Hyderabad: Siddhesh Dharmadikhari, a member of the city-based theatre group Udaan Performing Arts, played Rajkumar, the protagonist of the play. Siddhesh, who moved to the city barely a year back, had been an avid theatre person in his college days. “But for the last seven years I couldn’t do theatre because I had to travel constantly for my job. I shifted to Hyderabad around nine months back with a new job, which allows me to pursue my passion simultaneously,” he says.
The audience erupted in peals of laughter frequently during the staging of Shakkar Ke Paanch Dane (Five Grains of Sugar), a monologue written by Manav Kaul, which in its eighty minutes duration, points out that there is a story in all of us.
Before this performance, the longest monologue Siddhesh had acted in was barely 10 minutes long. And, hence, it was a truly nerve-wracking experience to agree to in the first place.
“To see just one person speaking for over an hour can become very monotonous. The performance had better be excellent. That’s why I have been practising continuously even after my office hours.”
Siddhesh also adds that it wouldn’t have been possible for him to essay the role, without the faith of his director, Saurabh Gharipurikar. He says, “It was Saurabh who decided on this script and was convinced that I could essay this role. The credit is his.”
