"Tumhari Amrita"

Lights, Camera, Action….And then you would expect the characters infront of you will move around the stage performing an act. We had been to watch a play where there were lights and camera but the action was completely different. Just two tables, two chairs, two characters and lots of letters.


“Tumhari Amrita” is a 90 minutes play (act) about a rebellious girl called Amrita and a level-headed guy called Zulfi. Both the characters have been played by the veteran actors of Hindi theatre, Shabana Azmi and Farooq Sheikh. Amrita, is a daughter of a Diwan (post in British India) who seems to be born ahead of her times. The girl has an inclination towards arts and seems to be seeking for inner peace and happiness as she passes through turbulent times throughout her life. On the other hand, Zulfi is portrayed as a boy who is scared of his father and at the same time respects and loves him a lot. A person who is aware of his responsibilities and who knows what to do in life. Even he is shown making some compromises, some for his father, some for his family. There are parts when he acts selfish and he realizes only by the end of the play, the injustice or wrongs done by him towards Amrita.

Set in an era when internet was not present for communication purposes, it makes one wonder if internet has taken out the charm of waiting for someone’s letters. The whole play is in the form of recital of letters written by Amrita and Zulfi to each other throughout their lives. Skills of both the veterans are just unmatchable when they paint the characters just by reading out the letters. The voice modulations, tone, intonations are handled so beautifully that both the characters stay with you atleast for an hour after you are out of the auditorium!!!

It was such an out-of-the world experience that we started thinking if actors were really needed to fulfill a play. Do not miss a chance to catch a show if they visit your town anytime.