Over the weekend, we sat down for an interview with someone who recalls their humble beginnings serving tea right out of school, and now can’t get enough of the spotlight. Though this character arc might seem vaguely familiar, we’re actually in conversation with Dhrreti Bhatt, a 22-year-old actor-director who breathes everything theatre. “I would often assist the likes of Hidayat Sami and Trishla Patel with backstage production, help the cast with tea during breaks, or sometimes, run errands. I was itching to be a part of a production as soon as I finished school,” she recalls.
If the title of her new production, Sissy, raises a few eyebrows, that’s because it wants to. Described as whimsical, absurd, and mind-bending, it has got the green light from theatremaker Akarsh Khurana. “I had heard of Dhrreti and her works in my circles, but somehow, never crossed paths with her. Earlier this year, I was recording my podcast for Aadyam Theatre, and Dhrreti happened to be in the research team,” he recalls the happenstance that brought them together. “I remember telling him, ‘Anything you’re working on for the stage, I would absolutely love to join,” Bhatt reveals.
After a few stints assisting Khurana, it was another familiar face, we learn, who finally got Sissy on the floors. Mutual friend and actor Puranjit Dasgupta aka Mantra, aka Genie from Disney India’s Broadway-style musical Aladdin, made Bhatt’s wish come true. “She thought it would be ‘awkward’ to pitch her own directorial to me. Mantra played wingman and brought it to me,” Khurana laughs. After a few revisions and edits, the theatremaker who calls himself a ‘reluctant actor’ in his introduction, will join Bhatt in staging the play in the city this week.
“I was honestly tired of talking to my therapist,” Bhatt reveals the inspiration behind writing the play, in a nutshell. “So, I put all my thoughts into this play that revolves around a 20-something year old experiencing sorrow, dealing with the absurdity of life, and questioning the reality of the universe. She talks about parallel universes, jokes about her grief, and questions existence. That’s where I find myself in life right now,” she admits. Sissy, which she reveals might be a nod to the famous Myth of Sisyphus, makes more sense now.
For Khurana, who has already wooed Gen Z audiences with web series like Tripling and Prajakta Koli-Rohit Saraf-starrer Mismatched, the play is his punt on a good cause: to bring the same audiences to a theatre play. “There was a time when theatre had a highbrow following that might have come off as standoffish to younger, first-time audiences. We’re constantly trying to break that mould and bring youth-centric shows to the fore. I want theatre to become an alternative to a night out in this city,” he shares.
The 22-year-old, who plans to take the production to cities like Pune and Kolkata next year, begs to differ. She remarks, “Gen Z is still reluctant to sit down and watch a play. I have many friends my age who only attend a play when they know someone in the cast, or identify with a character deeply.” Sisyphus will make for a great crowd-puller, we think.
ON October 14 and 15; 7.30 pm
AT AntiSocial, Mathuradas Mill Compound, Lower Parel; Harkat Studios, Bungalow 17, Aram Nagar Part 2, Versova.
LOG ON TO in.bookmyshow.com
ENTRY Rs 250 onwards
AI in the spotlight
If you thought the stage was safe from the AI takeover, Akarsh Khurana says: “We’re standing face to face with a dilemma where we don’t want to use AI, but the world seems to be embracing it as the norm. I am on the curatorial team for Aadyam Theatre, and I can attest that many of the pitches that we have received are definitively written by AI. Writers fail to understand that AI has its own voice, and it cannot be yours. It completely takes away the joy of writing. I have toyed with AI before to create promotional content and posters for my shows. But it will never take over my pen as a writer.”
