‘Raju, Raja, Ram aur Main’: A one (Shar)man show!

NEW DELHI:  It is almost as if actor Sharman Joshi pops out of a quintessential David Dhawan comedy for his latest play ‘Raju, Raja, Ram aur Main’.

            Playing four strikingly different characters on the trot, Joshi’s performance that was an instant reminder of Dhawan’s blockbuster film ‘Judwaa’, seemed to be the only saving grace in the no-brainer comedy.

            Adapted from its Marathi original ‘Sahi Re Sahi’, the play, at the best, is the proverbial old wine served in a new bottle, playing on the traditional comedy of errors.

            Joshi’s strength as an actor stood out in the weak script, as he efficiently slipped into the roles of four look alikes — Raju, the truck driver, Raja Golgole an insurance agent, business tycoon Sukhnandani and Ramu, a mentally challenged person.

            His acting skills also came across in a particular scene where the actor covered up for a technical glitch by improvising.

            “What is this attached to your shirt? This is creating too much of noise. Go sort this out,” said Joshi, as he helped his fellow actor buy some time as he adjusted his microphone.

            The idiosyncrasies of different characters did generate some genuine laughs, but it was the repetition that was a put-off.

            Organised by UDM Events, the play was staged as part of a campaign for women’s safety here. (AGENCIES)

&&&&&

RESEARCH-SECRETS

Every person holds about 13 secrets: study

NEW YORK, May 29:

 An average person keeps about 13 secrets at a time – five of which they have never told another living soul, according to new research.

            Researchers from Columbia University in the US analysed over 13,000 secrets from over 10 different studies to determine 38 most common categories of secrets.

            They then asked study participants if they were keeping a secret from any of the categories ranging from infidelity to financial secrets.

            The study, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, found that at a time a person held 13 secrets, of which five they had never shared with anyone at all.

            The most common secrets that people shared with no one else included illicit romantic desire, sexual behavior and lies, ‘The Atlantic’ reported.

            Researchers also found that keeping a secret is primarily a solitary experience, and when people think about their secrets, they act as if they were burdened by physical weight.

            “We actually don’t encounter many situations where we have to hide our secrets relative to all the times a secret will just come into our thoughts, and intrude upon our thinking,” said Michael Slepian, a professor at Columbia Business School.

            In previous research, scientists found that when people were preoccupied by their secrets, they judged hills to be steeper and distances to be longer and thought physical tasks would take more effort. (AGENCIES)