Yesterday never dies. School. College. Pink Floyd. Dhaba food. Bunking. Boys. Crushes. Battle of the exes. All of these crossed my mind the moment I heard that Chetan Bhagat’s bestselling lad-lit Five Point Someone is being staged in the city. What better way to meet up with nostalgia and savour yesterday?
To top it all, the male-dominated cast is directed by a woman, Nikhila Kesavan. She not only identifies with the characters, but also believes in the story’s premise: Can under-performers, with five-point-something scores (in a 10-point scale) show they are actually five-point-someones?
A fast-paced, rib-tickling play set in an IIT campus, the characters are real and their identity crisis, believable. There’s Alok, who wants to study, only to find a job and support his family. Ryan dismisses the educational system because it doesn’t promote innovation and creativity. Hari wants to be like Ryan. And Prof Veera does a Patch Adams and reminds you of Aamir Khan in Taare Zameen Par. His friendly and unconventional ways make him the trio’s sole guiding light.
Before I forget, there’s Neha, Hari’s love interest. As sparkling as champagne, she brightens the proceedings just when things start to go downhill. Can friendship and love survive in an environment of relative grading? Can fun and creativity co-exist with tests and assignments?
The play has all the answers.
Five Point Someone. Staged by Evam Productions, Chennai, at Ranga Shankara, 36/2, 8th Cross, JP Nagar 2nd phase at 3.30pm and 7.30pm on April 12-13. Tel: 26592777, 26493982. Tickets: Rs 200.
(This piece also appears on Trendy.in)