Theatre Review: 'Carry On Spying' – Another Feather In Bharat Dabholkar's Cap

Bharat Dabholkar wears three caps for Carry On Spying – writer, director, and actor. And this is quite common for him. The ease with which he switches these roles is incredible.

Carry On Spying is in tune with the earlier Carry On… and Bharat’s ever running Bottoms Up. Intelligent comedy that takes digs at society, politics, religion and everything that comes in its way.

The plot of the play is simple. Indian embassy in Pakistan suddenly finds itself at the mercy of the ISI thanks to a Gujarati family (Patels) mistaken as spies taking shelter at the embassy. The Indian ambassador – Pyare Mohan Dixit - is quite a character who has an uncanny ability to mess up everything he tries his hand at. The embassy’s true worker is his assistant – Ms.Pradhan – who is extremely efficient and quick in decision making. His cook, Chinna, is the narrator of the play who opens and ends the play and takes it forward time and again with his antics and narrations. The real threat comes from Yah Yah Abdul Jallad, the cop who has support of ISI, because he is convinced that Patels are spies. He stations his commandos outside Indian Embassy and opens fire every time the Patels try to step out.

Play is about Patel family’s stay at the embassy and their attempts to go back home safe and soon.

Romance and oomph in the plot are served by the young daughter of the Patels, Twinkle. She flirts with the young Pyare Mohan Dixit, who happily returns the favours. Sides come in form of the oil tycoon sultan of a small-time state in the Middel East – Sultan Sheikh Dust Bin Tughlak. He has a short temper, liking for madira and mem (women and alcohol) and has more than a hundred women in his harem. His women are most obedient and respond to his claps.

Simple plot, right? The dialogues and their delivery is what takes the play to a different level. Not a play for children under 16 as it does have double-meaning dialogues that have sexual undertones. The best thing about these double-meaning dialogues is that they are not crude and don’t hit you wrong. You are forced to laugh. There’s a dash of Bollywood, tadka of politics, pinch of history, cricket… just about everything with a contemporary reference that resonates with the audience.

Credit goes to Anant Mahadevan (Mr. Patel) and Tanaz Irani (Mrs. Patel) who deliver the punches perfectly. Suresh Menon as Chinna is his usual self – comic that enjoys goofing around and brings joy to the audience.

Surprise package is Dr Deepa Bhajekar who plays Ms. Pradhan. This nuclear scientist performs with such ease that I am sure quite a few professional actors might get a complex. Vikas Patil, Mohan Azad, and Charmy Kelaiya are good. Bharat Dabholkar as an actor is ease personified. He is as comfortable on the stage as he is at a personal gathering talking to a group of friends.

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Only point that’s a little disturbing is costume; especially of Tanaz and Charmy. Music, sets and coordination are on spot.

To conclude, Carry On Spying is play that keeps you engaged through out and in splits for most of the time with well crafted and timed punches and impeccable performances.