Mom’s the Word | Lifestyle News, The Indian Express

Mom’s the Word | Lifestyle News, The Indian Express

Written by Parth Khatau |Published: January 11, 2019 12:11:17 am

Mom’s the Word

Gaa Re Maa celebrates differences between the old and the new, using music as a tool

While music plays an important part in the play, it is rooted in the storyline.

Danny Sura is the centre of attention in the room. He is rehearsing a rap while the rest of the cast of the play Gaa Re Maa munches on their samosas. The rap, a part of the play, is an apology by Sura’s character Dave to Ria, the girl he loves. However, while Ria sits across from him sipping on her coffee, actor Rituraj Shinde, who plays Prashant, breaks into an impromptu beatboxing performance, albeit a tad off the beat, causing everyone to laugh. In that moment, the chemistry between the cast of the play comes to the fore.

While music plays an important part in the play, it is rooted in the storyline and its characters. Gaa Re Maa tells the story of Dave and Prashant and their mothers, played by actor Suneeta Rao and Bharati Achrekar respectively. The play explores the relationship the boys, who aspire to be musicians, share with their mothers. “It is a story of four main characters, each of whom have their passions and unfulfilled dreams. When they cross paths, they find themselves in a predicament that enhances these differences,” says director Anahita Uberoi. The Hindi play premiered at the Prithvi Festival in November. It travelled to Kolkata and Delhi before returning to Mumbai this weekend.

Actor Aamir Khan’s niece Zayn Khan, is also in the play. The cast have had their fair share of on-stage goof-ups, too. Rao laughs recounting the time when she got dressed for the wrong scene. “I had plenty of time to change for a scene but waited until the last moment only to realise I was in the wrong costume,” she says, “Luckily, I am a quick dresser and I rushed back and changed into the correct one.” Achrekar says, “There was one scene where Rituraj accidentally fell off a flight of stairs but luckily the audience thought it was part of the script and we played along. There is a margin for error in theatre but it is all about how well your co-actors bail you out.”

Gaa Re Maa will be staged on January 12 and 13 at the Sohpia Bhabha Auditorium. Tickets on Bookmyshow