Play review: Me, Kash and Cruise (8/10)

Me, Kash and Cruise is a saga of three friends, in the back-drop of the city of Mumbai and its ephemeral social, political and civic scenario. Pooja Thomas (Me), Rajesh Kashyap (Kash) and Cruise Khan (Cruise) begin their journey in 1984, in the field of theatre and witness the ups and downs of the city from the 1992 riots and corrupt civil officers to the marketing gimmicks and bollywood gaga.

The USP of the play is the characterization- and that’s where Director Rahul Da Cunha is a sheer genius. The play probes into various perspectives on the city of Bombay. Cruise, a Delhi-ite who has come to the city in hope of making it big in the acting business faces the struggles associated with the city, from the pains of traveling in local trains to the misery of having to sustain the high cost of living. In contrast, Kash who belongs to a rich south Bombay family is the kind who romanticizes with Greek philosophical plays and looks for social meaning and relevance in theatre. He is not on stage to make money or sustain a living; he looks for complex characters, deeper meanings and cannot care less about audience appreciation. The usage of a Muslim (Cruise Khan), a Hindu (Kashyap) and a Christian (Pooja Thomas) character each is a sheer stroke of brilliance. The subtleties in their mannerisms the “che man, wat men” for the Christian, the Muslim using the word “begum” and the Hindu describing his religion as “moderate” are just some of the nuances Rahul da Cunha has managed to capture with real class.
Cruise is played brilliantly, especially the metamorphosis from a fun-loving, unsophisticated and blunt north Indian, who sees humor in everything and can be the life of any party to someone who faces the strife of Bombay life. Kash, on the other hand, being measured and sober, someone who typically blames the system and does nothing about it, jumps off his fence only to face blood shed and tears.

The surprise package, (or packages rather) is played by Rajit Kapur. If you think you’ve seen him do everything, think again. He plays multiple cameos, from a Mumbai Police guy, to a high profile event manager, he manages to put the audience into fits. To me personally it was amazing how “Byomkesh Bakshi” could play such a variety of roles especially the ones which provided comic relief in the true sense.

The play is also a satire on the problems plaguing the city and perhaps the country as a whole. The journey of 25 years takes one through a whole gamut of issues, Hindu Muslim violence, dug up roads, problems caused by festivals to name a few. But the bottom line still remains that the city is still loved. With all its flaws people have learned to live with it. Whether this is the right thing or not is left open. The play doesn’t talk about revolutionizing the way the city is run. It rather concentrates on the journey, on friendships that can take you across the biggest hurdles in life and the spirit of humanity which eventually is bound to win.

As Pooja Thomas takes you along their journey, you get involved. You can feel what the characters feel and very soon you consider them as your friends. Anyone who has spent time in Bombay will appreciate and be able to relate to some character or perhaps a combination of characters. Infact, I recommend watching this play only once you can feel the pulse of Bombay…