Hina Khan, Chandan Roy Sanyal to star in murder mystery ‘Shadyantra’

Hina Khan, Chandan Roy Sanyal and Kunaal Roy Kapur will be seen starring in ‘Shadyantra’, a murder mystery. Hina, who plays Natasha, said: “I am delighted that my desire to work in a play has been fulfilled and I am making my debut in theatre with ‘Shadyantra.’ I play Natasha who is very naive, trusting and giving but then a tragedy forces her to look at her life and her relationships more closely and then her instinct of self-preservation kicks in.”

“I thoroughly enjoyed playing the character and the whole process as I always wanted to do theatre. This teleplay has given me an opportunity to be part of the theatre fraternity and I am hopeful to be part of more teleplays in future.” The teleplay narrates the story of a married couple, Rohan Tiwari and Natasha Malhotra Tiwari. Natasha is the heiress of a construction company but leads a contented life far removed from business intrigue.

Then a shocking murder changes Natasha’s life forever and investigating police officer Mohan Khanna arrives to solve the mystery. This murder mystery is all set to be on-air at Tata Play Theatre on December 18. It will also be available on Zee5. Chandan Roy Sanyal who plays Rohan Tiwari said: “I am deeply rooted as an actor in the discipline of theatre as a stalwart like Habib Tanvir, Tim Supple and Alyque Padamsee mentored me.

I have been connected to the stage all through my career and it is very fulfilling to experience the joy of table readings and long rehearsals once again. What I also liked is that the characters in ‘Shadyantra’ have more than one shade. My character is a smooth-talking charmer but also switches between different moods seamlessly.” Kunaal Roy Kapur who plays the dashing detective Mohan Khanna said that he plays a cop for the first time and has tried to create a more sensitive character, who goes about his job without drawing too much attention to himself.

“It was nice to try to give Mohan a certain depth and nuance that we are unused to seeing in mainstream portrayals. It was wonderful to be a part of this project.” Discussing the teleplay, Shailja Kejriwal, Chief Creative Officer — Special Projects, ZEEL, said: “’Shadyantra’ also has strong psychological undertones like ‘Gas Light’, which was a 1938 thriller by the British playwright Patrick Hamilton and continues to be referenced till date. The play outlines the subtle way that women are often led to doubt their own instincts.

There is also an element of suspense and a thread of strong sisterhood that sets this story apart.” According to director Ganesh Yadav, ‘Shadyantra’ is on the lines of a traditional Agatha Christie mystery but it also offers many layers. He added: “Theatre has a long tradition of psychological thrillers and everyone is familiar with plays like ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’, ‘Death of a Salesman’, ‘Gaslight’ and ‘Broken Images’.

‘Shadyantra’ is a modern take on the genre and gives us an insight into the minds of the protagonists. Working with Zee Theatre team and Hina Khan, Kunaal Roy Kapur and Chandan Roy Sanyal was very rewarding and I can’t wait to see how the audience will respond to ‘Shadyantra.’ The teleplay also stars Shruti Bapna, Anang Desai and Sumukha.

Agencies