Renowned theatre-person Neelam Mansingh Chowdhry’s latest solo Trunk Tales is based on her observations and experiences in life

Mona

It started from a desire to do something on water, leading on to a quest for food, body and gender, and the politics behind it. Neelam Mansingh Chowdhry’s Trunk Tales is all this and more. In this solo, she collaborates with actor Vansh Bhardwaj once again. Four stories, done by the same actor, the theatre-thespian finds it her toughest outing till date.

There are imperatives of time that one can’t escape. Kabir, with his cinematic language and having grown up in an environment of theatre, has digitised it beautifully. It’s not just a two-dimensional recording

“It was very complex and to communicate it through the same actor, different characterisationhellip; It was like painting the soul,” says Neelam Mansingh, director of Trunk Tales. At 52 minutes, Trunk Tales is supported by a grant from Goethe-Institute and Ranga Shankara. “Theatre, unlike a book or say painting, requires a bigger budget; this production was possible only due to the grant,” avers Neelam.

The play was long in the making, but soon after conceiving it, Neelam got down with Covid-19; then Vansh was out for shooting, so not just the scheduling issues but the theme and putting it across has been a challenge. “It was one of the toughest content and to communicate it, create empathy, has been a task.”

Long association

Neelam Mansingh’s association with Vansh runs close to 20 years. He’s assisted her on some productions, acted in others. “I find in him a fine actor; intelligent, imaginative and someone who translates the instructions very well. Also, due to Covid, he was back in Chandigarh and that gave us another chance to work together.”

A line from a poem, a text from someone, a memory, observations from life, Neelam has put together Trunk Tales from her experiences. “How an idea germinates and a play takes shape is a very intangible, invisible process.”The title for it comes from her son Kabir Singh Chowdhry. “There are four trunks for props and I wanted to take a title from there; my son came up with the name,” avers Neelam. In fact, Kabir, who is a filmmaker, has also digitised the play. Moving online was a necessity for theatre folks, given the circumstances. “There are the imperatives of time that one can’t escape. Kabir, with his cinematic language and having grown up in an environment of theatre, has digitised it beautifully. It’s not just a two dimensional recording,” says Neelam.

Her next is going to be an elaborate production—Girish Karnad’s Hayavadana. “It’s going to be on a big scale, as many as 10 actors from across the country will be a part of it,” informs Neelam, who has been running The Company since 1983 and has productions like Kitchen Katha, Yerma, Nagmandla, Naked Voices and Black Box to her credit.

Meanwhile, Trunk Tales is on from May 4 ndash;May 10, at the Studio Theatre, house number 9, Sector 4, at 7pm. Entry fee is Rs 500, but for students whatever they can pay!