A multi-story murder mystery!

When a writer is brought in for interrogation regarding a series of brutal child murders that bear similarities to his stories, a whole new world is unleashed. The Pillowman, directed by Puneet Gupta and written by Irish playwright Martin McDonagh, takes place in a totalitarian state and promises to entertain the audience with it’s entwining plot twists, revelations and dark humour.

The play which is described as “a comedy so dark that the colour black seems pale,” and is set in an imaginary dictatorial society, revolves around detectives who are investigating gruesome child murders and are leaving no stone unturned, for getting a confession.

“I fell in love with the script after reading just three pages and couldn’t put it down until I was done reading it. And it’s not just me who thinks this way as the play has won multiple awards globally,” says Puneet Gupta, the director about why he picked The Pillowman.

“What appealed to me even more, is that it is a story of a storyteller who loves his work immensely. And as a playwright myself, I was captivated by how the writer’s story was woven into the script with elements of the real world intertwined with imagination and fantasy,” adds Puneet, who has previously directed three other plays and is the co-founder of the Mad Hats Theatre Group.

To portray the violent elements in the play, shadows will be used that are sure to leave the audience spellbound. About his conscious choice, Puneet adds, “We wanted to depict the violent scenes with subtlety and hence the use of shadows, which transports the audience into another imaginary world.”

The mystery, twists in the plot and outright humour, is what makes the play a dark comedy.“Playing this role has been the toughest so far,” says Varun Kainth, who is the protagonist. “Katurian as a character is very complicated and has a number of variations to himself. Depicting all the personalities in two hours is quite a task,” says the actor who has been a part of the theatre industry for around four years. How hard was it to get into character, we ask? Did he draw any parallels between the character he plays and himself?

“The only thing I related to was that he is a storyteller and loves his art and will tell his stories to anybody who will listen. I do the same. Thankfully, there are no other similarities,” he laughs. And what does he want the audience to watch out for? “The play is a visual treat because of the incorporation of shadows. The audience can also expect to laugh a lot, and then realise that they aren’t supposed to be laughing at what’s happening. But it’s inevitable. That’s the brilliance of a dark comedy,” says Varun closing off.

— The play will be staged at the Jagriti Theatre till November 27 at 8 pm from Tuesday to Saturday, and at 3.30 and 6.30 pm on Sunday.