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The production blends fantasy and reality and starts off with two out-ofwork Bhangwadi artistes selling incense sticks after the local theatre (where they used to perform) is demolished. One of them,Manilal (Chirag Vora),who has always played second fiddle to the female lead as a sakhi or a daasi,nurtures a dream to essay the role of the heroine. He meets Sumanlal (Utkarsh Mazumdar) and Vasantlal (Parag Jhaveri),two middle-aged bachelors who work as clerks and dream about a woman,Vanlata,in order to fulfill the absence of a partner in their lives. Manilal,who deems this as an opportunity to realise his dreams,enters Sumanlal’s fantasies as Vanlata. The duo gets married and also has a child in their imaginary world. Whether the dream turns into reality forms the rest of the plot.

“Master Phoolmani is partly inspired by the lives of legendary actors Bal Gandharva and Jai Shankar Sundari who essayed the role of women in early times. Jay Shankar,a Gujarati actor,looked so beautiful as a woman that he won the suffix Sundari. Women would emulate his style of dressing and walking,” says Mazumdar.

One of the major highlights of the interactive play is Mazumdar appeasing the audience by singing songs on their requests. He says,“There are 15 to 20 songs that have been especially written and composed for this production. If I sing all of them,then it will turn into a six-hour play. So I sing stanzas of a song. But over a period of time,they have become so popular that the audience now asks me for an encore. So I repeat the stanzas. Songs have an important role in the play as they are relevant to the mood and take the story forward.” But the makers have ensured that for each show,different stanzas are sung so there is some variety for viewers. Actors also repeat dialogues on the request of the audience. However,initially the artistes would never take requests to repeat the stanzas. But after a couple of shows,the same audiences would come back to watch it.They loved the songs and started making requests.

The 12-year-old production has also been staged at various spaces. Mazumdar says,“Since we use minimal sets,we can perform it anywhere. We have staged it in Mumbai’s Horniman Circle,Tata Theatre,Prithvi Theatre,major Indian and international festivals and also abroad in the basements of buildings,in gardens,courtyards etc.” According to the actor,the success of Master Phoolmani can be attributed to its simplicity,novelty and universal appeal. “It has something for everyone.While the older generation come in to reminisce the songs of the good old days,youngsters watch it to learn about the Bhangwadi culture.

Whenever we stage it at Prithvi Theatre,after the performance,we come out in the foyer and greet the audience. That way we get instant feedback.” When it was first staged,there were plans to have just a couple of shows. But the response was so overwhelming that it continues to be staged even today. In fact,on several occasions,the actors have won accolades. Mazumdar recounts,“Once when we were performing in the US,the audience actually came dressed as patrons of the 1930s. So while women wore silk saris,ambodas (buns) and gajras,men came in dhotis,pagdis and angarkhas. They would carry small velvet pouches and throw silver coins at us. Seeing such incidents,while performing I once improvised and told my co-star,“Let me collect the coins before they change their minds.”

For the 56-year-old actor,who has been a part of this production since the first show,Master Phoolmani has been a rewarding experience. “I can show my acting,singing and dancing skills and I also have a free hand at improvisation. What more can actor ask for?” signs off Mazumdar. Master Phoolmani was staged at Mumbai’s.