Maya and Sameer, the lead characters of the play Good Vibes Only, run a sex toy business together. The two are not just business partners, but partners in life as well. How does their relationship affect their business? And how does their business affect their relationship? That is what writers Suneel Raghavendra and Sweta Daga are trying to answer through the play. The production explores heteronormative gender roles, patriarchy, capitalism and of course, the trials and tribulations of love. The play premieres at Alliance Française this weekend.
“Relationships are hard and yet most people aren’t deterred from trying and taking a chance at happiness and companionship. So too is enterprise, and yet, people haven’t stopped trying their luck with that either. Love and money seem to make the world spin. Patriarchy and capitalism however, take the fun out of both of them,” says Suneel, who is also the director of the play.
Two's company
The production is a social commentary on monogamous relationships. The couple is running a business that promises empowerment and sexual freedom. The duo has to deal with the bureaucracy of running a business in India, especially a sex toy business. And on top of that, their own relationship also starts to suffer. The narrative looks at what happens to the business and what happens to them. While the ins and outs of running a business and bureaucracy serve as the backdrop of the play, the heart of the story asks questions on the topics of sex positivity and feminism.
“The idea of the play and characters is very loosely based on two friends of mine who ran a sex toy company. It made us think of how gender dynamics play a role in even the most progressive couples.
Both Maya and Sameer, are progressive and want to be different from their parents’ generation. But at some point, the messages they receive from external sources — like the media or their families — impact their own relationship, sometimes without them even realising that it is happening. We watch their dynamic play out on stage — how they are trying to keep it together and what drives them,” Sweta explains further.
Set the stage
While Sweta is a journalist, Suneel is an independent filmmaker who has worked in the Kannada film industry. This is the first full length play by them. The duo always wanted to write something on these kinds of topics. “We had a bunch of stories in our minds, dealing with topics of sexual harassment or relationships. But this is a topic we wanted to write about. No matter how you are inside your home, when you step outside, you are a man and a woman, and society imposes its understandings and stereotypes on it. This is a subject matter that both of us felt very strongly about,” Suneel shares. He also explains that while writing, they tried to remain objective and hope the audience sees both characters’ points of view, as there are no heroes or villains in the story. Good Vibes Only stars actors Maahir Moiuddin, Nitesh Varma, Harini Sundararajan and Lavanya Krishna in lead roles.
Rs 200. August 20 - 21, 3.30 pm and 7 pm. At Alliance Francaise, Vasanth Nagar
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