'Siren' calling

FOR HIGH brow and pulp writers, perhaps, there is always a wish of being in one another's shoes. While the former yearns to gain popular acceptance plus the money and fame associated with it, for the latter it's the recognition by the intelligentsia.

The stakes are obviously high when it comes to showbiz. Hence, Vikram Mehta (Jayant Kriplani), an international award winning scriptwriter shifts camp to the `crass commercial' Mumbai from the `political fixers' Delhi with his family despite protests by his wife Anu Mehta (Kitu Gidwani). As Vikram gets down to the business of convincing his regular producer Malathi Menon (Vani Tripathi) to make a film out of his latest script on a Indian naval mutiny in Mumbai, barges in the glib talking, wheeling- dealing Tony Gidwaney (Mohan Kapoor). Well, he "can't write a word" but schemes to use his new friendship with Vicky to go places.

The ease with which he weaves himself into the lives of the Mehtas and makes their professional lives topsy-turvy was hilariously portrayed in the dark comedy, `Siren City', based on an Australian play by David Williamson. The `desi' adaptation by Sandhya Divecha and directed by Lillete Dubey was presented at the Taj Krishna on Sunday night.

Crackling wit, funny repartees, biting sarcasm on the snobbish upper middle class, barbs at media, hollow principles of the filmi duniya were all part of the play. Boy! Was it funny? Tony puts the seed of "big money, hot shot visual sense and much fame" into the mind of Vicky, rather successfully. Vicky is convinced by Tony that his earlier scripts handled by Malathi were all too "arty" and that the "naval mutiny..." should be made into a telly serial.

Malathi and Vicky fall out as Tony and Vicky form a team much to the disgust of Anu, not at all impressed with Tony. "He is using you", she warns her husband and frets over his obsession to go after the "disgusting" money. Of course, she doesn't mind when the book of an OBC writer she was promoting gets published, thanks to Tony's impersonated threat. More, the book also gets an award by a women's body in Manila. Meanwhile, the serial's TRP trips downwards and Vicky gets enamoured with Tony's `latest girlfriend' Tuktuk Roy (Neha Dubey). Having got his name beside Vicky, Tony aims big, runs into Malathi and uses his pompous self to form a partnership with her. Soon, she is also ditched by Tony for a Hollywood deal.

A much chastened Vicky decides to shed his new found pretensions. But, Anu has her own ideas. She decides to sell the OBC book film rights to Tony much against the author's protests and also fly first class to Manila to stay in a star hotel - caution and all the platitudes of poverty, women's empowerment, ethics, etc., thrown to the wind...

Jayant Kripalani was charmingly superb in the lead, Mohan Kapoor had the audience eating out his hands with his over the top characterisation, Malathi Menon and Neha Dubey were an ideal foil and Kitu Gidwani was stunning. `Siren City' was what a good play is all about.

By V. Geetanath

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