Theatre Review: Aarohi

Director: Salim Akhtar
Cast:Meeta Vasisht, Ravi Jhankal, Gautam Rode, Dhaani Jhankal, Dr. Deepti Dyondi, Himanshu V Gokani, Sanjay Bhatiya
Duration: 2 hours
Rating: 3 stars
‘Aarohi’, follows the story of a Kathak dancer committed to her craft, but when life throws her a raw deal, she is forced to compromise on her dreams.
The play has two parallel tracks — one of the older Aarohi (Meeta Vasisht), who has reconciled with her life’s twists and turns, but is still passionate about the rich tradition of Kathak that her father Pandit Banwarilal (Ravi Jhankal) and mother Firoza Begum have bestowed upon her.A dancer, who enthralled the audience with her performances in the youth, the older Aarohi has given up the stage and is content passing on her knowledge and craft to her students. The other track is that of the younger Aarohi (Dhaani Jhankal), a vivacious, cheerful girl, who loves to dance and under the tutelage of her father, is learning the ropes of the Lucknow gharana. While her father is a purist when it comes to the gharana’s dance tradition, Aarohi is keen to try new adaptations.
Her life takes a turn when a young and handsome Inderjeet (Gautam Rode) lands up at Pandit Banwarilal’s doorstep and insists on being taken on as a resident student. Soon, Inderjeet and Aarohi fall in love and decide to marry. But this turns out to be a life-altering decision for Aarohi. The couple don’t find acceptance with Inderjeet’s parents and are forced to move to Mumbai to make ends meet. By and by, Inderjeet’s true personality — whimsical, alcoholic and abusive — begin to show and soon, Aarohi is emotionally broken and decides to leave her husband.
While the premise of ‘Aarohi’ shows promise, some plot points come across as not so convincing. One being Aarohi’s decision to never perform on stage again — it is never fully explained because the young Aarohi, even after leaving her husband and giving birth to their child, is shown as feisty and strong. Also, Inderjeet’s sudden rise to fame when he is clearly the less talented of the two and has limited dancing skills. And some plot points seem contrived and predictable. Add to that, a few rough edges that showed through on stage, which perhaps subsequent shows of the play will iron out.
However, some of the performances make up for it. Meeta Vasisht as the older Aarohi gets under the skin of her character — subdued, yet the passion for dance is still alive inside of her. Dhaani Jhankal shines with a spirited performance and her Kathak moves. Gautam Rode as the young, brash Inderjeet gets his character’s personality traits perfectly. But as the older Inderjeet, he is unconvincing, especially the change in his voice tone.
Overall, the two tracks that cut across time blend seamlessly and the scene where the younger Aarohi confronts her older self stands out. And the Kathak performances and music lift the play a notch higher.