09-05-2025
Gossip, dreams, and courtroom drama: Theatrenama brings small-town stories alive
Theatrenama Repertory, a Bengaluru-based theatre troupe, is set to present its new Hindi play, Deluxe Hair Cutting Salon, at Jagriti Theatre, Whitefield, on May 10 and May 11, at 3.30 p.m. and 7.30 p.m. on both days.
Written and directed by Sandeep Shikhar, the play, according to the synopsis by the team, is set in Advocate Mukherjee Street in a North Indian town and revolves around the hair-cutting saloon run by the protagonist, Bachchan. The street is full of lawyers, and in Bachchan's limited worldview, that is the most revered profession in the world.
Bachchan gets mixed up every day with somebody in the neighborhood, especially the owners of the next-door pathological lab and the motor garage. These daily run-ins result in the protagonist's dreaming of a courtroom drama every night involving the characters from the neighborhood, leading to exciting revelations about their lives. The play explores through its characters' lives as to how seemingly opposite behaviours, incidents, and actions could be two sides of the same coin, said the synopsis.
Speaking to The Hindu, the director said that the play was inspired by his own life, 'The inspiration for the play is Dhanbad, where I grew up, and a mining township in Jharkhand where I hail from. The characters and their back stories have been inspired by people I know, but I added a little twist of my own. Having grown up on a street named Gyan Mukharjee Road in Dhanbad, surrounded by lawyers, I spent my entire childhood seeing these characters. It left a huge impression on me. In small towns, a barber's shop still rules the roost as far as gossip is concerned because this is where you get to know what is going on in your neighbourhood. The play also juxtaposes the lives of these simple people with those who represent the so-called white collared jobs,' he said.
Sandeep said the play was written almost 14 years ago and he made changes over the years to suit the current context. 'When I direct my own play, I always assume as if I am directing some other playwright's play. While directing one must look at the play from many perspectives,' he said. Sandeep added that the play has a universal appeal and can be relatable for all kinds of audience, 'This play is not about very rich or poor people, it is not about from which background these characters belong, it is about simple people and their simple aspirations. Every character in this play has a problem which they deal with and get on with life along with sharing and enjoying life's little joys,' he explained. The director added that working with the actors of Theatrenama repertory for this production added to the quality of the play and made direction easier for him.
Deluxe Hair Cutting Salon is performed by Akash Dutta, Anas Syed, Yeeshu Prateek, Anubhav Chaturvedi, Aditya Mudgal, Bhavya Buwal, Puja Panicker, Priyanshu Kumar, Atul Rai and Pawan Gayakar. Priced at ₹400, tickets for the show are available on BookMyShow and the Jagriti Theatre box-office.
