Fighting the shadows of the mind

The Hindu

7 days ago

Ratan Thakore Grant's Studio for Acting and MISF!T (My Interest Stays Firmly in Theatre) presents Blindspot in Bengaluru. MISF!T, has staged plays including Connectologues V3.0 and Trident!ty.
Blindspot is an original piece, says writer-director Venkatesan, who has collaborated with creative consultant Vishal Nayer on the play. 'The story revolves around Dr. Anika Sharma, a renowned psychiatrist who has perfected memory-reconstruction therapy,' says Venkatesan.
'She returns to her ancestral home to take over a lab as the new managing director. The lab is founded by her father Dr. Jayanth and his friend Vikram. Anika discovers days in her past that she cannot remember due to a childhood incident.'
Another character, Karan, jogs Anika's memory, Venkatesan says. 'She uncovers her company's identity and a gruesome incident dating back 15 years.'
Memory reconstruction, Venkatesan explains, is an extension of hypnotherapy. 'The play is not science fiction but rather about a scientific concept that exists today. We have taken certain creative liberties with the story of the journey of characters.'
The play follows a non-linear format, Venkatesan says, as the protagonist navigates a web of lies and deception spun by those close to her. 'We always make it a point to stage a play in May in memory of our founder-teacher, Ratan Thakore, who we lost on May 8.'
The inspiration for the protagonist, Venkatesan says was from close to home. 'My mother, Pattammal, is a strong woman and has been my hero. She is the inspiration for the protagonist's life and strength on stage. I lost my father when I was very young and my mother worked as a teacher.'
Pattammal won the National Award in the Best Teacher category and received the award from the late President Dr. Abdul Kalam, Venkatesan says. 'Writing about a female protagonist was not difficult at all.'
The play uses a few cinematic elements, says Venkatesan. 'The stage is split into parts where the stories and the different time zones come alive. We have quite a bit of musical elements as well.'
The 90-minute multilingual play will be staged at Medai, Koramangala on May 31, at 7.30 pm and on June 1 at 3.30 p.m. and 7.30 p.m. Tickets available on BookMyShow.