Pune: What happens to their imaginary friends when children grow up? A Hindi play, Bed Ke Neeche Rehne Wali, explores the relationship between Ira and her imaginary companion, Manu, who lives under her bed and refuses to let their friendship fade.The Hindi adaptation of Duncan Wells’ The Girl Who Lives Under My Bed was written by Jitendra Joshi and Sagar Deshmukh.Young Ira shares secrets, playful promises and dreams with Manu. But as she grows older interests change and she gradually leaves behind their fictitious world. Manu, who remembers everything is determined to bring Ira back. She revisits their shared memories and tries to rekindle Ira’s curiosity and lost innocence.“Through Manu and Ira’s relationship, we want to explore how children experience the world and how that changes as they grow up. The play is entertaining, but it also asks whether we allow children enough room to remain curious, imaginative and innocent,” said director Shekhar Naik.The production was previously staged at Shree Ram Lagoo Rang Avakash in Sept and received good response from children who attended with their parents, he said. “We hope the children’s day weekend show will bring in a larger audience and encourage more families to come and watch it,” he said.For Naik, the production also belongs to a wider tradition of children’s theatre that treats young audiences as individuals with their own perspectives. He pointed to the influence of the GRIPS theatre movement, which brought stories rooted in children’s everyday lives and experiences to the stage.“Children’s theatre has been influenced by this approach, where plays explore children’s imagination, their lives and experiences, and the way they perceive the world. It is important to create stories they can relate to rather than simply telling them what to think,” Naik said.Bed Ke Neeche Rehne Wali will be staged on Nov 15, at Zapurza Museum of Art & Culture in Kudje.
