Loss of innocence
MANU REMAKANT
Kavalam Narayana Panicker’s latest play, ‘Kallurutti,’ is a commentary on neo-colonisation.
Photo S. Gopakumar
Not didactic: ‘Kallurutti’ is devoid of any overt political statements or moral judgements.
The play had everything to mesmerise the audience for nearly two hours. Veteran artistes of Sopanam Theatre came up with an inspired performance at Vylloppilli Samskriti Bhavan.
‘Kallurutti,’ the latest work by celebrated theatre doyen Kavalam Narayana Panicker, addresses an enduring issue that haunts society.
According to him, the days of blatant colonisation are over, but imperialistic threats come in many other shapes and ways. ‘Kallurutti’ is a strong caveat to safeguard our tradition and culture against the onslaughts of western influence.
Set in a forest
Kavalam sets his story in a forest to drive home his message.
The loss of innocence and the insidious influence of money and power have been aesthetically conveyed without turning the play into a didactic exercise.
As the play begins, we see the key actors come on the stage. Through dance and songs, the Panchuruli brothers are introduced by a group of people called Thottakkar, who play the role of the chorus in the drama. The brothers are inseparable (hence both are ‘Panchuruli’ by name) in action and thoughts.
But the story is not about them, but their loving sister Kallurutti, who suffers a lot for the sake of her dull brothers.
Life disrupted
The director slowly builds up the tension as the serene life inside the forest is threatened by Umrani, a corrupt officer of the landlord. Umrani lives across the Thrikkunnathu river that borders the forest. He corrupts the brothers and tries to molest Kallurutti.
However her magical powers keep her safe. Finally, it is the sister who defeats Umrani. She storms to the scene like a whirlwind.
For Kallurutti, death is only a change of state, she becomes a Theyyam, winning the hearts of thousands of devotees.
The amazing performance of Mohini Vijayan delighted the audience. The spirit of the play was imbibed by the other actors as well. Background music enhanced the feel of the play that did not have a single redundant scene.
The artistes transported the viewers to the world on the stage.
The thottakkar amused the audience with beautiful songs and dances. Excellent use of the props and the stage, one of the distinguishing features of Kavalam’s plays, recreated the river and the jungle on the stage.
‘Kallurutti’ is devoid of any overt political statements or moral judgements. “It is a commentary on colonisation,” says Kavalam.
“I find that tribal life is the best setting to communicate the message to the audience,” he adds.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Page 332
Bound by letter
The production of Ashadada Ondu Dina suffered as the lyricism of the play was lost
NOT CONVINCING Though a lot of hard work went into the play, it didn’t seem to add to the overall performance
“Ashadada Ondu Dina” is one of Mohan Rakesh’s most celebrated plays. Originally called “Ashad Ka Ek Din”, the present version has been translated by Dr Siddalinga Pattanashetty. The production comes from t he Bangalore-based Cornea Theatre Group, which performed the same play in English earlier this year. Directed by K Ramakrishnia, the play tells the story of Kalidasa the poet through the eyes of Mallika, his confidante and muse of his later works such as “Ritusamhara”. Mallikaremains central to all three acts. Mallika stands apart for her commitment to literature, poetry and nature. She is the one who prods Kalidasa to seek a job in Ujjaini in the King’s court. Her relationship with Kalidasa comes under scrutiny from another poet (Viloma) who is trying to woo her. Mallika’s devotion for Kalidasa, is contrasted with her marriage to Viloma. Her character is probably one of the most famous paradoxes in Indian literature.
The play is dense in dialogue and biographical in content. The play has a loyal viewership. Though written sometime between 60s and 70s, the play has managed to remain in public memory for long. For most amateur groups that mushroomed in various theatre spaces of the 70s – 80s in India, the play stood as a benchmark for good quality and consistent characterizations. It was a time when plays were studied for their context and connections. Sessions on language structure, motives, were at the core of process towards putting up the performance.
These were unquestionably integral to the process of theatre. Two crucial aspects enmeshed in the play raise the challenge for performers anywhere. One is the mastery with which the play covers the essence with lyrical and romantic lines. If left uncovered, one might just be caught in a fake understanding of the play. The second challenge is thrown by the ever-growing yet scarce viewer ship to this genre of theatre.
It was in the first aspect that the present play struggles the most. This is where the play lacked information, and why the play falls flat. The hard work is visible, however, the style of dialogue delivery seemed to borrow heavily from the style of plays done in certain theatre schools in Karnataka, and yet it does not add to the overall presentation.
The esoteric and almost lyrical lines of Mallika and Kalidasa, and between Manjari and Mallika were simply spoken, without the core understood and therefore remained unconvincing. Actors who played the roles of Anunasika and Anuswara were true to their role of providing comic relief.
The sets and props were good and realistic. The background score could have been a little more audible.
The costumes seemed to go astray. Ambika, Mallika’s mother was dressed to look like the stereotypical tribal woman, while Mallika looked like a south Indian belle and Manjari’s was given a South Indian woman look.
The performance gives the sense that putting a play together alone is not enough. For presenting the essence of the play in a rather un-feignable manner, guided process work seems essential.
