Review: SHEKHAR SUMAN AND DEEPTI NAVAL Light Up The Stage With Ek Mulaqaat

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When you know that you will be watching veterans such as Deepti Naval and Shekhar Suman on stage, you already have your expectations scaling. And post show if you state the fact that the duo did manage to create a spell-binding magic, you would be only stating the obvious.

This has been the response that Shekhar Suman and Deepti Naval's new play Ek Mulaqaat has been garnering amongst the theatre lovers in the country.

But do not mistake Ek Mulaqaat to be an ordinary story brought alive by two power-performers. The play is based on the unfulfilled romance of celebrated lyricist Sahir Ludhianvi and noted writer and poet Amrita Pritam.

The stage presentation is a unique showing of a tender love between two people told in a musical format. It won't be an exaggeration to say that the audience must approach the play with a lot of heart. The stage opens with Amrita played by Deepti Naval sitting on a terrace on a cold night, when she receives an unexpected call from Bombay. There is a bit lovers' dilemma there, as she know no one in Bombay but only the man she loved -- Sahir played by Shekhar Suman. And then, the unthinkable happens, suddenly Sahir appears in front of her. The two indulge in lovers' banter, interspersed with shayari, poems and this leads the audiences to the tender story between the two of them. The story does not move in sequences or plots, but is led through powerful dialogues, shayaris and a deeply philosophical play of words.

Director Saif Hyder Hasan leads the audiences into an almost romantically tragic world of Sahir an Amrita. The dialogues lead to conjectures, the songs tell the stories and the sequences spell bind. Songs such as Abhi Na Jao Chodhkar, Kabhi Kabhi Mere Dil Mein Khyal Aata Hai, come as pleasant surprises. Actors Deepti Naval and Shekhar Suman remain the heart and soul of the performance. Their emotions, dialogues, exchange of glances everything contributes towards their wonderful journey.

It is not very often that a tale on the stage warms your hearts. Go watch it, it will be one of the best things you would do this year.

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