Why you shouldn’t miss Animal on March 7th
It’s been over 30 years since Mahesh Manjrekar really stepped back into the theatre as an actor, writer, and director all at once. That alone makes the premiere of Animal at the NCPA worth watching. Produced by Ashvin Gidwani and presented by AGP World, this theatre production marks a significant return for him to the stage. He realised last December how much he actually missed performing live, and that realisation is exactly what brought this project to life. As one of the most anticipated theatre shows in Mumbai, it is already being counted among the notable upcoming events in Mumbai this season.
The story follows Dattu, a man who arrives in Mumbai with the same dream thousands of others carry: “To become a star”. But as anyone who has lived in this city knows, Mumbai doesn’t always welcome you with open arms. Animal tracks his journey through the city’s total indifference, showing what happens to a person when their ambition hits a wall of apathy. This theatrical runs for 110 minutes and demands a huge amount of stamina and emotional honesty from the performer.
While the title might bring to mind the recent blockbuster movie, Animal on stage is a completely different experience. There are no high-octane stunts or choreographed violence here. Instead, the “animal” in the title refers to something much more internal.
It’s about the primal, human side of a person that wakes up when they are pushed to their absolute limit. Through this intense Theatre Production, Mahesh Manjrekar explores the idea that society’s coldness can turn a dreamer into something much more dangerous, proving that a person’s breaking point is often closer than we think.
For anyone who has followed Mahesh Manjrekar’s career, this is a rare chance to see him handle this kind of intensity live. Among major theatre shows in Mumbai, very few offer this level of personal involvement from a filmmaker of his stature. Presented by AGP World, it stands out within the lineup of Upcoming events in Mumbai this week. There is no “cut” or “retake” on stage; it’s just one man and his story for over two hours. Watching that kind of transformation happen in real-time is what makes theatre special. If you want to see a storyteller return to his roots with a project that is clearly very personal, the Tata Theatre on March 7th is where you need to be.
