'Where There's A Will' premiere today in city

GUWAHATI, Sept 25: Mahesh Dattani’s ‘Where There’s A Will,’ will premiere in Guwahati on September 26 at 6:45 PM at Rabindra Bhawan.  

D’ Passion Collective production is designed and directed by Sattyakee D’com Bhuyan.

“What we do is only possible because of the passion and dedication of a group of loyal and generous friends who contribute towards our collective journey. The contributions account for almost one third of our budget and bridges the gap between our ‘Entry Cards’ — which are kept low to make  D’ Passion Collective plays  accessible to a wide audience (especially the youth)— and what it actually costs to produce the theatre  you love. Its only with your generous support can D’ Passion Collective continue to inspire artists and audiences. This play is set in the late 80’s when our country was mobile phone free, so kindly keep the ambience that way when you make it to the theatre,” shared the director of the play.

“I am thrilled that my play Where There’s a Will is being staged again in Guwahati under the direction of Sattyakee D’com Bhuyan. I am sure the play will be very successful under his meticulous and sensitive direction. Wishing D’com and his team (D’ Passion Collective) the very best!, messaged Dattani over an email to D’com and his team.  

As for the storyline, it’s a witty and enjoyable black comedy, Where There’s a Will was Mahesh Dattani’s first play. Following the death of business tycoon Hasmukh Mehta, his family is in for a rude shock: Hasmukh’s mischievous will stipulates that they will not inherit his wealth anytime soon and, worse, his mistress must come to stay with them. But while Hasmukh’s ghost gleefully watches the proceedings from the sidelines, little does he know that he is in for the biggest surprise of all. The stage production begins in a comforting whirlpool of quibbling and everyday grouses families deal with. It centers and settles quietly in to the theme of the play – as Kiran Jhaveri articulately puts it – “will we never be free of the scars our parents lay on us?”

Produced by Priya Communication and Geoshine Guwahati, Where there’s a Will has several interesting aspects. Mahesh Dattani described it as the exorcism of the patriarchal code. Women, be it daughter-in-law, wife or Mistress are dependent on men and this play shows what happens when they are pushed to the edge. Through a simple scheme of a Will, convoluted to say the least, the relationships between the four main protagonists of a joint family are painfully wrought. It is clear from the outset that the humour of the play is sheathed in black comedy and the overtones of Ibsenesque strangulation are the main tools of Dattani.

Starring DebaChoudhury as Hasmukh Mehta, Saquiba seeb as Sol Mehta, Dr. Chinmoy Chakravorty as Ajit Mehta, NeetaIi Das as Preeti Mehta and Rudrakshi Bhuyan as Kiran Jhaveri the play will run for two days at Rabindra Bhawan , Guwahati and is then scheduled to travel to various stations from November.

The music for the play will be rendered live by acclaimed flutist Dipak Sarma, the light scheme is designed by Pobitra Rabha and the sets are designed by Nooruddin Ahmed.