FTII's Theatre Production- Faisla

On the 17th and 18th of this month, The Film and Television Institute of India's (FTII's) acting batch of 2009 put up a wonderful play within their vast campus. The show "Faisla" was adapted from Reginald Roses's Twelve Angry Men and the Hindi adaptation was done by Ravi Kiran Shastri. The Final Theater Production, directed by Arvind Pandey who has done more than a dozen plays so far, directed this Final Theatre Production, as his second in FTII.   The cast of 10 characters were different for both the days and splendidly delivered.
                 I went to watch the play on the last day for the last show at 7:30 pm. Seeing the crowd that the show had gathered I awaited patiently to get into the Main Theatre. The play began with a voice over about a trial of a young boy who was convicted guilty and that a jury of 10 were to decide the fate of the lad. Every juror was of a different character, impersonating the different personalities in our daily lives. Votes are taken for the boy to be guilty in the case, and all but one juror, differ in opinion. He highlights the concept of Reasonable doubt that a juror must have other wise he is biased. Throughout the play, the different jurors express the basic human nature thus deepening the plots, making the verdict intricate. How does Juror number 8 pick out the invisible threads to win the other jurors and get them to consider the possibility of reasonable doubt is what the whole play is about.
                  The acting batch was highly skilled; not one twitch of a smile appeared on their faces when the audience burst out in peals of laughter. The makeup and dressing were apt for the jurors that one could not relate to the pamphlet of the cast with their pictures. After the show ended, the audience stood for a long standing ovation while the students brought the people behind the success of the show into the limelight. All in all, it was a great experience that wasn't to be missed. The lights, sounds composition of stage and modulation of voices of the cast made a great impact and I'm happy that I was there to witness a well put up play!