Watching this one-and-a-half-hour play about love, drugs and lust in the dimly-lit Kunja Theatre in Thapagaun will make you repeatedly question your fast-paced life. You may also start rethinking your early adulthood.The four actors in ‘Basu-dev’ are nearly flawless. They show you the dark underbelly of Kathmandu, where young adults feel lost in their life, distant from their families, and unaware of the consequences of their actions. They make wrong decisions all the time while follow­ing their “cool” friends.

 

Although advertised as “kid-friendly” on social media, it is packed with lip-locks, sexual innu­endos, sexually intimate moments and a lot of swearing. All this does not come across as weird and awk­ward as the story calls for it. The actors being cool about it all makes the play even more interesting.

 

The background music and light complement the set well. Though there is some awkward dancing, and towards the end, you might be look­ing at your watch, this play is still a very good package. There is tension, comedy, love and drama.

 

Sijal Bajracharya, 23, who had never seen a theatrical play before, says, “I really enjoyed it. It made me realize that the youth of Nepal are very talented and have a lot of potential. I had not expected much to be honest, so this play exceeded my expectations.”

 

Produced by Four Cube Enter­tainment Pvt. Ltd., Basu-dev is directed by Sandeep Shrestha and Nabin Bhatt. The play is at 5:30 pm every day, till September 16 (except on Wednesdays). On Saturday, there is a matinee show at 1:30 pm.

 

Photos by Pritam Chhetri