The production of Ashadada Ondu Dina suffered as the lyricism of the play was lost
NOT CONVINCING Though a lot of hard work went into the play, it didn’t seem to add to the overall performance
“Ashadada Ondu Dina” is one of Mohan Rakesh’s most celebrated plays. Originally called “Ashad Ka Ek Din”, the present version has been translated by Dr Siddalinga Pattanashetty. The production comes from t he Bangalore-based Cornea Theatre Group, which performed the same play in English earlier this year. Directed by K Ramakrishnia, the play tells the story of Kalidasa the poet through the eyes of Mallika, his confidante and muse of his later works such as “Ritusamhara”. Mallikaremains central to all three acts. Mallika stands apart for her commitment to literature, poetry and nature. She is the one who prods Kalidasa to seek a job in Ujjaini in the King’s court. Her relationship with Kalidasa comes under scrutiny from another poet (Viloma) who is trying to woo her. Mallika’s devotion for Kalidasa, is contrasted with her marriage to Viloma. Her character is probably one of the most famous paradoxes in Indian literature.
The play is dense in dialogue and biographical in content. The play has a loyal viewership. Though written sometime between 60s and 70s, the play has managed to remain in public memory for long. For most amateur groups that mushroomed in various theatre spaces of the 70s – 80s in India, the play stood as a benchmark for good quality and consistent characterizations. It was a time when plays were studied for their context and connections. Sessions on language structure, motives, were at the core of process towards putting up the performance.
These were unquestionably integral to the process of theatre. Two crucial aspects enmeshed in the play raise the challenge for performers anywhere. One is the mastery with which the play covers the essence with lyrical and romantic lines. If left uncovered, one might just be caught in a fake understanding of the play. The second challenge is thrown by the ever-growing yet scarce viewer ship to this genre of theatre.
It was in the first aspect that the present play struggles the most. This is where the play lacked information, and why the play falls flat. The hard work is visible, however, the style of dialogue delivery seemed to borrow heavily from the style of plays done in certain theatre schools in Karnataka, and yet it does not add to the overall presentation.
The esoteric and almost lyrical lines of Mallika and Kalidasa, and between Manjari and Mallika were simply spoken, without the core understood and therefore remained unconvincing. Actors who played the roles of Anunasika and Anuswara were true to their role of providing comic relief.
The sets and props were good and realistic. The background score could have been a little more audible.
The costumes seemed to go astray. Ambika, Mallika’s mother was dressed to look like the stereotypical tribal woman, while Mallika looked like a south Indian belle and Manjari’s was given a South Indian woman look.
The performance gives the sense that putting a play together alone is not enough. For presenting the essence of the play in a rather un-feignable manner, guided process work seems essential.
Page 331
Plays on a platter
GUDIPOODI SRIHARI
The Abhinaya national theatre festival staged drama from across the country.
Stage scene A scene from one of the play at the drama festival
There appears to be a sudden momentum in theatre productions not only in Telugu but in other languages as well. Last time it was Rasaranjani and immediately on its heels another All-India theatre festival organised by Abhinaya ran for three days. This time some street plays were also added to the regular productions. The Abhinaya National Drama Festival opened with a popular street play titled Kokkorako written by Tanikella Bharani that had many a staging already. This is Abhinaya ’s second national multi-language theatre festival at Ravindra Bharati Kokkoroko takes credit for being the one of early productions that took credit for introducing the street play culture. It aimed at problems of educated unemployed, running the story between two characters. Gedda Varaprasad is the director. Ye Velugulaki Prasthanam staged inside the theatre by Kalavani from east and west Godavari districts and directed by M. Prasada Murthy, was more a verse play written on the life and mission of Gautama Buddha. Vijaykumar played the role of Siddartha. Director Prasada Murthy essayed the role of Siddartha’s father, king Suddhodhana, Anjali as Gowthami and Rajaiah as Chennudu the charioteer. The rendition of verses was reasonably good with Pithapuram Babu Rao conducting the music. This verse play, written by Muni Sundaram, ended with Mahabhinishkramanam of Siddartha.
Numbers in the dark (English) was shocking to watch on the second day of the festival. A theatre production using more than 40 lights on the stage for its wonderful narration and director’s handling of the production competently. Atul Kumar was director for this play staged by Company Theatre. This is an adaptation of Mountain Language of Herald Pinter. When we get lost in the crowd, we behave like crowd. But when you look at yourself in the mirror, you are not what you were in the crowd. There in the crowd were all just numbers in the dark. Search for the reality is what the play drove at and ends up saying that we are all just searching for our own true images in a mirage. The play’s appeal was a bit high-browed and thought-provoking and depended on directorial excellence. Naren Chandarkar, Suhas Ahuja, Hyderali, Gulshan Lechal were in the lead roles. The technical contribution by Sujay Sapple was laudable.
There were to stagings on the third day - The Island and Caucasian Chalk Circle and The Island (English). The English production was a two-character show of two Blacks of South Africa imprisoned in a jail room, symbolic of an island. It was a moving depiction of the slavery. Rafiki of Bangalore presented this play. Anish Victor was the director.
Adapilla, a street play was also staged by Nalgonda’s Prajanatyamandali troupe, depicting the woes of a woman.
