'Lights Out' will definitely strike a chord with the audience: Karan Veer Mehra

Zee Theatre presents Manjula Padmanabhan's acclaimed work, 'Lights Out,' on 21st March at 2 pm and 6 pm on Dish TV and D2H Rangmanch Active. Manjula is the first Indian recipient of the International Onassis Prize (1997) and one of the few female playwrights in India.

In 'Lights Out', she draws our attention to the general apathy towards crime. Based on a true incident, the play revolves around a group of middle-class people who observe an assault in a compound from a nearby apartment window. Even though Leela, the lady of the house is traumatized, her husband Bhaskar chooses to be apathetic and justifies not going to the police.

The men, who observe the crime with a voyeuristic curiosity also question the victim's morality and class. The play hence is a comment on the extreme insensitivity in society that not only allows gender crimes but also in a way, condones them.

Karan Veer Mehra who plays Bhaskar in the teleplay says, "I have played a lover, a psychopath, and a cop but never anyone like Bhaskar. He is a typical middle-class escapist who is not bothered by anything that unravels outside his comfort zone.

He doesn't want to stick his neck out to help anyone even if it happens to be a woman in crisis. The play highlights the theme of a woman's vulnerability in our society and raises questions about the culpability of those who can make a difference but do nothing.

Considering the safety of women is a major concern today, this play will definitely strike a chord with the audience. It encourages us to be more vocal about the realities faced by the women in our country.

The filming director of 'Lights Out' is Ritesh Menon and the teleplay also stars Smiriti Kalra, Sandhya Mridul, Ninad Kamat, Shruti Madhudeep, and Vikram Kochhar.