Many hues of laughter
ROMESH CHANDER
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Rakesh Bedi comes out trumps in his solo performance in the play "Massage", playing as many as 24 different characters.
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In "Massage", most of the time we can anticipate the actor's next move.
ALL IN ONE Rakesh Bedi in a scene from "Massage".
One has heard of Rakesh Bedi as a well-known Hindi film comedian, and also as a solo stage performer of repute. But this critic had never seen his work till the other day, when Sayeed Alam, a well known playwright and impresario of Pierott's Troupe brought him to Delhi with Vijay Tendulkar's "Massage" presented as a solo performance. It was directed by Harbans Singh.
There had hardly been any publicity and one was pleasantly surprised to see a house full notice on the ticket window at Shri Ram Centre with the crowd spilling over to Safdar Hashmi Marg.
As the lights come on the stage we see a very simple set, just a chair, a box and a wooden block that can be used for different purposes and of course a lot of floor space.
The play has a host of characters. Rakesh Bedi's adaptation, as also Singh's production design that has only one actor playing more than 20 roles, was indeed a challenge well met. More so when the original play itself is rather weak but as Pratik Arts Theatre's presentation, it gets a new body and shape more acceptable than the original play.
Full of dreams
It is a story and experience of many a young man who come to a big city like Mumbai with eyes full of dreams and pockets that are empty. Kumar, as a protagonist, is one of them. He tells us of his experiences in Mumbai and how he was taken on as a fourth Assistant Director by Kohli, celebrated for his C-grade films. In two hours Bedi plays 24 different characters, sometimes playing three-four in the same scene, with excellent modulation and histrionic talent.
But by and large he plays mostly to the gallery, and his lines bring the house down. Bedi knows well the pulse of his audience.
No doubt "Massage" is a money-spinner, but to be ranked in the category of top one-actor shows, it needs more sophistication and variation.
As it stands, most of the time we can anticipate the actor's next move.
What is missing is the surprise element. But at the end Bedi delivers a masterstroke when our protagonist quits the films and joins a ladies' health club.
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Friday Review
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
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Thiruvananthapuram
