Fragile world of friendship

There are certain emotions and situations that youngsters tend to steer clear from —guilt and betrayal are two of them. They would rather choose to do something else than deal and cope with these emotions. Guilt which is a play by Dramanon, portray how its characters cope and deal with these two emotions. This experimental play will be be staged on June 15 at Jagriti Theatre.

A real life incident made its way into reel life with Guilt. “This play is a based on a small incident which happened to a friend. It talks about the bonds you share with a friend’s friend or relative. And how it impacts your life when those people break up. These are few questions that this play asks,” says director Swethanshu Bora. Guilt takes us through the story of Kishore, his brother Nithin and his fiancee Pooja. Pooja and Kishore develop a close bond with each other. But this bond is broken when Nithin dies and Pooja abandons Kishore. When asked why he wanted to portray the concept of guilt and betrayal, Swethanshu shares, “I wanted to explore the idea of what guilt is. The guilt of having done something wrong will always be there in our mind, not letting us move forward. Pooja’s character is in a dilemma of how to get rid of this guilt and go ahead.”

As youngsters, we don’t really want to face guilt or uncomfortable situations. “Youngsters tend to push their guilt under the carpet not wanting to deal with it. The younger generations can find new friends through many apps now. Its a fairly relatable play as it involves relationships that everyone has. These characters met through people and not through social media.  Therefore it will be a new concept for the younger generation to explore.” Swethanshu like to call this play a traditional one but done in a experimental way. It does not have a traditional set but rather a set that explores the psychological state of each of these characters.  

Surabhi Vasisht plays the character of Pooja in guilt. Talking about her character she says, “Pooja’s journey from the ages 21 to 29 is depicted here. Like any other Indian girl, she is educated but dreams of marrying the love of her life. The thing I like about Pooja is the bond she creates not just with Kishore but also the rest of Nithin’s family. She feels guilty about leaving Kishore when he needed her the most and hence she comes back.” The shy and introverted Kishore is played by Sumeet Borana who does acting full time now. “Pooja is not just Kishore’s sister-in-law. She takes on a very motherly role for him. He doesn’t have many friends  and that’s why he was affected the most when she left. For Kishore, she was the only person he could confide in.” he concludes