A kiss that made all go ‘aww’

Hyderabad: Staged by city-based theatre group Dramanon on Saturday, A Four Letter Word was a collection of four short plays with which the team tried to explore the domain of love, while wanting to make a difference.

One of the most appreciated plays, Getting It Back, was a poignant and intermittently funny skit about a confused lover turning up at the doorstep of his other half, “demanding his love back”. The skit ends on a happy note and the couple unite with a loving kiss. Only, this time, the lovers were both men, who were said to be in a relationship for 11 years.

Although, the original play by John Cariani was based on a man and woman, the group consciously decided to make themselves heard through their choice of characters. “We were making a statement about LGBT issues but in a simpler way; we kept it as causal as possible. Even the actors’ names weren’t changed to give the idea that a person from the audience could know someone in that position and that’s how it’s acceptable,” says director R.K. Shenoy.
Ganesh Nallari, who plays a lead character, adds that the beauty of the play was that nobody in the audience thought of it as “awkward”.

“It’s like any other relationship and nowhere do you feel that it is actually between two guys. There is also a part where one of the character’s is nudged by his mother, “So did you get him a ring?” which stands in good stead in the context that even parents are accepting such relationships these days,” he says.

The play, which ended with a hearty applause from the audience, only goes on to say how theatre can address issues and make a difference. Shenoy adds, “The whole point is that love, irrespective of how you look at it, is constant.”