This philosophical theatre piece remains relevant for Indian audiences seeking challenging conversations about faith, morality, and existence.

Venue: Apollo Foundation Theatre
Title: Hey Bhagwan!
Playwright: Atul Kulkarni
Adapted From: Is God A Taoist? By Raymond Smullyan
Director: Ajinkya Bhosale
Production: Home Productions

Plot Of ‘Hey Bhagwan’

A conversation with God! Questioning his or her existence, morality, right and wrong, consciousness and many other issues. Posited as a dialogue between the “creator” and the “creation”, the play casts a wide net, causing the audience to evaluate their beliefs too.

Review Of ‘Hey Bhagwan’

Ajinkya Bhosale’s attempt at steering the audience through a set of tricky ideas fares well but fails to pack a punch. Any rational human may have experienced similar thoughts at some point in time, engaging in debates with friends and family even. But how many of us have had the opportunity to converse directly with the big G, God?

This is where the play should have sunk its hooks into the viewers, unfortunately, an indifferent and unconvincing performance by Ajinkya Bhosale took the sheen away. Tejas Mahajan was convincing as a jittery, naive, nervous and confused young man yet he chose to nonchalantly converse with god, creating a dissonance in my mind.

This was the first time the play was performed in Hindi and it showed. The dialogue wasn’t fluent and sometimes the gestures and the actors’ bodies carried the play forward, while the lines fell flat. I guess having performed this in Marathi, the actors had established chemistry and rhythm and found it easy to slip into it, instead of being present to their attempts in Hindi.

I hope the actors are able to iron these minor issues out in their subsequent performances. Watch the play to know if God provides all the answers to the young man’s queries.

Rating: 3/5

Frequently Asked Questions

What is ‘Hey Bhagwan!’ play about?

‘Hey Bhagwan!’ is a philosophical dialogue between God and a young man exploring questions about existence, morality, consciousness, and the nature of right and wrong. It’s an adaptation of Raymond Smullyan’s ‘Is God A Taoist?’ performed in Hindi by director Ajinkya Bhosale at Apollo Foundation Theatre.

Who wrote the original ‘Is God A Taoist?’ concept?

Raymond Smullyan, a logician and mathematician, wrote ‘Is God A Taoist?’ as a philosophical puzzle exploring paradoxes of free will and omniscience. Atul Kulkarni adapted this concept for the Indian theatre stage as ‘Hey Bhagwan!’

Was ‘Hey Bhagwan!’ performed in other languages before Hindi?

Yes, the play was previously performed in Marathi where actors had established chemistry and rhythm. The Hindi version was its first performance in Hindi, which affected fluency and dialogue delivery according to the review.

Who are the actors in Ajinkya Bhosale’s ‘Hey Bhagwan!’?

Ajinkya Bhosale plays the role of God while Tejas Mahajan portrays a jittery, naive, and confused young man. Tejas delivers a convincing performance as the nervous protagonist engaging in dialogue with the divine.

What was the main critique of ‘Hey Bhagwan!’ Hindi adaptation?

The review noted that while the play tackles complex philosophical ideas well, it lacks impact. The Hindi dialogue wasn’t fluent, creating dissonance between the actors’ performances and the philosophical depth intended by the adaptation.