Bhubaneswar: My ticket to watch the play ‘Koffee Katha Kabita’, by Jeevan Rekha at Rabindra Mandap in Bhubaneswar on Saturday, resembled an invitation to a coffee shop where I chanced to meet some youths belonging to Zen Z and Zen Alpha generations, eavesdropped their conversations and came out with some memories that I can’t shake off, at least for some days.
I was among the first to slip into my seat, a few minutes early, and at exactly 7.15 PM, the magic began — no frills, no tedious lamp-lighting or perfunctory speeches.
The curtains parted to reveal one of the ten boxes of this fictional coffee shop — the Open Talk Box — where private matters are spilled as freely as coffee beans.
The set was barebones yet evocative, with no curtains or backdrops, letting the actors and their stories do the heavy lifting. And lift they did.
Within moments, the audience was drawn into the lively chatter of Gen Z and Gen Alpha characters: Adriti (Smiti Bhanja), Rohit (Rohan Yadav), Alisha (Sheetal Pattanayak), Ishani (Siddhi Satpathy), Joy (Joy Shankar Mishra), Rupan (Siddhi Ranjan Naga) and Champak (Sagar Mohapatra).
In the Open Talk Box, they meet, discuss their private matters openly. Their conversations begin casually but soon turn into a tangled web of love, betrayal, and shifting loyalties, reflective of modern-day relationships that swing between Instagram reels and reality checks.
They reveal their tangled equations with startling honesty.
When the play opens, Adriti and Champak own the Coffee House in a 60:40 partnerships and by the time the play closes, Nivi has taken over the coffee house, pulling the plug on the Open Talk Box, symbolically shutting down the space for raw conversations.
Yet, beyond the youthful banter, the play whispers a cautionary message: ‘every relationship has a limit, and it must be respected.’
The duration of the play is 90 minutes and it flew by unnoticed, a testament to the play’s tight grip on the audience who remained glued to their seats till last scene.
Four elements blend like a perfect brew:
The performances: Each actor etched their character with subtlety and finesse, managing the limited space and their modulations with commendable precision. Another actor, Biswajit Behera needs mention here. There is a robot installed in the Open Talk Box and he portrayed this robot’s role.
The lighting: A constant dim glow mimicked a coffee house’s ambience, immersing the audience without distractions.
Direction: Rohan Yadav’s direction ensured an uninterrupted flow, eliminating blackouts and letting the scenes bleed into each other seamlessly, leaving no room for drowsiness.
Live music: Instead of the calling bell, the play featured live sitar (by Soumjya Biswajit), guitar (by Aditya Satpathy), and mardala (by Soumyakanta Mallik), adding a warm, organic feel that made the scenes come alive.
Full credit to Abhinna Routray, the writer of the play and the driving force of Jeevan Rekha, one of the premier theatre groups in India whose storytelling connected the dots of these scattered conversations, turning them into a cohesive narrative.
Verdict: ‘Koffee Katha Kabita’ has all the right ingredients of a play that can resonate nationally. It should visit major theatre festivals across the country, not just for its innovative storytelling but for its honest portrayal of today’s youth grappling with love, ambition, and identity.
The play is a perfect one for those who seek a play that doesn’t sugarcoat relationships or shy away from difficult conversations, as it offers a potent cup of reality worth sipping.
Off stage:
Stage craft: Sanjay Saha, Music: Soumya & Aditya, Movement: Anwesha, Styling: Priyanka, Art: Lotan, Costume: Old Town India, Poster: Nikhil, Edits: Prabhu, Shoot: Chillar Production, Promotion: We Are PI & BTS: Sonali & Sartaz
