9 Jakhoo Hill-Play Review

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Play: 9 Jakhoo Hill
Troupe: Playpen Theatre Group
Writer: Gurucharan Das
Direction: Ashish Sen

Another piece picked up from the draft and it brought back memories of this play, which we enjoyed the most. "9 Jakhoo Hill" was written by Gurucharan Das; designed and directed by Ashish Sen; and performed by Playpen theatre group.

Synopsis: 9 Jakhoo Hill is set in the Shimla of 1962. It explores a number of themes which continue to have as much relevance today as they did in the sixties: changing values; conflicts between old and new; family relationships and attendant tensions that come to the surface when skeletons in cupboards begin to tumble out....

As love, laughter, loneliness, betrayal confront each other in this powerful drama, a moment of truth compels each character to reckon with her/his personal demons and transforms their lives irrevocably.

WeReflect: It is a story of two neighbors who migrated from Lahore during partition. Amrita, an aristocrat widow lives in Jakhoo Hill, Shimla with daughter Ansuya and younger brother Karan Chand. She is a socialite, mostly stuck in the past, is unable to manage her finances and in huge debt, on the verge of losing their ancestral house. Amritha invites her friend and neighbor in the past, Chitra (the one from Lahore) and her son, Deepak to celebrate Diwali with them. Ansuya and Deepak exchange letters often; theirs is a childhood love. Karan Chand/Mamu nurtures incestuous feelings towards his niece and loaths Deepak. The company Deepak works for wants to expand their business in Kolkatta and certain Rai Saheb is the key to help. Rai Saheb is a bureaucrat who works for the government of India and Amrita's close friend. The story sets in the midst of Indo-China war. Love blossoms between Deepak and Ansuya. However, Chitra, Deepak's manipulative and overbearing mother is against it solely based on Ansuya's current financial status. They all play the game of "Truth or Dare" that unravels truth in a nasty way. 

The story was written in 1962, holds good even after five decades. All the characters are very much natural. The acting part was top notch. They will have you in splits throughout. The end conversation between Amrita and Ansuya had us shed a drop or two tears. Surprisingly all the actors looked familiar. Is it the illusion created by mind when you gets connected to the character?