Abhishek Iyengar’s ‘Ond Second’, starring Anirudh Mahesh, is a poignant take on the mundane

The Kannada play ‘Ond Second’ from WeMove Theatre follows a man who introspects about a significant incident from the past that changed his future

We do not come across many one-person shows in Kannada, which is why Ond Second from WeMove Theatre stands out, in more ways than just this. The play, an adaptation of a Chinese short story translated into Kannada by writer Gopalakrishna Pai, has been adapted for the theatre by playwright and director Abhishek Iyengar. Ond Second, starring Anirudh Mahesh (one of the writers of Kanthara: Chapter 1), involves introspection into an incident that happened in the character’s past and his reaction to it.

With peppy music in the background sounding like a nostalgic Kannada poem from school, the play follows a man who, on the verge of fulfilling his lofty dreams, is forced to change his future in a split second because of an accident.

What follows is his recovery in the hospital and his reaction to the incident. This is done by examining every event preceding the accident and what the man could have done to prevent it.

When the actor thanks his tote bag for keeping all his documents together, the scene is a farcical comment on the essence of a mundane human experience. Anirudh Mahesh poignantly embodies Manushya’s (man) reality, making the audience feel that he is everyone, and it could happen to anyone. The play’s universality stands out, and this is the reaction Abhishek was hoping for, he says.

“We often say, “ond second iru, ond second call madtini, ond second barthini” (wait for one second, I’ll call you in one second, I’ll be there in a second),” Abhishek said speaking from his home in Basaweshwaranagar in Bengaluru. “‘One second’ is important, but we use it casually, without fully realising its power. Mostly, it is just another second, which fades into history, but at times, it causes something so significant that it makes us repeatedly return to the moment. I wanted to show the importance of that one second, and let the audience reflect on what it means to them.”

“Many who watched the play said it resonated with them on different levels, Abhishek says.