JURY DUTY- People Vs Ananya Sharma

A Crime drama  with a difference ( Review)

I went to see a Crime drama  ( not a murder mystery) this Sunday, primarily because my daughter Sowmya was donning a small role in it. Titled Jury Duty- People Vs Ananya Sharma, it was held at the Crimson restaurant in Broadway Mall in Coimbatore, in front of an audience consisting of friends and relatives of the performing artists. It was an  Immersive Theatre Experience, where the audience became jurors to decide whether the accused is Guilty or Not Guilty! Am told that it was a first-of-its-kind experiment by any theatre group in Coimbatore.

What impressed me was the enormous efforts put in by Director Chanda Katuria and her team to make the whole show feel authentic. Each table with members of the audience acting as jurors had a file containing the case details, with a writing pad & pens to make notes and placards featuring the words guilty, not guilty and not convinced.

 After each of the three acts, when the audience was asked to give their opinion, there was animated and serious discussion among the jurors!
With the prosecutor ( Somy Sridas) and the defence lawyer (Abhirami Ramesh) vigorously arguing the case and questioning the witnesses, there was not a dull moment in the play. All the artists, including Sowmya,  playing the role of a Housekeeper who is the jealous guardian of the murdered Businessman, lived their roles.  However, I would like to single out Mrs Sneha Ramesh ( mother of Abhirami ), who was going on the stage for the first time and gave a convincing performance.​ So also Kshitij Mathur, the lawyer, who had a long piece requiring phenomenal memory. In the film world, he would have got the title `One-take artist`

Though I had sacrificed both my pre and post-lunch siesta on a Sunday, I sat glued to the seat, thoroughly enjoying the ninety-minute show and the delicious lunch that followed. Congratulations to Chanda Katuria, of PLATFORMANCE specialising in  Drama, Theatre and Musicals, who had conceptualised, written & directed the play. Look forward to more such experiments from her.