Caucasian Chalk Circle was a Kannada adaptation of Brecht’s famous play. Kailasam Hovvasi Kala Vedika, Gulbarga, Karnataka staged this popular play about a woman who leaves her child in others care and going in search of riches. When she returns and claims her child, the one who brought him up refuses. The case goes to court and the crucial scene was the way the judge resolves the issue. He draws a chalk circle and places the child in the centre. He then asks the mothers to pull towards them to their side. Who does it first get the child. But the one, who brought him up, pleads with the judge to let go the child with his mother. But the Judge finally grants the child to her only, ignoring the mother who gave birth to him, but left him to winds. S.N. Bawalji was the sutradhar who ran the show with Lakshmi Kulkarni, Sadand Helli, Malik and a 16- member artistes. Brecht’s play was known for using masks for the characters. A few characters were given masks in this play too. On the final day a Tamil street play Pawan Kunju was staged. It’s about an intelligent boy who tops in games but fares badly in studies. Taking his case as a specimen, the play analyses the reasons for this disparity. The play finds fault with the education system, finally. Some folk songs also made way into this street play to create rural appeal. This was directed by Pralayan . He also played an important role. Vijayanandan, Devarajan, Ganeshan and Manohar were in other roles.
Acheekpaagi khonggel a Manipur play, directed by Kishwarjit and staged by Paradesi theatre, Imphal, concluded the festival. Asghar Wajahat wrote this, adapting Henry Hang’s ‘Sound of Voice’ which tries to explain how romantic thoughts develop in both men and women and how to control them. The production was more in abstract form. A flower was used to symbolise love and change of moods. It was more an expressionist in approach. This huge festival was organised with the help of many governmental and non-governmental organisations.
GUDIPOODI SRIHARI
The Abhinaya national theatre festival staged drama from across the country.
Stage scene A scene from one of the play at the drama festival
There appears to be a sudden momentum in theatre productions not only in Telugu but in other languages as well. Last time it was Rasaranjani and immediately on its heels another All-India theatre festival organised by Abhinaya ran for three days. This time some street plays were also added to the regular productions. The Abhinaya National Drama Festival opened with a popular street play titled Kokkorako written by Tanikella Bharani that had many a staging already. This is Abhinaya ’s second national multi-language theatre festival at Ravindra Bharati Kokkoroko takes credit for being the one of early productions that took credit for introducing the street play culture. It aimed at problems of educated unemployed, running the story between two characters. Gedda Varaprasad is the director. Ye Velugulaki Prasthanam staged inside the theatre by Kalavani from east and west Godavari districts and directed by M. Prasada Murthy, was more a verse play written on the life and mission of Gautama Buddha. Vijaykumar played the role of Siddartha. Director Prasada Murthy essayed the role of Siddartha’s father, king Suddhodhana, Anjali as Gowthami and Rajaiah as Chennudu the charioteer. The rendition of verses was reasonably good with Pithapuram Babu Rao conducting the music. This verse play, written by Muni Sundaram, ended with Mahabhinishkramanam of Siddartha.
Numbers in the dark (English) was shocking to watch on the second day of the festival. A theatre production using more than 40 lights on the stage for its wonderful narration and director’s handling of the production competently. Atul Kumar was director for this play staged by Company Theatre. This is an adaptation of Mountain Language of Herald Pinter. When we get lost in the crowd, we behave like crowd. But when you look at yourself in the mirror, you are not what you were in the crowd. There in the crowd were all just numbers in the dark. Search for the reality is what the play drove at and ends up saying that we are all just searching for our own true images in a mirage. The play’s appeal was a bit high-browed and thought-provoking and depended on directorial excellence. Naren Chandarkar, Suhas Ahuja, Hyderali, Gulshan Lechal were in the lead roles. The technical contribution by Sujay Sapple was laudable.
There were to stagings on the third day - The Island and Caucasian Chalk Circle and The Island (English). The English production was a two-character show of two Blacks of South Africa imprisoned in a jail room, symbolic of an island. It was a moving depiction of the slavery. Rafiki of Bangalore presented this play. Anish Victor was the director.
Adapilla, a street play was also staged by Nalgonda’s Prajanatyamandali troupe, depicting the woes of a woman.
Caucasian Chalk Circle was a Kannada adaptation of Brecht’s famous play. Kailasam Hovvasi Kala Vedika, Gulbarga, Karnataka staged this popular play about a woman who leaves her child in others care and going in search of riches. When she returns and claims her child, the one who brought him up refuses. The case goes to court and the crucial scene was the way the judge resolves the issue. He draws a chalk circle and places the child in the centre. He then asks the mothers to pull towards them to their side. Who does it first get the child. But the one, who brought him up, pleads with the judge to let go the child with his mother. But the Judge finally grants the child to her only, ignoring the mother who gave birth to him, but left him to winds. S.N. Bawalji was the sutradhar who ran the show with Lakshmi Kulkarni, Sadand Helli, Malik and a 16- member artistes. Brecht’s play was known for using masks for the characters. A few characters were given masks in this play too. On the final day a Tamil street play Pawan Kunju was staged. It’s about an intelligent boy who tops in games but fares badly in studies. Taking his case as a specimen, the play analyses the reasons for this disparity. The play finds fault with the education system, finally. Some folk songs also made way into this street play to create rural appeal. This was directed by Pralayan . He also played an important role. Vijayanandan, Devarajan, Ganeshan and Manohar were in other roles.
