Theatre director Neel Chaudhuri’s Rihla gives voice to the disillusionment of the young | Lifestyle News, The Indian Express

Theatre director Neel Chaudhuri’s Rihla gives voice to the disillusionment of the young | Lifestyle News, The Indian Express

Written by Dipanita Nath |Updated: November 18, 2019 8:00:29 am

Theatre director Neel Chaudhuri’s Rihla gives voice to the disillusionment of the young

Wearing the roles of fictional youngsters in the play, the performers are making a journey to a new country where there will be a new identity, fresh values and a space to feel safe.

The reason the play is called Rihla is that it feeds off the ancient travel narratives of Ibn Battuta (Moroccan scholar and traveller) and others.

Early in the making of his new play, Rihla, theatre director Neel Chaudhuri had a question for his young cast. “What kind of country do you want to live in?” he asked. One of the actors replied, “I want a country with two moons. I don’t know why but I like the idea of two moons.” Another said, “I want less inequality and less harassment based on who you are.” Wearing the roles of fictional youngsters in the play, the performers are making a journey to a new country where there will be a new identity, fresh values and a space to feel safe. “They argue and fight, they mock and educate each other and they reveal their dreams, fears and secrets. Their quest to define a new world is a voyage into some great unknown, to a place they can only imagine and covering a distance they cannot fully conceive. It is also a leap of faith, for them and for us. At the very least, they will arrive to tell the tale,” says Chaudhuri. Excerpts from an interview: