Fans of Hindi litterateur Dharamvir Bharti can now experience a version of the writer’s most-loved work Gunahon Ka Devta on stage. Theatre group Smokingod have put together Ice, Water, Vapour, a Hindi play inspired by Bharti’s seminal work.
“We show the protagonist Chander coming out of the book and asking the author several questions, including why he made him experience an unfulfilled love,” says the director of the play, Ravikanth.
But coming up with their own version of the classic was no easy feat, he adds. “Obviously, when the writer is of the calibre of Bharti, that fear is bound to be there. But our play is not an adaptation, it is an original play written by my friend Brajesh Kumar,” Ravikanth says.
Ice, Water, Vapour stars Avinash Tiwary, Minnakshi Das and Mohit Srivastava in the lead roles, but Ravikanth was originally meant to play the author’s role. “When Brajesh and I first conceived the idea, he was meant to direct and I was supposed to act in the play. But we were both so involved with other work that the project was delayed for nearly six months. But, now I am very satisfied with the outcome.”