The review in two words? …the two words are…..excellent production.

Now for some more words….

At Ranga Shankara, I was in the minority on two counts: one, I was probably the only one not to have seen this production earlier at Chowdiah Memorial Hall…and more importantly, I was, very probably, the only one not to have read the book, “Five Point Someone”, earlier.

I had missed out on reading this book earlier (a slight aversion to “IIT lit”!) and took a considered decision not to read the book before seeing the play, and I think it was a good decision for me. The plot, the characters, the denouement, were all fresh and new to me.

Whatever the genre of the play, Evam produces a well-wrapped package. Sunil Vishnu came up on stage and talked about the play, mentioning that Evam had been around for four years, 14 plays, and this was the 200th performance by them. He stressed that the 50th, 150th, and now the 200th performance were all at their favourite theatre space, Ranga Shankara.

This is actually the 18th show of “Five Point Someone”, which Nikhila Kesavan read and decided to make into a play after contacting the author, Chetan Bhagat, about it.

I do not think I really need to dwell on the plot; as I said, I must be the only person in Bangalore who has yet to read the book! But a cast that was remarkable in its effective mix of younger and older people took the story forward. The cast comprised:

Anshumani Rudra, Kedar,Praveen Bharadwaj, P C Ramakrishna, Sarvesh Sridhar,Shankar Sundaram, TT Srinath, Uttara Krishnadas, and Vidyuth S

Every one of the cast carried their role admirably; and the difficulties of having got into the most prestigious technological instituition in India, and yet finding that one is not amongst the creme de la creme, was put across very effectively. Touches of humour, the real-life situations that the youngsters face….the academic pressure, the discovery of the facts of life, and the way each person deals with them, all brought the stage alive.

The mobility of expressions on the youngsters’ faces were a treat to watch: the dialogue was word-perfect and the delivery very convincing. The cast held the audience in the palm of their hands.

Excellent lighting, sound and elegant stage settings (just a few properties changed the scene from the terrace of a building to the dorm room to the classroom) added a lot to the total effect.

The concept of having the “author” as a person separate from his identity as Hari, was a very innovative one, and very effective too. Very often, the “author” got more laughs as he commented wryly on the emotions of his alter ego!

Though there was no brochure given out, the Evam website about the show and the trailer about it were there for prospective theatregoers to see.

Evam’s practice of opening bookings on their website two weeks prior to the show is also something that other theatre groups can emulate. Certainly, the play and the production has ensured full houses for Evam.

It was great to see Evam in excellent form, and here’s wishing them success to follow success as they head for further landmark performances!

As Sunil said, one must veer off the beaten path if one has a dream; and in Evam’s case, Sunil and Karthik and their talented band have certainly proved that the path to success is open if you do so and work with a clear vision and a will to win through.