The Drama
Ravi (Jacob Rajan) is a grandfather and a painter. A painter of pictures, that is; not a house painter.
He lives with his daughter, Sara (Alisha Jacob) and his granddaughter, Mini.
It’s Ravi’s job to look after Mini whilst Sara is at work. But he’s absent minded and a painter (which may be a tautology) and he doesn’t really believe in close supervision in any event. Mini’s a talkative little girl with a bright spirit. She can take care of herself, for the most part.
But Sara is not happy when it emerges that Mini has befriended the most suspect of all people. A man of uncertain background. A migrant worker. A stranger.
Kabir (Jehangir Homavazir) seems friendly enough. But who is he? What does he want? And why is he making Mini balloon animals and giving her lollies?
A Beautiful, Thought-Provoking Play
I must confess that Balloon Dog did not immediately grab my attention. I was distracted, a little, by the fact that the central character, Mini, was not represented by any actor. The adults talked about her. And the adults occasionally mimicked her. But Mini, herself, had to be imagined.
With slow inevitability, however, the story began to pose compelling questions. Who is Kabir? Is he motivated by good or evil? Why do people of his own ethnic group distrust him? Is it because he’s a man or because he’s a migrant? Or both?
Without giving way any spoilers, this beautifully constructed story answered my questions. By story’s end, I knew what motivated Kabir. And, like the best of all stories, his motivation took me by surprise.
Ultimately, Balloon Dog is a bittersweet tale which addresses the plight faced by those who live on the fringes of society, particularly those with the courage to migrate to a foreign land in search of a better life for themselves and their loved ones.
Kudos to Jacob Rajan
I must congratulate Mr Rajan for three things.
Firstly, reimagining a famous Indian story, Kabuliwala, from 19th Century Kolkata to modern-day Auckland.
Secondly, for playing the role of Ravi.
And thirdly for adding a line of impromptu dialogue which chastised a lady in the front row for taking a selfie of his performance with such skill that the miscreant required her companion to explain to her that she’d just been selfie-shamed.
A Final Twist
I whined earlier (just a little) that I was distracted by the fact that the character of Mini had no physical presence.
What I have not yet reported is that Mini was, in fact, given a physical presence in the final scene of the play. I won’t give into temptation and reveal how that was achieved. Suffice to say that the method was beautiful and the impact made me teary.
What My Eyebrows Told Me
As already reported, it took a while for Balloon Dog to seize my attention. But when it did, it found its way into my heart. The final scenes – which tied all the threads of the story together with elegant beauty – have stayed with me since I saw the play one week ago. When I think of those scenes, my eyebrows return to a High Arch.
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