Acheekpaagi khonggel a Manipur play, directed by Kishwarjit and staged by Paradesi theatre, Imphal, concluded the festival. Asghar Wajahat wrote this, adapting Henry Hang’s ‘Sound of Voice’ which tries to explain how romantic thoughts develop in both men and women and how to control them. The production was more in abstract form. A flower was used to symbolise love and change of moods. It was more an expressionist in approach. This huge festival was organised with the help of many governmental and non-governmental organisations.
Page 330
Blurring lines
Abhinaya Taranga’s production of K.V. Akshara’s Swayamvaraloka tackles eternal conflicts without flogging a dead horse
Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy
COMMITTED ATTEMPT The actors were very convincing and played their roles to near perfection
At the outset, K.V. Akshara’s “Swayamvaraloka” is a story of the encounter between tradition and modernity. But it isn’t just one more in the list: it tells the tale in all its complexities, not merely mindless friction and ir rational resistance between generations and mindsets.
“Swayamvaraloka”, essentially a play of ideas, touches upon many issues and raises several questions. But the invisible voice of the playwright, who is also the navigator doesn’t, even for a moment, lull one into the belief that there are easy solutions or that they have lone, unambiguous answers. In fact, most often in the play, he throws together seemingly binary opposites, even as he deliberates if they are in fact opposites. For instance, he asks, ‘What is faith?’, ‘Isn’t faith fallacy too?’, ‘Are desire and denial two mutually exclusive concepts?’ and ‘Is the sacred ash potent enough? Enough to undermine human efforts?’ Akshara infuses these profound questions with force by getting the smaller, insignificant characters, who neither control the play nor play a momentous role in the larger scheme of things, to mouth them. A skilled craftsman and a theatre person himself, he weaves story within story, as if to say that there are answers only in the world of imagination what with the collapse of ideological super structures. That’s probably why the Russian of the near-fictional realm reminds the protagonist Ramakrishna Joyisa of the socialist movement from his past.
In a way, speaking of Akshara’s play is speaking of Abhinaya Taranga’s production of “Swayamvaraloka”, which was staged at H.N. Kalakshetra. It is evident that Prakash Belawadi, the director of the play, is in total admiration of the script. This at once becomes the writer’s as well as the director’s obligation to the crises of our times. It also explains the unedited, three-hour duration, so unusual for our times.
The sets were strikingly unusual. The play chose to get off the actual stage and occupy the centre of the auditorium. Minimalist it was, but effective. The two portions to it, which faced each other, seemed to prop up the basic premise of the play itself: tradition versus modernity. There was a distant, elevated screen on which multimedia visuals were being flashed to suit changing physical locations. This seemed to interfere with what was happening on stage, particularly with the play being extremely wordy and hence the anxiety of losing out. However, if Prakash was using it as a mere tool to establish the invasive powers of technology and not for any definitive effect, then one should perhaps grant him that.
The success of the stage production was also in the fact that it sharpens many contrasts which are subtle in the text. The rather opinionated Joyisa (Sripathi Manjanabailu), who always has answers in the past, holds his sons in contempt, votaries of modernity with worldly concerns. Towards, the end one sees him evolve towards introspection and a sympathetic realisation that his sons have little choice but to make compromises with the new economy and technology. What remains with you even after the play, is Kittu’s poignant comment about technology when a laptop enters their lives: “I feel scared Bhami… I somehow think the line between life and imagination is getting blurred…”
The scene which has Pu.Ti. Na’s poem “Shishira Kusuma…” was particularly effective. Kittu, played brilliantly by S.K. Raghavendra, speaks of journeys and anxieties, even as the song which celebrates the spirit of the place, plays in the background. It so wonderfully captures the notion of self with respect to the landscape that is so venerated, as opposed to the notion of self in modernity that looks upon land as commerce. And it is the very same Kittu who speaks of blurring lines, ushers you into the Swayamvaraloka in a Wordsworthian sense, with a suspension of disbelief. But with all this, the production doesn’t completely eliminate the danger of the hilarious element making light of the underlying sorrow. Also, what works in literature doesn’t necessarily work in the visual medium. There is the peril of the abstract not materialising as experience. And so, the play could have done with some editing. In a play of ideas, a character can slip into being either a caricature or a type. This is true of the text, and is true of the stage production too.
The Abhinaya Taranga students were no less than repertory-trained actors. They were very convincing and played their roles to near perfection. The music team was very competent too. The recurring “Barutihane Vaarijalochana” was beautiful, not just in the musical sense, but also as what it meant in the play. The production, marked by discipline, also showed signs of a serious engagement with the script. This is surely an effort that will stand Prakash Belawadi in good stead.
Abhinaya Taranga’s production of K.V. Akshara’s Swayamvaraloka tackles eternal conflicts without flogging a dead horse
Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy
COMMITTED ATTEMPT The actors were very convincing and played their roles to near perfection
At the outset, K.V. Akshara’s “Swayamvaraloka” is a story of the encounter between tradition and modernity. But it isn’t just one more in the list: it tells the tale in all its complexities, not merely mindless friction and ir rational resistance between generations and mindsets.
