Bhavum

Bhavum: Emotions of Being "A Streetcar named Desire" meets "Crime and Punishment" in post-globalization urban India.

Bhavum captures the struggle of consciousness of a young urban couple upon the arrival of the wife’s mysterious sister. Their struggle, seeking to reconcile their desires with various realities and truths, results in the gradual deterioration of their relationship. Their evolving relationship plays out as a metaphor for a society that is growing apart intellectually and emotionally in an environment where the effects of globalization – mainly manifesting in avid consumerism - and the influence of media as a tool for proliferating propaganda have taken root. This irreconcilable wedge precipitates in the gradual disintegration of relationships inevitably resulting in degradation and chaos. For more information, visit www.bhavum.com.

Someone and Someone, Inc.

Someone and Someone, Inc., winner of the Audience Award at the 2004 Frederick Festival of Film, is a satirical look at the American corporate environment through the eyes of one man. Funny and thought-provoking, this dark comedy is a must see for anyone who has ever held a 9 to 5 job.

India Unveiled

India Unveiled, a stunning slideshow presentation, captures the essence of India, its people, culture, temples, pilgrimage sites, monasteries, Himalayan Mountains, and other remote sites seldom visited by travelers. The presentation, given by Robert Arnett, includes art, history, and personal anecdotes from his travels through various regions of India. Illustrator Smita Turakhia, also discusses the challenges of illustrating Indian culture and concepts in a way that would be visually appealing and intelligible to the mainstream readers. India Unveiled is internationally acclaimed and is a winner of 3 national awards.

Psycho

A comical look at the (dys)functional relationships between men and
women, as seen through the eyes of Rekha, an intelligent, twenty-something Indian-American woman. Through talks with her therapist, she comes to grapple with the question: Can women be too smart for their own good?

Written By: Padmini Jagadish has a Master's Degree in Public Policy from Georgetown University and is currently a Health Policy Analyst working in Washington DC. Her studies as well as her career lent her a wealth of experience in terms of academic writing, and she served as an editor for the Georgetown Public Policy Review while pursuing graduate studies. She eventually began to write mostly because reading taught her to love the sheer beauty of language as a medium of expression. "Psycho" is her first attempt at writing a play.

Directed By: Mayank Keshaviah serves on the NetSAP-DC STAGE Executive Board and is working with SALTAF for the second year in a row. In 2003, he directed the one-act play "Rearranged Marriage." Since then, he has produced STAGE's annual Murder Mystery show and has had the opportunity to assistant direct "Lenny & Lou" at the Woolly Mammoth Theatre in the opening of its 25th Anniversary Season. When he is not working with theatre, he teaches ESL at the elementary level in the D.C. Public School system. His future projects include pursuing an MFA in playwriting.

Cast: Padmini Jagadish, Dileep Rajan, Karthik Srinivasan, Sophia Qureshi

A Three Story Story

A bitter sweet tale of life, love, children, family and friends… from the perspectives of a living room, a bedroom and a basement!

Written By: Shalini Chandra holds a masters degree in basic medical sciences and is a resident physician in internal medicine and pediatrics. “A Three Story Story” is her first publicized fictional piece. She is currently working on several technical and non-technical pieces including “Pending…Work in Progress,” her memoir, “Discovering India,” a photographic journal of a one month Indian adventure, “I Have a Patient for You,” an internal medicine/pediatric handbook, and an untitled script about a mute playwright. She will be completing her residency in June 2005.

Directed By: Sriram Raghavan holds a Masters from the State University of New York at Buffalo. His work in the film world includes Indian Fish in American Waters - as an actor, The Downrising - as an actor and an Indian Film as Lead Actor and Script Writer. He works at Cornet Technology as an A/V Engineer although direction and writing is his real passion. He aspires to be a director.

Cast: Avanti Pradhan, Vamsee Kanchi, Amit Mathur, Roopa Vasan, Iva Quint, Sumi Krishnan, Raj Jaganathan, Krithika Narayanan, Shilpa Banerji, Sourabh Dash, Anand Kumar, Sumit Gupta, Anoopa Shawney

Smokin Cigarettes at Night

A conversation between a married man in his mid-thirties having an affair with a young woman in her mid-twenties. As the night progresses, we find out about the motivations behind each person, the contradictions that afflict them and eventually the constraints that bind them.

Written By: Arpita Mukherjee authored and directed the NetSAP-DC Fusion 2004 play, “Aaja Nachle. Her STAGE debut began with an acting role in the NetSAP-DC STAGE production, “Shades of Love.” She shares a deep passion for writing and reading. While she pursues multiple play projects, she is currently a student in college.

Directed By: Shalabh Singhania acted in the STAGE 2003 Festival, STAGE 2004 Murder Mystery, and a full length Hindi play with Natya Bharati. He also co-wrote STAGE’s Fusion 2003 play, “Aaja Nachle”. His most recent endeavor was as co-director of the 2004 NetSAP-DC Fusion Play. Shalabh has a master’s degree in Chemical Engineering from McGill University in Montreal, Canada and currently works as a Product Manager in an IT firm in Northern Virginia.

Cast: Vikash Gupta, Ajita Talwalker