Theatre review: When the pursuit of greatness turns destructive | Delhi News

Vivek Mehra is an ambitious architect, blinded by his own passions and achievements. The scene opens in his office, where he is presumably having an affair with his trusted young secretary, Kavya. Vivek wants to keep both Kavya and her partner Aarav in his firm, not necessarily because they are his proteges or because he is emotionally attached to either of them. It is purely need-based; Aarav is a fine young designer and Vivek doesn’t want him to leave and start his own company.Sunil Kumar, who plays Vivek, largely succeeds in making the audience intrigued by his desires for fame and money, while dividing them over his obviously questionable choices. These include his decision to cheat on his depressed wife, who still seems to be mourning their shared burnt-down house, her twins and all her memories and expectations attached to that building. Vivek, like his wife, is also undergoing psychological treatment as he frequently refers to himself as a madman.Vivek Mehra is a liar, a cheat, a genius. He also happens to be a man who sexually abused a 12-year-old who returns a decade later seeking revenge. Kumar plays these layers convincingly enough. However, at times it does feel as though one is watching a well-made 1990s soap opera, rather than a rooted play about morality, ambitions and human greed.The play’s most compelling moments arrive when Vivek’s truth comes to the surface during a confrontation with Hina (ably played by actor Swati), the young woman who had been sexually abused by him. His admission that he knowingly allowed his home to burn down despite sensing that something was wrong, gives the story a much-needed jolt. It also exposes the disturbing lengths to which he has gone to preserve his image as a master builder.The loud, slightly melodramatic background music interferes with the momentum of the play. However, the buildup to the final sequence, as Vivek scales a new building despite his vertigo, to prove that he can rise above his fears, brings the play to a fitting conclusion.The production’s use of both the props and the stage to depict Vivek’s attempt to reach the top of the building, the chaos that suddenly surrounds him as people tried to dissuade him, and the moment when he falters and falls ties a neat ribbon around the narrative.— Anvita Singh

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