BENGALURU: I n times when love is just a right swipe away, how are parents of today adapting to this tinder generation?
Hasnain Shaikh attempts to answer this question and more in his play Cardamom, which is back at Jagriti after having played to four full houses.
“I graduated college in 2016 with this script. It is a pan-India relevant story,” says the 23-year-old.
Set against the backdrop of an Indian wedding, Cardamom showcases every bone rattling speed bump along the way in a comic set up. The writer describes it as a take on the peculiarities of Indian families, the plight of the tinder generation, and changing landscape of morality in India.
“It is definitely a comedy, but is also an introspection on love in the Indian context with the changing dynamics of modernity and traditionalism, while both trying to co-exist,” says Hasnain, who was born in Mumbai and resides in Bengaluru.
The play is about a couple who meet on the dating app Tinder and want to get married to each other. Soon, the two parents, who claim to be progressive get involved and things get a bit uneasy. “Both families think they are progressive, but intolerance becomes a part of their changing dynamics,” says Hasnain.
He adds that a lot of people on Tinder around the age of 25 to 30 years intend to find love and get married.
In the play, the bride’s family moves from Mumbai to come and live with the groom’s folks in Bengaluru and what unfolds is a series of situational comic scenarios. With one week to go for the wedding, the families soon discover that there exists convention in the act of being unconventional.
This is Hasnain Shaikh’s second play. In 2011, at the age of 17, He made his debut with his first play (Perspectives) both written and directed by him, which at the time graced him with the title of ‘Bangalore’s youngest playwright. Having completed his undergraduate education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Hasnain brought to the stage his second play Cardamom.
Watch Cardamom at Jagriti, Whitefield until March 26 at 8pm from Friday to Saturday and on 3pm and 6.30pm on Sunday.