36, Defence Colony is not just an Address, It is also the Name of a Play which has now become Big Landmark in Indian Theater Scene.
Written, Directed and also Enacted by Manil Mayank Mishra. Manil is friend and I’m a Fan of His Poetry, his Voice Modulation Skills and Choice of words even when he speaks casually.
And when I got to know that he is the soul behind the Play, I promised myself not to miss it.
So, me And Gurleen Booked the Tickets and were at Akshara Theater well in time on 10th April 2015
As we slipped into small seats, “Heavy Weights” like me started complaining about the seat size, However that lasted for only a few minutes till the play started. Post that we got so engrossed in the play that nothing else than the play mattered or was even thought off.
We got gripped from the very First Scene where an alleged Criminal accepts his wrong doings to the last scene where the Murder Mystery of Mrs. Savitri Dewan gets solved.
In The Play Performances were Great, Storyline Gripping, Flow Flawless & all details very well taken care of.
For Example, Some scenes which were not very core to the story were added so that it looked real like. The relation of Sub Inspector B.P. Jhakkar talking to his wife about “Metthi ke Poranthe & Pudina Chutney” and in scene Social message of “No Smoking” was passed mentioning about a Colleague’s Death and all Police Stations observing No Smoking day.
Let us Talk about each Character separately.
• Criminal- Played by Joshua Chin: The Character with minimum Dialogues but made for it with his Super Aggressive Performance. Though his Handcuffs came out inadvertently but he ensured that not many people could see it.
• Sub Inspector B.P. Jhakkar– Played by Nitin Mandal: He kept us smiling ear to ear and also added many giggles to the Play. One of the Strong Characters of the play whose Innocence and charm added lots of weight to the Play. His Relation with his wife (Via Phone) was perfectly displayed, as of any other Couple. He reminds me of Raja Babu, Govinda.
• MP Singhania-Played by Milind Tyagi: Composed, Calm, Strong Voice, Grace is all what was required from the Character and it was delivered flawlessly by Milind. His Dialogue “Hawas aur Kushalta, do alag alag cheezein hai”
• Nishtha Dewan-Played by Radha Bhatt: Outstanding performance by all parameters. Her first scene was a real long one with some lengthy dialogues and many mood Swings including being Fearful, Sad, Strong and also lots of crying while remembering her mother. She pulled them awesomely. Even in the scene when she briefs her Husband about ACP’ visit is great as she acts as being on the verge of breakdown. That is exactly what was required knowing her Past and present State of mind.
• Mr Samrat Dewan- Played by Akhil Vaid: Strong Body language, Great Voice Modulation, Extreme Panic Swings and the scene where he mockingly pacifies his Wife Nishtha while feeling her back was very strong. Here also detailing was taken care as he calls his wife NISHI, which is a nick name for Nistha. Very Real life like.
• Malini Awasthi- Played by Inderpreet Kaur: A Lady who talks less, but her body language says everything. Very Strong Character. Have to mention special care has been taken care of what Costumes each actor would wear. And Malini looks very Real in her Journalistic Salwar Kameez with Loud Makeup and Accessories. One scene of hers that brings smiles is when she asks ACP to not Smoke in front of her as she is trying to quit smoking and may get tempted seeing him smoking . Eventually on her way out she takes out her Pack of MORE Cigarettes and puffs while she exits the stage.
• Maid- Played by Megha Ahuja: Her Rotating and revolving big Eyes did the magic for her in Initial scenes. And then also her Hands and shivering body in the last scene where she shares a First-Witness account with ACP. For Some actors Awesome is a Small word, She is one of them.
• ACP Prakash Ahalawat-Played by Manil Mayank Mishra: The Character on whom the entire play rests. Barely was there a scene where his presence on stage was not required. He added a style where the ACP keeps using his tongue over his lips. Again detailing wins here. A Strong Thinking Character who does not jumps to conclusions and looks everything from a 360 degree Perspective. Manil has very well casted himself for this role. One would appreciate that being a Director as well as the Lead character is a BIG RISK. And this Risk paid the Rewards.
One more reason for the success of the Play goes to awesome casting. Looked as if each character was written keeping that particular actor in mind.
I hope and wish that 36, Defence Colony is repeated on a regular basis so that it could reach to more and more people so that the Brilliance and Effort of the cast & Crew is optimized to the maximum.
Best Wishes to the TEAM. I’m a Fan for life.
