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Catch Suburban Legends, a play that brings together five Bandra stories
Bandra plays muse to director Akash Khurana, as five residents share their stories for the stage
Known as the Queen of the Suburbs, Bandra is home to quaint bungalows and boasts of the best of pubs and eateries. Theatre director Akash Khurana, who grew up in the suburb, has fond memories of Bandra, a locality which he feels manages to be “stuck between the old and the new”. “Even though I live in Malad now, I retain an emotional bond with Bandra,” says Khurana.
The theatreperson turns Bandra into his muse for Suburban Legends, a play featuring a collection of five short pieces with Bandra as the common thematic link. It will now be staged at the Cuckoo Club as part of the Akvarious Fringe Festival.
Local flavour
Suburban Legends features stories that have been penned by prominent Bandraites, such as designer Ayaz Basrai and author Karishma Attari, revolving around their slice-of-life accounts.
“When I decided to direct this play, I wanted personal accounts. Apoorva (Kale; playwright) and Adhir (Bhat, actor) are friends who I approached, asking them to share their stories. Ayaz is a designer and I had to almost force him to write his piece as his story carried a sense of nostalgia. Karishma happens to be a friend of my wife’s and was approached to do a short piece as I love her writing,” says Khurana.
While playwright and copywriter Apoorva Kale’s piece is about a couple that’s reassessing its relationship at Bandstand, Bhat’s story is about a chance encounter between a film star, a budding actor and a drunk Christian beggar outside Yacht Bar.
Attari’s piece takes viewers through her experience in a convent school and its peculiarities, while Basrai’s tale delves on his interaction with an elderly gardener and how their relationship was affected due to Bandra’s development. Writer Clement DeSylva’s piece, which originally featured in his book — Bandra Buggers, talks about a support group for alcoholics and drug addicts at a church.
Since the focus of Suburban Legends is on the narrative, there is little use of props, aside from a chair and a bench. This minimalistic approach is to help “explore new places where theatre hasn’t happened before,” says Khurana.
Going ahead
Khurana admits that interactions with people at shows across suburbs has exposed him to a new world of stories. “Suburban Legends can grow to become a franchise. We plan to begin sourcing stories across different parts of the city. I’m especially keen on stories from the Byculla-Mazagaon belt,” he says.
Make a plan
Love, Bombs and Apples: Written by Hassan Abdulrazzak, this is a comic take on how three men from different parts of the world have their moment of revelation.
Date: February 20
Where: Cuckoo Club, Bandra (W)
When: 6pm onward
Hindi Medium: Covering myriad topics, ranging from cocaine to marriage, this play focusses on writing and performances in Hindi.
Date: February 21
Where: Cuckoo Club, Bandra (W)
When: 5pm onward
Don’t miss
What: Catch Suburban Legends at the Akvarious Fringe Festival on February 19
Where: Cuckoo Club, 5AA, Pali Hill Road, Bandra (W)
Call: 98209 98790
Tickets: bookmyshow.com
Price: Rs 250
When: 7.30pm