“Swayamvaraloka”, essentially a play of ideas, touches upon many issues and raises several questions. But the invisible voice of the playwright, who is also the navigator doesn’t, even for a moment, lull one into the belief that there are easy solutions or that they have lone, unambiguous answers. In fact, most often in the play, he throws together seemingly binary opposites, even as he deliberates if they are in fact opposites. For instance, he asks, ‘What is faith?’, ‘Isn’t faith fallacy too?’, ‘Are desire and denial two mutually exclusive concepts?’ and ‘Is the sacred ash potent enough? Enough to undermine human efforts?’ Akshara infuses these profound questions with force by getting the smaller, insignificant characters, who neither control the play nor play a momentous role in the larger scheme of things, to mouth them. A skilled craftsman and a theatre person himself, he weaves story within story, as if to say that there are answers only in the world of imagination what with the collapse of ideological super structures. That’s probably why the Russian of the near-fictional realm reminds the protagonist Ramakrishna Joyisa of the socialist movement from his past.
In a way, speaking of Akshara’s play is speaking of Abhinaya Taranga’s production of “Swayamvaraloka”, which was staged at H.N. Kalakshetra. It is evident that Prakash Belawadi, the director of the play, is in total admiration of the script. This at once becomes the writer’s as well as the director’s obligation to the crises of our times. It also explains the unedited, three-hour duration, so unusual for our times.
The sets were strikingly unusual. The play chose to get off the actual stage and occupy the centre of the auditorium. Minimalist it was, but effective. The two portions to it, which faced each other, seemed to prop up the basic premise of the play itself: tradition versus modernity. There was a distant, elevated screen on which multimedia visuals were being flashed to suit changing physical locations. This seemed to interfere with what was happening on stage, particularly with the play being extremely wordy and hence the anxiety of losing out. However, if Prakash was using it as a mere tool to establish the invasive powers of technology and not for any definitive effect, then one should perhaps grant him that.
The success of the stage production was also in the fact that it sharpens many contrasts which are subtle in the text. The rather opinionated Joyisa (Sripathi Manjanabailu), who always has answers in the past, holds his sons in contempt, votaries of modernity with worldly concerns. Towards, the end one sees him evolve towards introspection and a sympathetic realisation that his sons have little choice but to make compromises with the new economy and technology. What remains with you even after the play, is Kittu’s poignant comment about technology when a laptop enters their lives: “I feel scared Bhami… I somehow think the line between life and imagination is getting blurred…”
The scene which has Pu.Ti. Na’s poem “Shishira Kusuma…” was particularly effective. Kittu, played brilliantly by S.K. Raghavendra, speaks of journeys and anxieties, even as the song which celebrates the spirit of the place, plays in the background. It so wonderfully captures the notion of self with respect to the landscape that is so venerated, as opposed to the notion of self in modernity that looks upon land as commerce. And it is the very same Kittu who speaks of blurring lines, ushers you into the Swayamvaraloka in a Wordsworthian sense, with a suspension of disbelief. But with all this, the production doesn’t completely eliminate the danger of the hilarious element making light of the underlying sorrow. Also, what works in literature doesn’t necessarily work in the visual medium. There is the peril of the abstract not materialising as experience. And so, the play could have done with some editing. In a play of ideas, a character can slip into being either a caricature or a type. This is true of the text, and is true of the stage production too.
The Abhinaya Taranga students were no less than repertory-trained actors. They were very convincing and played their roles to near perfection. The music team was very competent too. The recurring “Barutihane Vaarijalochana” was beautiful, not just in the musical sense, but also as what it meant in the play. The production, marked by discipline, also showed signs of a serious engagement with the script. This is surely an effort that will stand Prakash Belawadi in good stead.
Page 329
Feudal lords from Lahore…
DIWAN SINGH BAJELI
“Uchchiyan Mijajan Wali”, a popular play from Pakistan, provided humour with a dash of faith.
WIT AND WISDOM A scene from the play.
“Uchchiyan Mijajan Wali” in Punjabi, which was presented by Dolphin Communication Theatre, Lahore (Pakistan) at Shri Ram centre recently under the auspices of Punjabi Academy, Delhi, is a play that belongs to performers. It provides enough room to the actors to improvise. The story line leaves much space for them to display their histrionic craft.
Despite its indictment of a feudal society that considers noble sentiments of love as a mere commodity, the dominant mood of the production is that of hilarity, frequently verging on burlesque. The sources of humour are dialogues spiced with colloquial wit, pun which are actor’s own inventions and exposure of pompous and hypocrite feudal lord. The unique styles of playing on words are mainly intended to offer ‘light entertainment’ to the audience. This has nothing to to do with the growth of characters.
The execution
The play is directed and written by Asma Butt. There are two locales – the room of a nautch-girl and the house of Choudhary – a feudal lord – who is determined to perpetuate his inhuman legacy. Defying his father’s wish, landlord’s son goes to town to study. When he comes back there is a conflict between the son and the father. The playwright also tries to create a love triangle. To humanise the socially disgraceful life of a nautch-girl, some elements from the life of Bulleh Shah, the greatest Sufi poet of Punjab who is revered by all communities for his pure life and high spiritual attainments, have been incorporated into the script. The way songs and dances are interspersed makes the production captivating, despite the fact that the conflict was not allowed to become intense and resolved in a hurry. The box set creates the right ambience and the costumes impart colour to the production.
The play has already 22 shows in different towns of Pakistan. This writer is told that for Indian production the comic element has been diluted and serious artistic elements have been incorporated to convey deep spiritual meaning of human love as embodies in the teachings of Bulleh Shah.
