Bully

When Anshuman Acharya’s first English play ‘Bully’ was adjudged for Hindu Metro Plus Award in 2014, the panel of jury were all agog ‘for its sensitivity to the dynamics within families, particularly those between fathers and sons, as well as its courage in burrowing relentlessly towards its ugly core.’ ‘His unflinching gaze and razor-sharp speech create memorable characters steeped in failure and loathing who reach out to each other in awkward and flailing gestures of incompleteness. As memories and perception collide in a deftly interwoven narrative with rapid jumps in time and place, the emotional cruelty which is the dominant tenor of the play never quite drowns out the small voice of compassion that, ultimately, lifts this play into the realm of the humane.