Lovers of absurdity

Preparations were on inside the cosy little space which has already been aesthetically prepped up for the big show. “The lights are being set up, apart from that everything is pretty much set,” says Sanal Aman and introduces the stage on which his play will be showcased. The Lover a play by Harold Pinter penned in 1962 will be Sanal's first step towards a major theatre production of his own. The play is being produced under the banner of Forplay productions.

Sanal’s entry into theatre has been a set plan from his school days, he laughs and says,  “Yes, kind of, I was pretty sure this is my field. I have been acting on stage from school, by standard 10, I wrote and directed a play.” After graduating from the National School of Drama, he debuted on screen through Sajin Baabu’s Unto the Dusk. Sanal’s upcoming films include Veeram, a trilingual film based on Macbeth directed by ace director Jayaraj, and Eli Eli Lama Sabachthani?, a multilingual film directed by Jiju Antony.

Harold Pinter’s play usually supports both comic and serious interpretations. This holds true to The Lover as well. It has been staged successfully around the world as an ironic comedy as well as a serious psychological drama. Speaking on why Sanal chose this particular play as his debut production, he says, “This play is quite famous in the academic circle. That is how I came across it. During a workshop in NSD, I was given lines from this play. Once I read the lines, I wanted to read the play and when I read it, I thought I should bring it out on stage.”

He elaborates, “I am basically an actor, am not crafted as a director. This play has only two characters, so it makes it easy for me to develop the play along with the co-actor. But even though this play has seen many internationaladaptations in the past, I am not taking cues from them. I am not playing any character in it, what I am trying here is to approach it on a personal level. I have also asked Santhy Balachandran, the actor who plays the female protagonist, to emote from within and be herself.”  

The play features a married couple — Sarah and Richard. It opens with Richard casually enquiring about his wife's lover, and so begins a seductive game marked by wit, imagination, and intrigue. When the Forplay Productions released a trailer of the play, it was noticed for the onscreen chemistry of the actors who displayed realistic sensuality on screen. Quizzed about the body language the actors will engage on screen in comparison with the traditional theatricals Malayalis are used to watching, Sanal says, “I have been part of plays which has displayed physical proximity on stage, more than what is in this trailer. There is choreography in this play. I don't know if I am pushing any limits here.”

What makes the Forplay Productions stage all the more different from theatre experiences Keralites have been through before is the limited space which gives way to an intimate audience.

On the space which has been converted into the theatre, Sanal says, “We have rented this space. We are running this along with the studio underneath it. Initially, it was just the studio, but then when we started the production, we thought of putting this space to good use.”

Seljuk Rustum, who founded Forplay Productions along with Sanal, also happens to be the production designer of the play and talks about Forplay Productions, “The idea behind the creation of Forplay is to make space for bringing together artists and creative persons to explore and develop ideas and talents. Forplay Sessions focuses on bringing together musicians and bands, Forplay Workshops and Forplay Talks. The idea is to archive the artist who is talking and documenting it.”  To this, Sanal adds, “We are a small team and we are trying to create a hub for cultural events in the city.”

The play which is in English has already garnered the attention of industry biggies like Nivin Pauly and Lal are expected to attend the show. The Lover will be showcased from November 25-30 at 7.30 pm at Forplay in Panampilly Nagar.