Have you ever asked yourself, “why me?” Found yourself sitting in a corner, looking at the stakes piled up against you and felt them to be un-navigable, just plain unfair? This solo performance, which premiered last year at BLR Habba returns with a sharp and humorous take on the power systems that influence who will succeed and who will not.
Written and performed by Abhay Mahajan, Asymptomatic is a production that tells the story of an artist hungry for success and rebuffed at every turn. “This artist repeatedly applies for grants and scholarships, only to be continuously rejected. The piece takes the form of an interview, while also reflecting the many internal voices that accompany him — voices of rejection, doubt and the pressure exerted by those in positions of power. Through others’ judgement, he is constantly questioning where he belongs and what his place is. The central question he poses is what are the symptoms of being a real artist? He comes to believe that he is, in fact, asymptomatic,” Abhay begins.
The muse of the production, albeit hilarious, became the logical reasoning behind this production that most unemployed youngsters in our country can relate to. “The funny thing is, I was actually asymptomatic when I had COVID-19. I kept waiting for something to happen — people were talking about headaches, loss of smell, loss of taste — yet nothing happened. I was working out, eating sweets, everything felt completely normal. When the isolation period ended, everyone else had stories and I had none. That feeling of waiting for a symptom is the analogy I draw on in the play,” he elucidates.
As an artiste or even people, we are conditioned to believe there is always a ‘true genius’ above us. So we often find ourselves questioning whether we are mediocre or genuinely good. It begins as an internal question, but it inevitably exists in a public space, because recognition, credibility and even financial support all come from outside.
“This piece has been devised in a very different way. I’m also a contemporary dancer, so the work includes three or four dance segments. Between these, I project advertisements I’ve acted in — like those for Big Bazaar — so the performance moves between fiction and reality. The character is also named Abhay Mahajan, yet I’m perfor ming as someone slightly apart from myself. The set consists of just one chair used in the interview. It also operates as a metaphor: the idea of the seat. There are several people, but only a limited number of seats or opportunities,” he summarises.
₹400. November 19, 7.30 pm. At Ranga Shankara, JP Nagar.
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