When sound mutes all

We are so busy with our lives that we often overlook what is going on in our surroundings. We have forgotten how to smell and enjoy and take tiny sips of our favourite green tea or soak in the beauty of nature in our daily lives until we take a vacation. We look at our childhood days with nostalgia when we had limited but better friends than the one in this ever-connected virtual world of social media and numerous apps that are meant to ‘make our lives simpler’.
Ever wondered what goes on in life of a sound artist who works 14 hours in a studio recording the minutest of sound to make a movie or TV show more appealing to you? , a play written and directed by JG School of Performing Arts alumnus Harshil Bhatt, casts a light on the life of one such artist who finds it hard to focus on worldly vocal sounds after coming out from his studio.
“It is the story of a gifted foley artist whose life is so impacted by the work he does that it becomes difficult for him to live a normal life,” Pratik Rathod who is playing the lead character in the play along with Netri Trivedi told Ahmedabad Times.
Harshil, who has been working in theatre since his school days and even took training from director Nimesh Desai, says, “Working with sounds throughout the day, he finds it hard to hear what his wife is saying. While talking to a person, his mind takes him to the background sounds which acts as a stressor for him. The play revolves around his life and how he comes to terms with it.”
Harshil who has earlier directed a play has been working on for past four years and even spent a lot of his time in research at such sound studios in Mumbai.
The play that also stars Gaurang Anand would be staged as part of ongoing Abhivyakti festival at Bhavan’s college on May 8 and Dinesh Hall on May 9 at 9 pm.