This common man’s story will leave you thinking about your own mundane life...

Plot: Award-winning actor and playwright Manav Kaul’s debut play Shakkar Ke Paanch Dane, staged for the first time in 2004, is a story of a self-proclaimed simpleton, Rajkumar, who undervalues his life and thoughts. The “five grains of sugar” are the five people who made his otherwise unremarkable life in a nondescript village worth reminiscing. The story highlights the relationship he shares with the characters — his action-movies obsessed mother, poetic uncle, Pundalik, an elderly man called Radhe, his school hero, Raghu, and an unnamed ‘truckwala’ friend.how he discovers their importance when faced with a predicament, forms the crux of the play.
Review: The play begins with Rajkumar being in a dilemma — a problem that he is being dragged into by his poet uncle. With an aim to find a solution, Rajkumar involuntarily revisits the nuances of his relationships with the ‘five grains of sugar’ in his life, one after another, and gives shape to the plot. The way the script smoothly oscillates between the characters, introducing them to the audience, speaks volumes about Manav’s skills. It’s not easy to hold an audience for 80 minutes with a monologue. And director Saurabh Garhipurikar tried every trick in the book to achieve that feat in this Udaan Production. From thoughtful stage direction to the right play of light and sound, everything strived to ensure the audience’s focus doesn’t meander. Scenes where the protagonist talks about Pundalik’s poems, recalls the memories of his mother’s red ribbon and recollects his admiration for Raghu’s fashion choices, are all well sketched and managed to captivate the audience, taking them on a roller-coaster ride of emotions.
For an actor, it is relatively easy to bring out emotion as per the script. but to repeat it with the same intensity, impeccably, is a difficult task. But Siddhesh Dharmadhikari as Rajkumar did a neat job in this regard. His apt expressions, intonation, dialogue delivery not only helped establish Rajkumar’s outlook towards life, but also managed to etch every character in the minds of the audience —giving them shape, demeanour and persona. If Siddhesh failed anywhere, it’s in making the character his own, as Manav’s resilient script keeps taking over, making you forget that you are listening to the actor, and not the playwright.
Verdict: Shakkar Ke Paanch Dane is an uncomplicated personal journey of a village commoner without a distinct goal or direction. The protagonist embarks on the paths that lie ahead of him and in the process, gets to learn about himself. This being the ninth staging of the play, the rough edges in technicalities and acting have been polished off, but undoubtedly, the hero of the play is the captivating script that deserves a thumbs up.