Venus Theatre Group’s ‘Ilhaam’ is inspired by Manav Kaul’s play by the same name

Witnessing live theatre is an activity that allows deep human connection. Hoping for that, Venus Theatre Group from Mumbai brings Ilhaam, a revelation about human nature that sheds light on the journey of a man towards enlightenment. As an adaptation of a timeless play Ilhaam by Manav Kaul, the group brings their unique vision to make it their own.

The story of a simple man, on a path towards the revelation of life and death, is steeped in contemplativeness, which makes the story not so simple anymore. As a production for a cancer fundraiser, director Hemendra Singh recalls the group’s motivation to bring this production. “People who go through certain issues like cancer feel close to what death can be, that they come to this realisation that nothing matters except how you want to live your life, which is also the message given in Ilhaam.”

While it is a production that will have you on the edge of your seat trying to figure out where and how the story goes, some elements are connected to the nostalgia of the younger days to keep the story relevant. The group made multiple changes to the original, such as changing the narrative structure of the play as well as letting the actors design their character arcs.

Lead actor Shaunak Date talks about this evolving presentation of the character throughout his acting run. The lead character is a simple man, but his way of expressing himself is surreal, which makes him not plain anymore. Shaunak says, “My character expresses himself like a child, so the way I act is reminiscent of a child.” Hemendra jokes that they had to tell Shaunak to snap out of the character because it brought too much contemplativeness to his real-life personality.

The show uses elements of lighting and music to add depth to the play and portray its surreal nature. The director says the group was excited to bring the show to Hyderabad as some members have a personal connection to it. As the group gears up to perform their version of the adaptation, all the collected funds are donated towards cancer treatment, making it a meaningful and entertaining event.

Tickets at INR 250 onwards.

 August 17, 7 pm.

At Rangbhoomi by SnehaArts, Sainikpuri.

August 18, 7.30 pm. At Bhaskara Auditorium: Birla Science Centre.

Story by Anshula Dhulekar