This is the first visit of the group to India. The group has been invited to stage Aj Aakhan Waris Shah Noon at National School of Drama’s Bharat Rang Mahotsav to be held in January, 2008 in New Delhi.
Amjad Rana and Zulfi as the servants of landlord are the cynosure of all eyes. As comic actors they reveal an impressive voice control coupled with the mercurial temperament of their characters and skillful use of gags. Zoya Khan as Dulari, the nautch-girl, in love with the son of the landlord, displays her talent as dancer. A self-taught artist, her dance numbers are characterised by range and variety of movements which have vitality and spontaneity. Suleman Sunny as the rebel son of the landlord and Zoya carry off their scenes effectively with emotional touch. Mazhoor Malik as Choudhary, the landlord, Aslam Mughal as Munshi, Rukhsan Khan as the fiancée of the landlord’s son and Iffat Choudhary as Phuphi give impressive performances.
DIWAN SINGH BAJELI
“Uchchiyan Mijajan Wali”, a popular play from Pakistan, provided humour with a dash of faith.
WIT AND WISDOM A scene from the play.
“Uchchiyan Mijajan Wali” in Punjabi, which was presented by Dolphin Communication Theatre, Lahore (Pakistan) at Shri Ram centre recently under the auspices of Punjabi Academy, Delhi, is a play that belongs to performers. It provides enough room to the actors to improvise. The story line leaves much space for them to display their histrionic craft.
Despite its indictment of a feudal society that considers noble sentiments of love as a mere commodity, the dominant mood of the production is that of hilarity, frequently verging on burlesque. The sources of humour are dialogues spiced with colloquial wit, pun which are actor’s own inventions and exposure of pompous and hypocrite feudal lord. The unique styles of playing on words are mainly intended to offer ‘light entertainment’ to the audience. This has nothing to to do with the growth of characters.
The execution
The play is directed and written by Asma Butt. There are two locales – the room of a nautch-girl and the house of Choudhary – a feudal lord – who is determined to perpetuate his inhuman legacy. Defying his father’s wish, landlord’s son goes to town to study. When he comes back there is a conflict between the son and the father. The playwright also tries to create a love triangle. To humanise the socially disgraceful life of a nautch-girl, some elements from the life of Bulleh Shah, the greatest Sufi poet of Punjab who is revered by all communities for his pure life and high spiritual attainments, have been incorporated into the script. The way songs and dances are interspersed makes the production captivating, despite the fact that the conflict was not allowed to become intense and resolved in a hurry. The box set creates the right ambience and the costumes impart colour to the production.
The play has already 22 shows in different towns of Pakistan. This writer is told that for Indian production the comic element has been diluted and serious artistic elements have been incorporated to convey deep spiritual meaning of human love as embodies in the teachings of Bulleh Shah.
This is the first visit of the group to India. The group has been invited to stage Aj Aakhan Waris Shah Noon at National School of Drama’s Bharat Rang Mahotsav to be held in January, 2008 in New Delhi.
Amjad Rana and Zulfi as the servants of landlord are the cynosure of all eyes. As comic actors they reveal an impressive voice control coupled with the mercurial temperament of their characters and skillful use of gags. Zoya Khan as Dulari, the nautch-girl, in love with the son of the landlord, displays her talent as dancer. A self-taught artist, her dance numbers are characterised by range and variety of movements which have vitality and spontaneity. Suleman Sunny as the rebel son of the landlord and Zoya carry off their scenes effectively with emotional touch. Mazhoor Malik as Choudhary, the landlord, Aslam Mughal as Munshi, Rukhsan Khan as the fiancée of the landlord’s son and Iffat Choudhary as Phuphi give impressive performances.
Page 328
A telling in faith
Shraddha, as part of the NSD festival, was an engaging production
Panchamukhi Nataka Sangha headed by Vinayaka Joshi recently, performed Srinivas Vaidya’s short story “Shraddha” recently, at Rangashankara as part of the NSD Festival. The play won the Thespo award last year. |This beautiful story i s about a father and a son, who communicate with each other, through the mother. And most conversations are about their everyday affairs.
In execution, the play is a simple and well-mixed display of theatrical arts – movement, dance, music and lights.
Simple stage
The stage setting was simple, with a running rostrum at the back of the stage, a pillar and two small platforms at the sides of the stage. The execution was impressive. The dialogues could have been much crisper.
One of the interesting elements of the plays is the depiction of the crow. One of the actors dons the garb of a crow and flies down to remind the son of the father from time to time. Right at the beginning of the play, one knows that the father is long gone. The son, Seena, builds a neat picture of his father by recounting tales of his antics as a child, in school, in the front yard, failing math. After all the stories, the son wonders if that is in fact the best way of paying homage to someone, through memories.
Four in one
Why are there four actors to play the role of Seena the son? This somehow doesn’t coalesce into the structure of the play.
Was each actor depicting Seena in his different ages? Look closely, this is not really true, all the four actors are involved in the storytelling throughout the play. This did create confusion, but managed to create great energy in the play. All the actors managed to retain the energy in the play.
The music is worth mentioning. The live singing and drums by Karthik and Ganesh added character to the story.
When the play ends, you are longing for more.
