Of the Devas and Gandharvas – A Review of “Oh My Sapien”
Not too long ago, I had the pleasure of watching our college, Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics’ multiple award-winning play “Oh my Sapien” at the Anna Bhau Sathe Auditorium. I was quite impressed and surprised with the auditorium, a functional AC and comfortable seating are not what you expect from the PMC.
The impressive set catches your eye right off the bat. A big white banner hanging off the ceiling spelling out ‘The Swarg Corp. at At the left corner of the stage stands a booth of musicians —The Gandharvas— lit up by flamboyant, pink neon light. At the centre, lies the wheel of vision which serves as both the timeline as well as sustenance of “Project Earth”.
The Swarg Corp is led by Harry (the visionary) played by Dhairyasheel Pawar, Bruh (creator) played by Sanjeet Ghatpande and Shakti (destroyer) played by Arundhati Agashe. The plot revolves around the disequilibria of “Project Earth” when humans start exploiting their resources beyond a sustainable limit. This results in diminishing of the wheel of vision, a cause of concern for the Swarg Corp.
The Swarg Corp abducts Avani played by Revati Deshpande, a person with an exceptionally high IQ and EQ, who the vision predicts will be the last person to remain on earth. The play is about how Avani and The Swarg Corp join forces and save ‘Project Earth’.
Oh My Sapien uses shadow play very creatively to describe many important scenes, which makes the scenes in the play even more powerful. The musical and dance pieces make the play lively and entertaining. What’s remarkable is that all the music featured in the play was performed live. It made the play a vibrant, cinematic experience. The play employs comedy and clever metaphors to talk about dismal issues like climate change, overpopulation, etc.
The play is very engaging and is sure to keep you entertained throughout its duration. As a testament to their efforts, the play won the second prize in the entire competition in addition to being awarded as the best debut team as well as the second prize for the shadow play. Arundhati Agashe won the third prize for the Best Director and Dhairyasheel Pawar, won the first prize in the Best Writer category, Revati Deshpande bagged the first prize as the Best Female Lead. I would like to congratulate the entire team of Firodiya on behalf of GIPE, for showcasing such a magnanimous performance and making the institution proud.
–Ishan Deodhar
FY .BSc.Economics