Play Review – Aarohi Rating 4 Stars Kathak rhythms in an emotional landscape!

aryemansaysso September 9, 2019 Leave a Comment

By Aryeman

The play ‘Aarohi’ is a challenging effort to encompass an emotional tale with a twist, the brownie point here is that the storyline has Kathak as its backdrop.

What the play is about?

What makes the play a worthy must-watch?

There are some amazing Kathak dance performances, lilting numbers and of course note-worthy performances. The emotional quotient has been effectively touched upon without going overboard or making the story a clichéd one.

Direction Review:

The story, design and direction by Salim Akhtar is crisp and perfect. Elaborate effort and consideration has been taken on the costumes and the production values. The story flow is smooth and evolves with each scene.

Acting Review:

Gautam Rode is a treat to watch on stage. He competently manages the grey shades portrayal with equal ease. Surely, the role and his portrayal breaks the chocolate hero image he has on the small screen. Great job!

Kiran Bhargava’s persona adds the aura of being a seasoned actor. Her portrayal as the mature Aarohi is note-worthy. Her kathak performance and dancing eyes liven up the stage. Just perfect.

Ravi Jhankal, as Aarohi’s father is pitch-perfect. The variations to his character and immaculate performance are well-synchronised with his body language and effective dialogue delivery. The audiences actually empathised with the pathos of the character.

Dhaani Jhankal (daughter of proud father Ravi Jhankal) is the superstar of the show. Her Kathak performances are majestically rhythmic, the fast footwork and swift spins will surely enthral you. Dhaani performs accurately even in the emotional scenes. A Star is Born!!

A special mention to the choreographer for conjuring some beautiful dances which are mesmerizing.

What could have been better?

The scene transitions were jerky with the props being moved post each scene. Resorting to effective lighting techniques and usage of a systematic movement of the stage would create a flawless impact on the stage performance.