Shraddha, as part of the NSD festival, was an engaging production
Panchamukhi Nataka Sangha headed by Vinayaka Joshi recently, performed Srinivas Vaidya’s short story “Shraddha” recently, at Rangashankara as part of the NSD Festival. The play won the Thespo award last year. |This beautiful story i s about a father and a son, who communicate with each other, through the mother. And most conversations are about their everyday affairs.
In execution, the play is a simple and well-mixed display of theatrical arts – movement, dance, music and lights.
Simple stage
The stage setting was simple, with a running rostrum at the back of the stage, a pillar and two small platforms at the sides of the stage. The execution was impressive. The dialogues could have been much crisper.
One of the interesting elements of the plays is the depiction of the crow. One of the actors dons the garb of a crow and flies down to remind the son of the father from time to time. Right at the beginning of the play, one knows that the father is long gone. The son, Seena, builds a neat picture of his father by recounting tales of his antics as a child, in school, in the front yard, failing math. After all the stories, the son wonders if that is in fact the best way of paying homage to someone, through memories.
Four in one
Why are there four actors to play the role of Seena the son? This somehow doesn’t coalesce into the structure of the play.
Was each actor depicting Seena in his different ages? Look closely, this is not really true, all the four actors are involved in the storytelling throughout the play. This did create confusion, but managed to create great energy in the play. All the actors managed to retain the energy in the play.
The music is worth mentioning. The live singing and drums by Karthik and Ganesh added character to the story.
When the play ends, you are longing for more.
Page 327
Rivets with raw power
KAUSALYA SANTHANAM
‘Woyzeck,’ ushers in the international flavour.
OFFBEAT: Koothu-p-Pattarai’s Tamil version of a German play.
‘Woyzeck,’ a German classic, is based on the true incident of a man who murdered the mistress who betrayed him. The work by Georg Buchner is considered to have ushered in the beginnings of modernism in drama and displays the genius of a man who felt passionately about the plight of the underprivileged. Koothu-p-Pattarai is presenting the play for ten days (up to September 23, 3.30 and 7.30 p.m.) at the Alliance Francaise to celebrate its 30th anniversary. Directed by Gil Alon from Israel, the play has been translated into Tamil by N. Muthuswamy, Vinodhini and Babu.
‘Woyzeck (Tale of a Soldier)’ was written by Buchner in 1837. He died a few months later, at the age of 23, of typhus fever. The play was first staged in 1913. It was also staged as an opera and made into a critically acclaimed film. In the play, Woyzeck is a 30-year old poor soldier who has had a child through his mistress Marie. The Captain, who engages him to do small personal tasks, moralises to him.
The military doctor driven by his obsession for experiments uses Woyzeck as a guinea pig. He instructs him to take to an exclusive diet of peas and the simple soldier follows his words to the letter. But he is subject to hallucinations. When Marie is attracted to a drum major, Woyzeck welters in a stew of jealousy and helpless rage. Luring her to a pond, he stabs her fatally and gets rid of the knife.
Set in the navy
Gil Alon with his experience in the theatre in various countries gave the production a raw power which kept the viewer totally absorbed and tried to root it in the Tamil milieu. This version was set in the navy and the uniforms of the men sparkled. The use of the visuals (video art: dhu raa ki films) amplified the effects but were they necessary at all?
The actors except for a few seemed to find it difficult to shake off their self- consciousness. The female supporting actors in their tight short dresses tried hard to get their act together. Indian costumes for the women here might have worked better. If there was one actor who was thoroughly unselfconscious in her sensuality, it was Aparna Gopinath. Aparna has the quality of incandescence and confidence that lights up any role.
Somasundaram as Woyzeck tried to match up to the demands of a role which is difficult to realise and succeeded to some extent. Anandsami, however, as the mad doctor managed to put the character across in all its eccentricity and self-centredness. The sermonising captain (Ramakrishnan) too came across well. Periyathambi as the landlord whose quelling glance made the unruly revellers disperse was effective.
The Western and Indian elements were in a medley. The sacred and the profane, the local and the alien jostled together and sometimes failed to cohere in an integrated vision. The effects could have been attained without the explicit scenes.
Despite the inability to connect fully, ‘Woyzeck,’ with its production values, the carefully chosen music (the interlude verses between the scenes was a debatable choice), the lighting design and the deliberately near-empty stage, marks yet another milestone in the growth of the group. Koothu-p-Pattarai through ‘Woyzeck’ once again succeeds in bringing international theatre in Tamil to Chennai.
KAUSALYA SANTHANAM
‘Woyzeck,’ ushers in the international flavour.
OFFBEAT: Koothu-p-Pattarai’s Tamil version of a German play.
‘Woyzeck,’ a German classic, is based on the true incident of a man who murdered the mistress who betrayed him. The work by Georg Buchner is considered to have ushered in the beginnings of modernism in drama and displays the genius of a man who felt passionately about the plight of the underprivileged. Koothu-p-Pattarai is presenting the play for ten days (up to September 23, 3.30 and 7.30 p.m.) at the Alliance Francaise to celebrate its 30th anniversary. Directed by Gil Alon from Israel, the play has been translated into Tamil by N. Muthuswamy, Vinodhini and Babu.
‘Woyzeck (Tale of a Soldier)’ was written by Buchner in 1837. He died a few months later, at the age of 23, of typhus fever. The play was first staged in 1913. It was also staged as an opera and made into a critically acclaimed film. In the play, Woyzeck is a 30-year old poor soldier who has had a child through his mistress Marie. The Captain, who engages him to do small personal tasks, moralises to him.
