Presenting two characters on stage, it touches on many topics, including the complex relationships of human life, dreams and aspirations, past and present, collectivity and loneliness, family and companionship, and asks the question - Are we really who we are? That is, are we in a collectivity or have we become individualistic?
What you should know
Laughing in an instant, crying in an instant! Sometimes calm, sometimes frustrated. Sometimes serious, sometimes exciting. A strange world instantly through easy dialogue!
The genre adopted by the play 'What? Us', staged at the Kaushi Theatre, is so abstract that the two characters on stage seem equally unimaginable and bizarre. This 'absurd' style play does not follow the traditional style of storytelling. However, by presenting two characters on stage, it touches upon many topics such as the complex relationships of human life, dreams and aspirations, past and present, collectivity and loneliness, family and companionship - are we really who we are? That is, are we in collectivity or have we become individualistic?
There are only two characters in this play, with very different characters. There is a character who is involved in a world of wrinkled clothes, dust and dirt - Asim (Vijay Tamrakar). The house he lives in seems to be half-destroyed. The chair is worn out. The table and floor are full of dust. Torn papers are scattered all over the floor. The sofa is also in a dilapidated state. The kitchen and utensils are dirty. One day, Aryan (Ilam Dixit) arrives in the life of Asim, who is accustomed to that dark world, carrying a lantern. He has returned with clean clothes, a suitcase in his hand, but a frustrated heart. Where? His own house! But, is that house Aryan's? What is that house for Asim, who has been taking care of his mother for years?
This play, which is about an hour long, explores the beautiful aspects of life and shows a chaotic life and a chaotic world. These topics are shown in the first scene of the play. Where these two characters meet each other for the first time after 15 years. This meeting of the two is very interesting and strange. Asim, who has painted hands, a calm nature, and dislikes noise, slowly tries to sneak out of the house. And Aryan, carrying a lantern, also observes the world inside. However, Aryan's welcome is not ordinary. Asim, who has a frightened face, does not trust Aryan at first. He cannot even recognize him. Aryan's presence brightens Asim's world for a few moments. However, the dark side that opens up after that keeps shocking both of them again and again.
To understand the relationship, meeting, and life of these two characters, you have to watch the play. Only then do you realize that the relationship is divided into many parts by Anshbanda! The hurt in the heart, and the greed for wealth. How many parts does Anshbanda divide the relationship? The play slowly leads to the collective and subjective world through such complex topics that seem simple at first glance. The pain of those who have emigrated is also included in the play. How far do relationships become when they are away from their own country? Will the money sent from abroad fill the void left by those who have emigrated? The fate of Nepalis who have to emigrate, their experiences and the lives they have lived, are introduced into the play through the character Aryan. He easily explains the intimacy between pizza and momo. His feelings towards his taste and culture. The
play not only breaks the traditional style of storytelling. It also breaks the invisible wall (fourth wall) created between the stage and the audience and satirizes the current society. Asim has been taking care of his 'brain-dead' mother due to fear of society. Aryan asks Asim, who has been taking care of her like this for years by suppressing his desires and aspirations, the reason behind all this. At that time, Asim says - I thought what would society say. And at that time, the scene where Aryan satirizes the society by saying 'society' and 'community' is very powerful. When Aryan uses the word 'society' in a satirical style, he draws a 't เ ' shape with his nose. Satirizing this society that calls a son who takes care of his family a 'wise man', Aryan says - You are a wise son!
The moment when these two characters remember their father is very funny. Whenever they remember their father, they imitate his voice and go back to their past. And while remembering that past, they remember the impact it had on the present. Aryan once pushed his father into a gutter when he returned home drunk. What happens then? The imitation done by these two while remembering their father with alcohol in their hands looks really beautiful and entertaining. The songs they sing together, their childhood memories, and the discussions they have about their relationships are equally interesting. In many places in the play, the audience laughs with these characters, and in some places they also become serious with them. Most of the time, these characters express the three types of consciousness (id, ego, superego) explained by psychologist Sigmund Freud on stage. This style of the play itself looks beautiful and new. The most beautiful aspect of the
play is the use of props and sets. Be it a shape like a tree standing as a symbol of the mother or the use of lighting on it. A door with a collapsed wall, a broken TV, a table, a sofa, and a chair create a magnificent world on stage. The stage presents a wonderful story through strange characters. On top of that, the incredible actor Vijay Anand Tamrakar acts as if he is expressing the mood inside the character. That also makes these characters seem alive on stage. Vijay has brought the character's mood to life through his speech and expression. Ilam also captures the haste, confusion, and confusion of Aryan's character. This play, prepared in the joint conception and presentation of Ilam and Vijay, is made stronger by the acting of both of them.
