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Five Grains of Rice

Synopsis 
Jayant, a scientist, and Ela, an NGO worker, lead a happy life in Delhi until Damini, Jayant's ex-girlfriend and a wealthy industrialist's daughter, unexpectedly arrives. As the three reminisce over dinner, tensions surface. Damini, now a professional food taster, claims she can identify the restaurant their biryani is from by tasting just five grains of rice.

She proposes a bet: if she's wrong, she pays them 2 crores; if right, Jayant must spend the night with her. Jayant dismisses it, but Ela convinces him to accept, believing Damini’s success unlikely. To their shock, Damini wins, forcing Jayant to honor the bet. Later, Damini reveals she cheated and exposes Jayant's past betrayal that destroyed her academic career. The truth tests Jayant and Ela's relationship, raising questions of trust, integrity, and whether their marriage can survive this unexpected challenge from the past. 

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Director's Note

 In Five Grains of Rice, we dive into the delicate fabric of trust, exploring how quickly it can unravel when tested. Trust, as a foundation of any relationship, is fragile—once cracked, its fragments can cut deeper than betrayal itself. Jayant and Ela's marriage is challenged not only by a bizarre bet but by a buried truth that exposes long-hidden scars.
I wanted to juxtapose this theme of trust with another equally compelling dynamic: how often women sacrifice their dreams, ambitions, and identities for the sake of their husbands or male partners. Ela's journey mirrors that of many women who quietly place their partner’s success above their own, often without realizing the cost until a breaking point is reached.
Through this story, I hope to provoke thought on how power and gender intersect in relationships and whether trust can truly be rebuilt once it's shattered.

Shows

  • 6th Annual Theatre Festival by Mandi Theater May 22nd 2022

  • 8th South Asian Theater Festival (SATF) 2022 organized by Spotlight Columbus OH, September 11, 2022

  • Bengali Cultural Society,  Cleveland, OH , November 5, 2022

  • Colure 2022  by Chicago Natyogoshthi, November 13, 2022

  • DiversET 2023, Bethesda MD, March 17, 18, and 19, 2023

  • HBDS Dipika Memorial Theater Festival, Houston, May 28, 2023 

  • Aabaha Art and Theater Festival 2023, Atlanta, August 5 2023

  • Silver Spring Stage The 2023 One-Act Festival, September 21 through 30, October 1,  2023

  • Maryland Community Theater Festival, January 14, 2024

  • Academy of Fine Arts (Hosted by Shyambajar Mukhomukhi, Suman Mukhopadhyay,  and Chetana), January 19,  2024 

  • Jalshaghar, Sukhchar Pancham Repertory Theatre, January 21,  2024

  • Progoti Natyoutsav, Konnogor Rabindra Bhaban - January 23, 2024 

  • Kolkata Centre for Creativity (KCC),  January 24,  2024 

  • Chakdaha Natyajan,  January 25,  2024 

  • Eastern States Theater Association Festival,  April 26, 2024 

Awards
  • Maryland Community  Theater Festival Association
Outstanding Production (Runner-Up)
Outstanding Ensemble Performance
Outstanding Costumes
Outstanding Performance (Shampa Basu)
The Cliff Smith Memorial Award for Excellence in Directing (Arindam Ghosh) 
  • Silver Spring One Act Festival
Fan Favorite (Based On Audience Vote)​
Outstanding Performance (Shampa Basu)
Outstanding Technical 
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Reviews

  • DC Theater Arts

    • "Five Grains of Rice, the last play, is the longest and had the audience sitting on the edges of their seats as the events unfolded. A young couple seems happily married, they banter back and forth; they have very different personalities, but they’re at ease in their relationship. He’s a well-known and -regarded scientist and they live comfortably in a posh high rise with a spectacular view of the city below, possibly New Delhi shown via creative projections on a back screen. The husband’s former girlfriend from their college days finds her way into the mix and connects jauntily with the wife. The girlfriend seems to have incriminating knowledge about the husband’s early professional life that he has never shared with his wife, and maybe even hidden from himself. Once a wager is made, there is no turning back for any of them. This is a fascinating study of human nature and self-deception, expertly expressed by the actors and directed by Ghosh, who also wrote and performed in this tour de force offering. Also features Shampa Basu and Aditi Bhattacharya"​

  • MD Theater Guide​

    • "At first I thought 'Five Grains of Rice,' written and directed by Arindam Ghosh, was just another drawing room drama or soap-opera. As the characters reveal themselves, we find things are quite different than we imagined. Jayant Trivedi (Arindam Ghosh) and his wife Ela Trivedi (Shampa Basu) are living in a metropolis in India. Jayant is a research doctor and Ela, his long-time supporter, is putting her life on hold while Jayant tries to get funding for his work. Into their lives returns Damini Malhotra (Aditi Bhattacharya), Jayant’s old flame, who is now wealthy because of an inheritance. She was also a medical researcher but gave it all up to become a food taster. Jayant is incensed that she gave up her chance to find a cure for cancer to do something so frivolous. Basu is superb as Ela, revealing the character’s past and her present emotions. Ghosh does a fine job conveying the Indian husband who, despite his love for his wife, is short-sighted about her needs and emotions. Bhattacharya also develops her character to reveal someone more complicated than just a spiteful ex-girlfriend. There are many twists and turns in the plot so pay close attention."​

  • Telegraph, India ​

  • Prof. Ananda Lal, Theatre Critic, India​

  • Bartaman, India

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