BWW Previews: HELLO FARMAAISH -- A Tale Of Village Misfits Trying To Track Kalpana Chawla's Space Mission

The idea came up while Ellias was on a hunt for stories of strong female characters. A friend suggested she research community radio stations for inspiration. A biking trip with a large protective helmet sparked off thoughts of Astronauts in Space. Hello Farmaaish unfolds simultaneously with Kalpana Chawla's 2003 voyage on Space Shuttle Colombia. Minaz, a young, 'morbid' girl and General Gita, her older irate teacher in a remote village, find the cold reportage on Akashwani boring, and the Universe out of reach. So instead, they take over radio frequencies from Babloo, the local RJ. Thus begins the journey of shuffling between their lost hamlet and the unexplored night sky, as the trio find themselves in completely uncharted dimensions. Soon, the whole village turns towards space for answers and our RJs are left with facing the wacky questions. What manifests, is 'Hello Farmaaish'. The quest is also peppered with an original score and singing, and led by strong actors like Puja Sarup, Priyanka Setia, and Abhishek Chauhan.

While Ellias and Sapru themselves travelled deep into Haryana, researching community-run radio stations, the hamlet that we embark upon in the play is an imaginary one. It is a dreamy village set in what the locals call 'Kaala Parbhat'. Playwright Vidit Tripathi, whose play Lassanwaala was nominated for the Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards last year, has written the Hindi dialogues.

"One minute, you're hurled into outer space and the very next minute, you're hurled back into the small Haryanvi settlement." Yuki Ellias describes. She sums the play up as as a beautiful adventure. "Its' imagination meets science fiction meets realism meets everything else."

Sapru and Ellias have previously collaborated on the widely acclaimed solo play, Elephant In The Room, which received multiple META Awards and nominations, including the Best Female Actor Award and nominations for Best Script and Best Play.

"We definitely want to take the audience on a journey. A flight of imagination and hope, which is at the centre of human life", says Ellias.

Hello Farmaaish opens on 18th August at The Royal Opera House, which has became the latest venue addition to Aadyam this year.