Maneesh Verma: ‘Jump is about nihilism versus existentialism’
The Hindu
Maneesh Verma’s brings his dark comedy JUMP to Bengaluru
Mental health and suicide - words that can trigger fear in the heart. Yet, there may be just a handful who may not have experienced the devastation of these words. Despite there being a rise in depression and self harm, not everyone is forthcoming in talking about it or seeking help. The fear of rejection and social stigma keeps them from speaking up. Actor, director, producer, Maneesh Verma, wants to propagate mental well-being, make people laugh about their fears and encourage them to seek help. This, he does with what he knows best — theatre.
The NSD graduate has written and directed a dark comedy, Jump, which he says looks at death from the perspectives of the two major characters on stage.
“Jump is a black comedy that talks about life, death and everything in between. It tackles suicide, depression, and mental health, and navigates through these issues with a delicate balance between humour and sensitivity, sparking essential conversations and promoting awareness,” explains Maneesh over a call from Mumbai.
The story, Maneesh says, revolves around a successful woman executive, who wishes to end her life by jumping off a roof. She is saved in the nick of time by a cab driver. This sets the stage for a collision between two completely opposite worlds, characters, circumstances, beliefs, and perspectives. The actors on stage will be Sandeep Shikhar from Bengaluru and Vidushi Chadha from Mumbai.
The play, Maneesh says, comes from a personal space. “I am a mountaineer and was in UttarKashi in October 2022 as part of an advanced mountaineering course. We were a batch of 53 people and we lost 29 to an avalanche. I somehow survived and that changed my life. I was left with a lot of questions and those emotions led me to explore the concept of death.”
Maneesh says his life experiences have gone into the play. “After the incident, I would break down and was depressed. It was one of the lowest phases of my life. That was also the time, when I lost a dear friend to suicide. I sought therapy and decided to explore how the mind works.”
Active in theatre for over 25 years, Maneesh has directed, produced musicals, social dramas, comedy and children’s plays. He has also acted in films such as Yodha, Gunajn Saxena, Dhadak and web series like Ajeeb Daastan and Typewriter.
According to the “2023: World Air Quality Report”, India is the third most polluted nation globally and Delhi the most polluted capital city. Though Bengaluru (Rank 673) stands nowhere close to the topmost polluted cities, increasing temperature, irregular rains, growing population and infrastructure are leading to a slow change in the water and air quality of the garden city.