Akarsh Khurana’s ‘The F Word’ is a sensitive take on complicated family dynamics in an urban Indian set-up
Going purely by its title “The F Word”, I didn’t know what to expect of Aadyam Theatre Festival’s latest offering in English. At most, I pegged it as a play that would rest on racy humour and a fast-paced plot. Though certainly humorous, in reality, it was far removed from this initial assessment of mine. This ‘dramedy’ focuses on the interaction between members of a dysfunctional Indian family, who have for years chosen to sweep their issues under the carpet until they all bubble to the surface at once.
After a successful opening in Mumbai, the play was performed in Delhi’s LTG Auditorium over the weekend of 17-18 June. It was described as “A satirical take on the bittersweet dynamics of a dysfunctional family and their untold personal affairs and how they shape the identities of the family members.” The play is directed by Akarsh Khurana, producer-writer-actor-director and produced by his company Akvarious Productions. Aadyam Theatre Festival began in 2015 and has since entertained over 140,000 people across the country. Spanning a wide range of proscenium plays, black box productions, musicals, and shows in the digital medium during the pandemic, Aadyam finally returns to the live theatre format that is its most popular offering, after two years. The new season of Aadyam offers a mix of proscenium and experimental shows in different languages being performed in both Delhi and Mumbai.
It has been curated by renowned theatre personalities Kyla D’Souza, Purva Naresh, and Ira Dubey, and put together under the artistic direction of Shernaz Patel and Nadir Khan. The plays in this season’s roundup were selected from numerous proposals submitted by production houses across India. Brian Tellis, Aadyam Theatre’s Creative Director says, “Aadyam has, over the years, kept the legacy of theatre alive and abuzz, by providing a substantial canvas to theatrical artists. A canvas that allows their creative thoughts to be brought to life, tales that would otherwise remain unexplored. This is Aadyam’s sixth year, but its first post the pandemic. It almost seems like we are starting all over again. As artists and theatre aficionados, we feel more obliged than ever to give the audience a more stimulating and captivating live performance experience. We want them to have a completely new and never seen before theatrical experience.”
In “The F Word”, the “F” denotes “Family”. The play is a sensitive take on complicated family dynamics in an urban Indian set-up. Characters include Kamal, an irate father in his 70s played by Akash Khurana; Unnati, his psychologist daughter played by Malaika Choudhury; Chetan (Siddharth Kumar), his recently divorced schoolteacher son; and an absent bed-ridden mother who is nevertheless pivotal to the story. The fourth character in this ensemble cast is Farah played by Garima Yajnik. She is a young and spunky restaurant owner who is privy to the drama that unfolds as the family reconnects over lunch at her cafe.
Over the course of a little over an hour, the audience watches Chetan and Unnati’s interaction with their ageing father.
They meet each other after a significant period of time and a lot has changed in their lives. Yet they withhold plenty of important information for fear of negative reactions from their family. As with most families, however, information comes tumbling out one way or another to hilarious and sometimes very moving results.
The director of the play explains, “The play follows Chetan, a high school teacher, and his estranged sister, Unnati, a psychologist, in their quest to understand their parents’ tangled marriage. They unwittingly open a Pandora’s box of family secrets swept under the rug for years as they try to navigate a conversation which is long overdue. The story plays on the idea of how every family has skeletons hidden in their closet in a humorous way yet also unfolds into a moving and profound human exploration of love and loss.”
Akash Khurana as the ageing patriarch delivers a powerful performance that commands the stage. Choudhury and Kumar as his children support him ably, and Yajnik’s role, though minimal, is essential as the binder. The dialogues provide plenty of food for thought and make the play very relatable, especially for millennials. “If people didn’t have their parents to blame for everything wrong in their lives, therapists wouldn’t have a job,” declares the protagonist, hitting the nail on the head.
A multi-purpose set lays out the scenes well. There are many moments of laughter and in the end, one that moves the audience to tears. Overall, “The F Word” is taut, well-performed and provides an effective social commentary on modern families and will find many takers when it returns to Mumbai in the near future.
Noor Anand Chawla pens lifestyle articles for various publications and her blog www.nooranandchawla.com.