The power and panache of two
NANDINI NAIR
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The story of conjoined twins appeals in "Lali aur Lila".
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SPOT-ON A scene from "Lali aur Lila"
How do two actors emote on stage without reacting to each other? They do it by being stuck back-to-back. Lali and Lila of "Lali aur Lila" are a pair of conjoined twins with conjoined spines. The performance of lead actresses Irawati Karnik and Aarti Vivek was as convincing as the plot was implausible. The Hindi play, directed by Vipul Mehta, was recently brought to Delhi by Samagam and staged at Kamani auditorium.
The excellence of the play is that it is neither maudlin nor mocking. It takes the lives of these two sisters and makes the audience laugh and cry with them. The play is not just the story of Lila and Lali. It is the world of those with physical disabilities. It is their voice, asking not for sympathy but acceptance. It is a story of unconditional love and sacrifice within a family.
The difficult part
Karnik reveals that the most difficult part of the play was achieving coordination with her co-star. She also reveals, "Here I could not react to my co-star as I could never see her, as she was behind my back."
The audience could only marvel at the coordination and synchronisation between the twins. Their responses and actions were spot-on.
The first half of the play is a laugh riot. Lali and Lila fight about who is stuck to who. They say in good cheer, "When children are born, usually everyone else laughs and the children cry, but when we were born we laughed and everyone else cried!" They even take in their stride that most people on seeing them either get worried or scared or faint. Their lives are filled with filial affection and different interests.
The pitfall of constant humour is that the audience gets swept away in the lighter vein. On a radio show a caller calls in to ask the girls if they will act in a Fevicol advertisement. At this poignant moment sensitivity and not laughter was required. Lali, in an impassioned and powerful speech, tells the caller (and the audience), "We don't want to earn money by cashing in on our physical disabilities, we want to earn it through our abilities."
With the second act, fractures appear in their happiness. Their brother proves to be all too human. His transformation from a loving brother to a besotted lover is well acted but too dramatic. His complete commitment to his sisters transforms into selfish neglect. Amit, Lila's lover, endears himself to the audience and to Lila with the conviction of his love.
However, slowly the mutual sacrifices of the sisters take their toll. Their longing for independence and an identity forces a reckoning. The end of the play is powerful with emotions. Their decisions and the consequences of the surgery are enacted with intensity and honesty.
The play often uses stereotypes to create laughter. The dominatrix wife, the hen-pecked husband, the gay anchor and the clownish brother figure in it. But to the credit of each of the supporting actors, each character makes an impact and does not float by needlessly. The play should be brought again to Delhi for a complete ticketed performance.
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