Watch a Marathi adaptation of a Hitchcock classic that places a suspense thriller in a posh SoBo neighbourhood in the 1970s
The unusual thing about Dial M for Murder — Alfred Hitchcock’s 1954 film that was later adapted for the stage — is that it’s a suspense thriller where the audience members watch the crime unfold before their eyes, making them indirect accomplices in a way. What otherwise happens in murder mysteries (keep most of Agatha Christie’s novels in mind here) is that a body is found and then a detective like Hercule Poirot goes about investigating the case, keeping readers hanging till the identity of the perpetrator is revealed right at the very end. But in Dial M for Murder, the plot progression is such that the audience is made privy to the antagonist’s criminal mind from the outset, before discovering his devious machinations aimed at murdering his adulterous wife. And that’s the case with A Perfect Murder as well, which is a Marathi adaptation of Hitchcock’s movie that will be staged in the city this weekend.
It’s set in a posh SoBo neighbourhood sometime in the ’70s, and explores the relationship between three people — Niranjan Majumdar, his wife Neera, and her lover Divyajit. The plot revolves around how Niranjan — after finding out about Neera’s affair with Divyajit — hatches a plan to have her killed, partly for revenge but mainly to usurp all her money after her death. He blackmails a small-time conman named Karmakar and enlists him to do the dirty work so as to keep his own hands clean. Niranjan builds an intricate web of deceit. He plans everything to the T, ensuring all the necessary alibis. But in the end, the plan is foiled and in the original film, it’s the wife who ends up killing the conman in self defence, for which she is sentenced to death. And it’s then up to the lover and the police officer investigating the case to uncover the truth and ensure that a woman isn’t sent to the gallows despite her innocence.
Neeraj Shivaikar
This innocence, however, has shades of grey. In fact, that holds true for all the three central characters, each of whom has a selfish motive that informs his or her actions. For instance, you might forgive Neera for having an affair saying she was pushed towards it during a weak moment. But does that justify the fact that she’s unable to come clean and be honest about it to her husband?
Similarly, it might be said that Divyajit is hopelessly in love with Neera and thus can’t help himself. Still, the fact remains that he came in between a married couple like a snake who poisons their domestic life. Niranjan, of course, is the easiest to point a finger at. Yes, he might be blind with jealousy since his wife slept with another man, but revenge isn’t his primary motive. Greed is. So, all these moral dilemmas that the characters face add a nuanced layer that make A Perfect Murder more than a suspense thriller; it’s also a play that raises questions about how society judges what is wrong and what is right when things aren’t painted merely in black or white.
But what were the challenges of adapting a plot that was first written in 1940s London in a Mumbai context? We ask the playwright, Neeraj Shivaikar, and he tells us, “The original is so idiom-heavy that if I were to translate it as it is written, there’s no guarantee that it would have made sense to audiences today. At the same time, I also resisted the urge of turning it into a melodrama, where you have a bechari wife, a conniving husband and an innocent lover. I tried to keep the grey shades intact as much as I could, which then transform into black or white because of certain situations,” which means that your moral compass won’t flit only between north and south while watching this production, since — in a manner of speaking — you might end up feeling like you have sympathy for the devil.
On: June 1, 3.30 pm
At: Shivaji Mandir Natyagruha, NC Kelkar Road, Dadar West.
Call: 24304566
Cost: Rs 200
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