A Review by Kavita A Chhibber
It is almost 3 am Houston time and 4 am Boston time. And I am still thinking about the mesmerising two hours of sheer brilliance come alive on-stage tonight in Jaane Pehchaane Anjane.
The title gives us a glimpse into what we are about to watch. “Familiar strangers” is a loose translation.
Three generations – retired elders, middle aged people and the younger generation – are shown exploring and living through various relationships. They discoveri how little they really know the soul of their loved ones. Family, friends, acquaintances: all are jaane pehchaane (“well-known” or “familiar”), but anjane (“unknown” or “unrealized”) as life unfolds.
All of us have seen through the generations how interpretation of relationships, what we try to communicate, what commitments mean to us, constantly change.
The themes are so universal that they could have been representative of any ethnic group. The audience felt all the emotions of loneliness, longing, need for deep connections, the pain behind the humor, the idiosyncrasies.
Its not a play about “Oh times are different and there is a generation gap” in how people interpret relationships.
It is acknowledging the truth that language, courtship, social norms, traditions may change but the longing to be loved, understood, valued and nurtured never changes.
The writing, direction, acting were flawless.
Anupam Kher ji is in a league of his own. He is a magician, and casts a spell on the audience in a way that is hard to ignore. All of us were just blown away by the precision, and the various nuances he brought into both the roles he played in the production. We were laughing and crying along with him.
Live theater is a different beast. I believe that theater forces actors to continue to reinvent themselves, to stay sharp and to not get complacent about their craft because there are no retakes. On film the camera may never lie, but for actors on stage the truth is revealed with no edits or filters.
How powerful a performance was it? Anupam ji was playing two characters – that of the narrator and the lead. Both live on stage. Sharp as ever. And he can sing as well! The title track is sung by Anupam ji.
Adding music, songs and dances made me feel like I was at Broadway musical.
It was a very interesting choice. And a welcome one as additional voices of great singers like Sukhwinder Singh and Shaan added to the already rich content. The music was by the effervescent Anu Malik.
Swaroop Sampat is as lovely in real life, as she is incredible as an actor. I told her being a Hrishida fan, my favorite Swaroop Sampat film remains Naram Garam. She was a beautiful Miss India and she left a mark as an actor. Today she is a multifaceted educator working with specially abled children, and using art as a medium in diverse ways.
You would not believe she was making a return to theater after 25 years.
One could see the underlying comfort level between Anupam and Swaroop that comes from years of friendship So their chemistry really works. Her grace, elegance, emoting and the character she plays is a perfect foil for his.
There is no sidekick in the play. The smallest of appearances are so impactful that you forget some of the cameos were only a few scenes long. They added to and created a very rich tapestry of emotions and exploration of what loneliness and lack of support can do to someone and the solutions are also not universal.
Gajendra Ahire comes with great credentials and his pacing, switching between generations, created a confluence of humor and serious emotion I think is his forte.
Jaane Pehchaane Anjaane was thought provoking, provocative, poignant, funny, melodic,
There was flawless writing and direction by Gajendra Ahire and flawless performances by the actors, some playing multiple characters. Meghna Malik was brilliant as was every member of the ensemble cast, be it Vikas Rawat playing dual roles, Maya Sharma, Shraddha Mandale, and cast members doing short cameos, along with the dancers.
I watched the USA premiere in Houston and since it was the first show of the tour, so I can’t give too much away but the broader themes, particularly the exploration of relationships, the discovering and rediscovering of the complexities of life, particularly when one is forced to look deep within. These all resonated deeply with the audience.
They could not stop talking about the show during intermission and long after the play was over.
Houston you truly are a phenomenal audience. Anupam Kher put it aptly when he said that he hoped that as we become a part of the play observing relationships at play, we will discover an authentic part of ourselves. From the conversations that began during intermission and long after the play was done, the play certainly achieved that.
It is a MUST watch because you come away feeling like you could identify with the emotions, and we all became a part of a story that really is a fabric of our lives, woven in a myriad colors.
I really wish this play can be translated into English. It deserves to reach a much wider audience, beyond the Indian community!