Makarand Deshpande's autobiographical reality play

When it is Makarand Deshpande at the helm of things, you get a feeling that the ride will be worth it. You know that this definitely won’t be an easy on the mind, linear 'goody-goody' story. And when the man is just back after a stint in Rishikesh, you expect nothing short of a stunner.

The plot is reminiscent of Mak's life

Mak, as he is fondly called in the theatre fraternity, is already out with his new play. Titled ‘Miss Beautiful’, the play is going to be staged next at Prithvi Theatre on the 18th and 19th of April. That the subject is partly based on his own life, adds to the intrigue.

Essentially it is about a pair of ailing parents whose only wish is to see their son happily married. Eventually tired of the tirade, the son gets home Miss Beautiful The plot is reminiscent of Mak’s life, with his bachelor status and ailing parents.

The real appeal of the play is its treatment of the subject and execution. It is in the vein of a reality play, with a play in the play. Mak plays a scriptwriter who is working on the draft of his new play. The script he is working on is based on his own life and that of his parents. Things take a dramatic turn when he realizes that slowly, the script he is writing is affecting their life.

To make things even more bizarre, the scriptwriter, consumed by the guilt of not being able to fulfill his parents’ wish of seeing him married, gets home an unsuspecting actress, Miss Beautiful.

“The scriptwriter’s part was inspired by my elder brother” says Mak while the ailing parents in the play are also partly based on his own parents. According to him, the play, with its take on reality TV, also underlines the eventuality of death.

Divya Jagdale plays the ailing mother while Anana Sharma is Miss Beautiful, the protagonist. The play also stars Nagesh Bhosle, Ahlam Khan and Sanjay Dadich. Makarand is himself directing the script that he took 15 days to write.

The element of surprise though was the venue. It is common knowledge that Prithvi is Mak’s playground. Here Makarand enjoys a loyal following like no other. That being so, one can be forgiven for asking why in the world did the play open at Karnataka Sangh?

According to Makarand, it was a calculated risk. “Most plays open at Prithvi anyway”, says he, “and then they move on to other venues. We decided to do the opposite.”

On the 18th, the play will have found its way to Prithvi. And reactions can be gauged only then. Because all said and done, Prithvi does have its dedicated audience, and what’s more that includes most of the who-is-who of Mumbai theatre.

It will be an experience in itself to catch Mak back on stage after his hiatus. Priced at Rs 150 it won’t cost much to find out too.