BMU Theatre

On 16th May, more than two hundred hearts sat in silence laced with eager excitement and tension as the emcees stepped in, welcoming, introducing and going through the inaugural norms. Section A1 was busy backstage, prepping to break this silence of anticipation with the act that would bring along patriotism in the form of covert operations. Urging the minds present in the auditorium to think about those unknown people who had done great deeds for the nation. Then came Section C1 who started off on a rather comic note, courtesy of Bhavik Popli, but the act was seen to take a serious turn later as it raised the sensitive issue of female foeticide, a practicee still prevalent in different regions of our diverse country. Next up was Section D1 and boy did they have us on our toes: the audience was gripped wondering how the world would shape next for the wife to whom it was revealed that her husband was homosexual. The performance by Ameya Karanjkar and Kaza Vijaya Sarmisthawas brilliant. But the directors of the play — at least to me — were cruel; to have left us wondering how exactly the murder proceeded. Section D2 brought along a different concept, a different angle to how Yamraj or ‘Yum’ as they would refer to it, would manage his duties with his amanuensis, Chitraguptji. Sniffles could be heard from random locations in the auditorium. What’s to blame for such a deed? Ankush Agrawat’s portrayal of the old man whose son wished him to die was a brilliant display of the evils resident within our country as well as those few who attempted to do their own bit. For those who didn’t think this was diverse enough already, Section B1 proved them wrong. They had us rolling on our seats throughout the play. It was plain simple, entertainment. There was the element of another ‘moral slogan’ on how superstition still existed in our societies that we deemed so advanced. Yet all of it was shadowed by the mismatch between the leads – Harshil and Nishitha. If all of that were not enough, Nishi Shree made sure that there sat no one with a straight face. And the chaotic events that led to Harshil being left unmarried rendered us breathless. We just couldn’t stop laughing enough to breathe. Section B2, however, took a rather different approach adopting features from a science fiction movie like Time Travel. The protagonist, Sohail would dedicate a decade of his life, trying to avenge his father’s death only to realise that he would be doing something very wrong if he saved him. The father was supplying warheads to terrorists who would let loose terror upon countries and the protagonist, despite having travelled back in time, had to shoot his own father to save thousands of lives. A quite common scenario that often took place in middle-class families when a child decided to pursue his study abroad was put on display by Section A2.Further, Devidas single-handedly lifting Gagan’s lithe frame was enough to have the crowd go berserk with cheers.. At the last, it was Section C2 who let us peek into an accused murderer’s life. Despite being innocent, he was sentenced to death. How our judicial system would not look further into any sort of evidence if enough of it was found to imply someone as guilty was explained beautifully. And then all came to an end and full 5 hours of entertainment was replaced with a similar anticipation that we experienced right at the beginning. It was time to declare results. Section B1 came out on top, followed by A1 and then A2. - Saurav Verma (BTech CSE - 1st Year)