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PHOTO: NAGARA GOPAL

TALE OF INFIDELITY `The Suit' was an intense depiction

I am no patriarch of the theatre aficionado, yet when the opportunity arrived at the MetroPlus Theatre Fest, I grabbed it, albeit as Noah, for the Scorcese’s and the Spielbergs had warned me, not to try to catch the deluge in a paper cup, for it was a crowded house inside Ravindra Bharthi, and there I was on the corner seat waiting to sail on. The Suit says it all, infidelity by a wife and the male egoism among us, the natives. One fine mornin g Bunty Walia, the male protagonist wakes up and makes toast to the beautiful night he left behind, with a hot cup of tea and the usual morning newspaper, as if Mina, his wife and the female protagonist, didn’t really fake it. That is because, the moment he left for his office, there she was with the Complete Man, the male infidel, wearing a suit.

On his way to the office with Papaji, Bunty was made aware of the suspicion, which he confirmed upon his chance arrival. The piousness of the bed romping session was ravaged by the Suit resting on the back of the dining chair, and so was the loving and caring Bunty. As a mark of penance, Bunty makes the Suit, a guest of his house, who divides the line between relationship and forgiveness – does not one complement the other. Instead, he substitutes that with continued repentance for Mina, who loved him, but was a victim of boredom. The suit was everywhere for her, the dinner, the after supper walk, and even the house party for instant gratification.

The play concludes with a heart wrenching end – Mina, with no choice, wears the mark of infidelity and makes the Suit her second skin; Bunty in his pulp fiction authoring of the inevitable collapses. The relationship dies a tragic death, the stage lights fade away into oblivion.

Depiction of an intense subject like this could have used a deeper baritone aided by the poetic weaving of words, so what if it was in Punjabi. Barring the mysticism of dialogue, or the absence of it, the performance was intense and so was the visual depiction of it. It leaves much for the afterthought, yes, I am still gazing the stars above.

ABHIJIT SAHAY

Kundanbagh

While the performance was well interwoven, the pace commendable, yet there remained pockets of dullness. This became obvious when there was constant dialogue rendering in Punjabi for more than a few minutes.

The interaction with the director, cast, crew is another commendable effort. I feel strongly however, that it takes away from the experience and internalisation of any or all aspects of the play and the performance. What is felt needs to be remembered more than what is discussed afterwards. What the director felt, and why they did what they did leads merely to an academic discussion, causing the play experience to be softened somewhat.

Rachna Gupta

Great show

The Suit was ‘dramatisation’ at its best. It took us to an entire house from bedroom to kitchen to bathroom to roof-top, and out onto the streets of a city and even to a bustling party with twenty guests with only two actors on view. Music soothed or thundered to enhance the effect, while lights heightened the emphasis, or demurred to down-play. A scene simultaneously showing the lady dressing up for her beau, while husband is taking a ride with his friend to office, to his shocked return midway to his house, gaining speed from a trot to a gallop, needed perfect timing of two artistes operating in two different spaces, all on one stage.

The story never made any pretense of giving a moral which somehow was expected by most of audience watching (as it emerged in questions raised by audience at the end of show). It just showed a young loving wife, and her aberration into another relation, the retribution coerced on by her loving husband and her realization of need to be herself in the end - all these were happenings of that particular couple, and we were not expected to be judges as to who was a saint and who was the satan. Great show, I enjoyed it.

Ashok Kumar Harkara C O O (Portal)

Brilliant portrayal

At its surface, The Suit depicts how adultery unravels a couple’s relationship. When Bunty discovers Mina’s infidelity, he holds onto the familiar: the food she cooked, symbol of her love. But he cannot digest the fact that he’s being cheated. So he, who made bed-tea for his wife, uses the suit of the ‘other man’ to torment her. Eventually, when Mina accepts the suit as a second skin, she renders Bunty powerless.

Bajinder as Bunty emblazons the stage: his dance elegant as a peacock, his embodiment of Bunty fragile as a human feeling. In the massage scene, he brilliantly portrays how Bunty is torn between the need to inflict pain and the pain this causes him.

The music and the lights transformed the stage into an intense alternate reality. The Suit casts its nets deep by illustrating how power plays a vital role in relationships.

Shastri Akella

Good acting needs no language

The Suit tells the tale of a young couple whose delicate marital tapestry comes apart when the husband finds his wife with her lover. The shocking revelation of his wife’s infidelity transforms the doting husband into a detached rather cruel man who takes pleasure in humiliating his wife. The Suit left behind by the lover continues to be a thorn in the relationship - Continuously pricking at the conscience of the young couple – a bitter reminder of an innocent love replaced by angst causing remorse and pain.

Though the dialogue was mostly in Punjabi, the brilliant portrayal of emotions by the actors proved that good acting needs no language. Raw emotions have a way of connecting with peoples hearts. What deserves a special mention though is the presence of live musicians whose distinct blend of folk and traditional compositions set a perfect rhythm for the entire play.

Sumitha Ayodhya

Actors steal the show

The Suit is a perfect representation of psychological abuse on a woman by her loving husband. Bunty and Minna are a couple living happily. One day Bunty discovers the love affair of her wife by the suit left behind by her lover in the house. Bunty insists Minna to keep the suit in the house and treat it like a guest. In the process of treating the guest Bunty emotionally abuses her by making sarcastic comments.

The psychological abuse experienced by Minna finally bursts out and ending their relationship. Bunty uses the suit as a tool for oppression.

The actors are superb. Bunty moves like a fish in water on the stage and steals the show and the looks of Minna are amazing. The Chest slapping scene (Bunty) and when both Bunty and Minna tie cloth to their eyes are mindblowing.

The colour of the lighting, the slim humour, emotional feelings and the oppression in The Suit make it a wonderful play.

Krishna Rao Pasupuleti,

Secunderabad

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