The magic of desire

we human beings are never happy with what we have got. I sought the

novelists permission and decided to stage a play based on it Manav Kaul,director

Human beings always strive to fulfill their desires. And though they might be able to satisfy their basic needs,they yearn to go that extra mile and,most often,resort to the wrong means to realise their dreams. This forms the crux of playwright-director Manav Kauls new play Laal Pencil.

Based on a Korean novel Red Pencil,Laal Pencil is a poignant tale of a girl with a secret. It revolves around a girl who wants to write a poem in a school competition as she wants to make her presence felt. One day she finds a red pencil on her desk and starts using it. Soon,she is able to write the poem and wins the competition. However,as she starts using the pencil,it begins to grow bigger. She tries to get rid of it but is unable to do so. Soon she starts questioning herself and her actions and eventually realises that she should tell the truth. The constant struggle between truth and falsehood,desires and righteousness,love and hate,and the pain of keeping a secret,lead up to the girls final decision.

Kaul reveals how he got the idea for the play. I had read the novel earlier this year. It dealt with how we human beings are never happy with what we have got and always crave for more. In order to achieve our goals,we resort to lies and become pretentious. I sought the novelists permission and decided to stage a play based on the story.

Rather than following the traditional method of first writing the story and then casting actors,Kaul started off by writing a synopsis. He then cast the actors and later developed the story through a series of rehearsals and workshops. All the cast members contributed in developing the story. I decided to have newcomers as I enjoy working with them. They are raw,energetic and lend vibrancy to the play.

Kaul started training the actors by asking them to write plays and short stories expressing their dreams,ambitions and fears. Those exercises helped the actors to open up as artistes. They were frutiful as the production has several sub-plots including the insecurities faced by human beings,how we educate ourselves to become winners rather than seeking true knowledge etc.

Kaul,who has directed several acclaimed plays like Park,Haath Ka Aaya Shunya,Peele Scooter Wala Aadmi and Mamtaz Bhai Patangwale,is known for infusing innovative elements in his works. For instance: In Mamtaz Bhai Patangwale,he had used shadow puppetry. In Laal Pencil too,he has infused shadow puppetry and even the cast has acted as human puppets. The idea was to show that in the quest to fulfil our desires,we often become puppets at the hand of circumstances. The play is high on emotions but rather than making it verbal,I have infused physical elements, signs off the director.

Laal Pencil premiered at Mumbais Prithvi Theatre on December 24.