Double Deal: How Far Would You Go

"Where “fair is foul and foul is fair”… Double Deal, a psycho thriller, is a brilliant adaptation of “Killing Time” by Richard Stockwell and grips the audience’s attention from the very first scene.An intricate maze of motives, plots and sub-plots, the play boasts of powerful performances, by Mahesh Manjrekar and Sandhya Mridul, and a script taut with suspense. The play ushers the audiences into a rainy, turbulent night, with Rhea being escorted to an empty house by a stranger, Jeet. She is laden with shopping bags and is visibly distressed. In the course of their conversation we come to know that Jeet had helped her with her shopping bills as her wallet was flicked. This accidental encounter slowly breeds a friendly relation between the two, which soon takes a detour to a sinister world of deceit and betrayal; where nothing is what it seems. “A perfect stranger is perfect to talk to, since he wouldn’t judge you” and in the first scene we have Jeet and Rhea confess their darkest secrets to each other. It seems that these two distressed souls were predestined to meet.As soon as we reach the second act, what previously appeared to be a pleasant accident, turns out to be a meticulously planned one. Jeet had arranged for this chance encounter to avenge Satbir’s betrayal to him. Satbir is Rhea’s Husband and an old accomplice of Jeet. In his plan to kill Satbir, Jeet ropes in Rhea, who is a victim of her husband’s torture and wants to get rid of him as well. Rhea calls Satbir to Jeet’s place and we realise that none of the characters are sincerely devoted to the master plan and device plans of their own. Both want the other person to be held guilty of the homicide. Jeet’s pregnant remark,” What I tell you is the truth, what I don’t tell you is also the truth” finds an echo in almost all the scenes and as the play proceeds, newer secrets are revealed at regular intervals. Stories are told and untold and retold as both the characters oscillate between being the victimiser and the victimised. Dattani, a director par excellence, portrays the story of deceit, betrayal and greed with immense ease and intricacy. Returning to stage after 14 long years Mahesh Manjrekar yet again proves his mettle as an actor with his impeccable sense of timing, while Sandhya Mridul is inimitable as the sly and seductive Rhea.