Manav Kaul knows enough about displacement. Born in Kashmir and having lived in Madhya Pradesh, the Hindi play Ilhaam he authored is an interrogation of alienation. Intriguing questions are raised along the inward journey of a middle-class man coping with self-alienation. Even though the play is relatively new, Kaul has made it open source for theatre groups across the country who can adapt and stage their own versions. The original act staged and directed by him featured Kumud Mishra as the lead actor.
However, the Delhi-based theatre group Mukhavaran’s adaptation, directed by Sahil Ahuja, has a completely new cast. “The play is about a man who figures out the meaning or its worthlessness, depending on how you see it. Manav Kaul has beautifully tried to imagine what it would be like to connect with the almighty at a personal level,” says Ahuja. With a tight script and insightful lined, the play brings to the fore the deep-rooted insecurities of humanity.
Ilhaam is an exposition of the tussle between myth and reality, order and chaos, the said and the unsaid. Ahuja explains, “The plot deals with the life of a middle-class family in North India. The protagonist, Bhagwan, is a married middle-aged banker with two college-going children. One day while sitting on a park bench he stumbles upon enlightenment or ‘ilhaam’.
Things fall apart as he loses his job. He disappears for weeks. When he is finally found, family and friends cannot understand a word that he speaks. However, he is able to understand birds and a mute beggar. He also talks to an elderly gentleman (Chacha Chaudhury) who is visible to no one else. Bhagwan’s journey is enthralling and bewildering as it gets entwined with eerie incidents.”
Ahuja says the play is not for everyone. “Many viewers walk out disappointed. But Ilhaam has not been written for the masses. It is meant for an intellectual audience which wishes to ponder the multiple realities of life. Entry is free so that anyone can watch the play. This way it becomes more accessible,” says the theatre director.
Ahuja also explains that Ilhaam is interpreted differently by people who read or watch it. “I see it as a work that symbolises the travails of being different, not confirming to society, finally achieving enlightenment that one can only hope, pray and beg for,” says Ahuja, adding, “One of the most poignant moments in Ilhaam is when the protagonist loses his ability to communicate with the outside world.
Bhagwan’s agony is beyond words. The dance scene stands out as a high point in the performance. Does Bhagwan acquiesce to the fierce storm which living a normal life unleashes? Will he go mad, or will he attain the enlightenment that has for long been eluding him? “These are questions which everybody will have to interpret by themselves by watching Ilhaam,” says Ahuja.