nikhil Kedia.
The setting was perfect to a tee, at the Parmadevi
Goyal Auditorium, and there was pin-drop silence as the theatre-beings walked on
to the stage, with a chorus of HASHTAGS, beginning with, ‘THE SHOW STARTS NOW’
and a string of hashtag echoes to different tunes on stage.
Problems of all hues and colours beset a group of
college students even as they gear up to face a future filled with grave
uncertainties, turmoil, problems and challenges. But, the major problem with
them all is that, they were all worried that they weren’t that good enough! Not
that presentable type, which the world wants! Parallel screams on similar tunes
echo to a different beat all across the stage.
‘I doubt myself! I don’t look good. What will people
think of me’
‘I’m so conscious of my imperfections that I arrive
early and disappear into the background.’
The girls are a harried lot as a diet high on calories
makes them obese. The higher the cost, the higher the calories. So yes! Does
your cuppa cost you Rupees Thirty? Then you’ve got 300 calories for takes!
Mom says, “It’s what on the inside that matters! But
it’s actually ugly that comes from the inside. Beauty is from the outside. Yes,
it is!” screams a voice, disgruntled and perturbed with each passing day.
To another girl, it’s a different tune, when she says,
“I just don’t want to end up with the thoughts of ending up with nobody!”
To yet another girl, “As I see it, the word SeLFIE is
just two letters away from the word selfish!”
The extent to which the digital has swayed the
characters is shown through numerous examples. One such shot –
Is this seat taken?
Is this seat taken?
You… adiye you…
No! not at all!
Bespeaks to the linguistic crossfertilisation of the
theatrical enterprise which had rapturous applause to every vibrant tune of the
performers on stage!
A girl, who gets drunk along with her friends at a
party, forgetfully posts her pictures in an inebriated condition on social
media, and then regrets the same. She then ruminates,
‘Once you send something on social media, there’s no
possibility of taking it back!
You know what! How much I would love to bury my face
under a blanket!
Until one day we exist in the clouds… Hungry for
answers!
There are some excellent punchlines too, that got
elations from the literati –
Dying for your art is what makes an artist immortal…
Change is good. Let’s make change..!
Wiser punches with ethical touches were also palpable
all over the play -
Remember, I’ve got a plenty of friends.
Quality is not the same as quantity.
One girl laments to herself, “Another day gone!
Another day not to myself!”
I’m scared to take a chance!
Finally during the climax, the girls seem to realize that,
Suddenly, all of mom’s crazy actions now make sense!
They come to a reconciliatory stance that, “The only
person you can make out with is yourself… I don’t want parties anymore.. I know
I can’t change the things I have done, but I know that I can change the things I
am going to do, or at least I can try!”
I wish there was a measurement for self esteem! But I have
faith!
Maya no longer feels weird about being weird!
Diya felt that beauty had nothing to do with her
reflection! So she put away her mirror.!!!
Consequently, as they start clicking a positive picture
of themselves, over their final year, one click at a time, they come to a
self-awareness and a great sense of realization that, ‘life is not about what
other people see — it’s about the pictures they have of themselves!’ There lies
the difference.
Summing it all up, after the presentation of the cast
and the crew, the director said, “Although loosely based on Hayward’s Dramedy ‘Selfie,’
the play has taken for its action a lot of stories from all over the place and
put them all together. There’s a lot of live arts going on in the city. That’s
the way we can tell our stories to everybody else!” he concluded.
Congratulations to Dr. Archana Sardana, Head,
Department of English, Anna Adarsh College for Women, & her vibrant team, for having organized the
performance of a pioneering play, with elegance, style and charm! More than a
month’s patient practice, streamlined to perfection, has yielded phenomenal dividends, and with what remarkable finesse!!! The Sound & Lighting were awesome to the core! The organizers also deserve congratulations for
giving that inclusive touch & feel,
to the portrayal of characters, and not having typecasted their cast into
stereotyped roles. Indeed, the performative was laced with a judicious mix of
all characters of all shades, which made it exemplary and a trendsetter of sorts.
May their tribe increase!
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