Miya Biwi ke Mantakaan, a short play put up by Udaan, translated from the Marathi by Saurabh Gharipurkar and directed by him, showed us this evening that

1) Rahul Reddy can act.
2) Varsha can match him expression for expression, and
3) That a woman must touch a man’s feet
only when he stands on his head.

Full house at Lamakaan. Two consecutive shows. Applause of a few minutes. The play was a hit. Why? How? These are things other theatre groups would do well to see, appreciate and understand.

The set was a study in simplicity. It had a bench to offset the Lamakaan Rock and that was it. No elaborate backgrounds, no paintings on the wall…

Just two actors. A very agile, nimble Rahul Reddy and a very versatile Varsha Kucchimanchi. And dialog written for delivery at supersonic pace.

There was hardly a plot. A typical husband – wife confrontation, with the proviso that no one was allowed to walk out. ..with double entendres and smart alecky lines in Hindi being delivered staccato by Reddy.

And today Rahul Reddy was at his bumbling best. And showing off a reverb act that I had never seen before.

He’d deliver a line and the expression, especially the gestures would follow. Almost in slow motion replay form.

Initially it looked retarded, but as I got used to it, I felt emphasis was coming through loud and clear. And he sustained the effect till the end.

Varsha played her childish bahu role to the hilt. And snapped out of it only when necessary. A wonderful pair, I hope other directors encash on their rapport and connect.

The audience was friendly. But their applause was overwhelming. And for once I thought the production deserved every bit of it. And more.