Event Info
- Language: Hindi
- City / State: Pune, Maharashtra
- Directed By: Kshitish Date
- Produced By: Natak Company
Item
The underbelly of Hindi Cinema is its B Grade films which were popular before multiplexes. The play Item looks at the B- grade film world through the eyes of L. Rakesh originally a light man and now an assistant to B- Grade superstar Sapna.
Rakesh as a sensitive narrator introduces us to all the milestones of this B-grade film’s actress’ life while exposing the objectification of the female body, the male chauvinistic media that exploits a women’s image to sell its products and the toll it takes on Sapna, who is nothing more than an Item.
On Stage
- Sainath Ganuwad: L.Rakesh
- Dipti Kachare: Sapna Shetty
- Akshay Joshi: Manoj Bhai
- Siddharth Mahashabde: Tulsi
- Siddhesh Purkar: Prabhaas
- Ninad Gore: Chacha
- Ruchita Bhujbal: Anusha (Reporter)/ Dancer
- Chinmay Deo: Cameraman
- Yash Ruikar: Light Boy/ Dancer/ Struggling Actor
- Tushar Tengle: Light Boy/ Dancer
- Omkar Bhagade: Light Boy
- Nishchay Atal Ingole: Light Boy/ Dancer
- Akshay Khaire: Makeup man/ Light Boy/ Dancer
- Spruha Kulkarni: Dancer
- Bhargavi Sardesai: Dancer
- Kshitish Date: Director’s Voice
Off Stage
- Ravi Choudhary: Production Management
- Tejas Deodhar: Light Design
- Rohit Petkar, Abhilash Matre and Nishchay Atal: Stage Management
- Ashish Deshpande: Makeup
- Gandhaar Sangoram: Music and Sound
- Rashmi Dode: Costumes
- Siddhesh Purkar, Spruha Kulkarni: Costume Assistant
- Spruha Kulkarni, Bhargavi Sardesai: Dance Choreography
Media has altered our ideas of gender, sex and its power structure, while also setting unreal beauty standards for us to follow. For directing Item, I had to be the audience first and, then experience the ‘B Grade’ idea of Objectification and Customisation of women. Setting up a ‘studio floor’ in ‘theatre’ created a fluid narrative by shrinking space and time.
For me the ‘central character’ in the play was ‘the bed’. Around it revolves the camera, plots, stories, dilapidated lights, dirty props, polished chairs, men and women. All are Items.
Item has altered my idea of expression. Stress the undercurrents and fade out the ‘say out loud’ narrative.