The Mumbai Zoo: A play in the Capital that decodes the mind of a terrorist

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One of Kolkata’s oldest and most respected theatre groups, Theatrecian, is all set to perform its popular play, The Mumbai Zoo, in the Capital, this Friday.

Based on the terror attacks that rocked Mumbai in 2008, the play is a solo act that is performed by Theatrecian founder, actor Tathagata Chowdhury, who is also the director of the play.

“When I scripted the play, the idea was to see what goes on in the mind of a terrorist that leads him to destroy an entire city and kill so many people. Is it the anger against a certain religious group or just anger against a system?” says Chowdhury, who has performed the play in Kolkata, Mumbai and the US in the past.

Asked if the play still has relevance, given that it is based on an incident that happened almost 10 years ago, Chowdhury says, “The script of the play has evolved over the years. This time, for instance, I am also including demonetisation in the script. The idea is that all of us have anger within us that is directed at the system, and the two characters in the play bring that out.”

Chowdhury will be seen portraying both characters in the play — Dhruv, a guy, who plants the bombs in Mumbai, and Raquib, who is quietly sitting at a park reading a book. When Dhruv sees him, he tells him to take off his skull cap so that he isn’t picked up as a suspect of the blast. He says, “As they begin to exchange thoughts, the audience realises that the two characters are basically one voice. While Dhruv’s anger is on-the-face, Raqib’s is masked.” This is the theatre group’s second project in Delhi. “We had performed The Zoo Story here and got a very good response. We hope to get a good response this time, too,” he says. The Mumbai Zoo

Akshara Theatre, 11B, Baba Kharak Singh Marg February 25 7 pm onwards