BENGALURU: Times were uncertain during the lockdown amidst widespread fear and confusion. While many took solace on social media, there was a sense of loneliness that persisted despite the constant connection. Jhund by Chanakya Vyas is a dark comedy play about two strangers who find themselves in uncertain circumstances, unsure about how they landed in such situations.
Vyas created the play in 2021, so the reference was likely the pandemic but he believes the play is relatable even today. “It’s not about the lockdown; instead it’s about identity and freedom that people are fighting for. When we tried to shift the focus, it fit into the current social fabric of the country,” explains Vyas.
The play is inspired by two texts: a Polish play called Striptease, written by Slawomir Mrozek in the ’70s. The second, a Gujarati short story called The Crowd by Dhanashyam Desai, also written in the ’70s. Both are very different, but the common thread between them is ‘mob mentality’.
“Striptease is about two people, a businessman and an intellectual who are locked in a room. They go into the room, seeking safety but slowly realise that things are being taken away. I took the premise of the original play, but made it my own version,” says Vyas.