The military doctor driven by his obsession for experiments uses Woyzeck as a guinea pig. He instructs him to take to an exclusive diet of peas and the simple soldier follows his words to the letter. But he is subject to hallucinations. When Marie is attracted to a drum major, Woyzeck welters in a stew of jealousy and helpless rage. Luring her to a pond, he stabs her fatally and gets rid of the knife.
Set in the navy
Gil Alon with his experience in the theatre in various countries gave the production a raw power which kept the viewer totally absorbed and tried to root it in the Tamil milieu. This version was set in the navy and the uniforms of the men sparkled. The use of the visuals (video art: dhu raa ki films) amplified the effects but were they necessary at all?
The actors except for a few seemed to find it difficult to shake off their self- consciousness. The female supporting actors in their tight short dresses tried hard to get their act together. Indian costumes for the women here might have worked better. If there was one actor who was thoroughly unselfconscious in her sensuality, it was Aparna Gopinath. Aparna has the quality of incandescence and confidence that lights up any role.
Somasundaram as Woyzeck tried to match up to the demands of a role which is difficult to realise and succeeded to some extent. Anandsami, however, as the mad doctor managed to put the character across in all its eccentricity and self-centredness. The sermonising captain (Ramakrishnan) too came across well. Periyathambi as the landlord whose quelling glance made the unruly revellers disperse was effective.
The Western and Indian elements were in a medley. The sacred and the profane, the local and the alien jostled together and sometimes failed to cohere in an integrated vision. The effects could have been attained without the explicit scenes.
Despite the inability to connect fully, ‘Woyzeck,’ with its production values, the carefully chosen music (the interlude verses between the scenes was a debatable choice), the lighting design and the deliberately near-empty stage, marks yet another milestone in the growth of the group. Koothu-p-Pattarai through ‘Woyzeck’ once again succeeds in bringing international theatre in Tamil to Chennai.
Page 326
Waiting for some justice
DIWAN SINGH BAJELI
Director Jitendra Mittal’s “Ek Bayaan” is a poignant play on a man framed in a murder case and the consequent ruin of his family.
Touching A scene from “Ek Bayaan”.
The harrowing experience of the family of an educated man framed in a murder case has been depicted aptly in “Ek Bayaan”, presented by Yayavar Rangmandal from Lucknow at Sahitya Kala Parishad’s auditorium in Janakpuri recently.
Conceived, written and directed by Jitendra Mittal, the play is based on the script developed during a theatre workshop conducted by Mittal with prisoners in Adarsh Karagar, Lucknow. The participants were all murder convicts. Mittal managed to get permission to stage his workshop production for the public. The tremendous response of the audience to a show by prisoners inspired the director to write a script on his observation of the life of prisoners and their world. The play has had several performances in Lucknow, apart from its shows at National School of Drama’s Bharat Mohatsav-2003, Jaipur, Udaipur and Allahabad.
The central character is Avinash Goswami, a teacher and an intellectual, who is revered by society and his students. He is living a happy life with his wife and two children — a daughter and a son. Suddenly his world is thrown upside down, as he is framed in the murder of his dear friend and colleague. With the stigma of a murderer, he is rotting in prison, waiting for justice.
Though the plot is thin, the director-playwright and his cast offer intense and provocative moments. The entire action takes place in prison; the pathetic story of the teacher is revealed through the interactions between him and his wife, Rewa Goswami, who comes to meet him. Devastated, demoralised and insulted, the wife tells the husband about the destruction of the family — the girl has turned into a prostitute and the boy has become a drug addict. But the wife continues to stand by her husband in the face of adversity as she is sure of his innocence.
We are also touched by the humanity of the prison inmates. Karim Ulla is a bully but has a soft corner for the teacher. Munna, being tried for a murder case, is a simple and honest man but is bold enough to fight the perpetrators of violence against the weak and vulnerable. He has killed a village tyrant to protect a hapless person.
Dominant mood
Though the dominant mood in the production is one of despair, a brief flashback sequence showing the college days of husband and wife when they were young and in love, dreaming of a future full of beauty and love, sharpens the irony in the lives of the couple and heightens the atmosphere of pathos.
The script has a few flaws though. The characterisations tend to be sketchy. Rewa Goswami resorts to a long monologue, projecting her traumatic life and the ruin of her family. This makes the thematic element more obvious. The need is to make it more complex and intricate.
The production conveys a sense of defeat and the characters are vulnerable enough to be crushed by the weight of an unjust social order.
Lalit Singh Pokhariya in the leading role of Avinash Goswami imparts sensitive and emotionally restrained touches to his portrayal. A graduate from Bharatendu Natya Sansthan, he is a fine poet, writer and actor. Roji Dubey as the wife of Avinash Goswami creates a moving portrait of a woman forced to witness the tragic disintegration of her family. Mohammad Hafiz as Karim Ulla, Vijay Mishra as Munna and Anil Shukla as jailor Mishra radiate human warmth.
DIWAN SINGH BAJELI
Director Jitendra Mittal’s “Ek Bayaan” is a poignant play on a man framed in a murder case and the consequent ruin of his family.
Touching A scene from “Ek Bayaan”.
The harrowing experience of the family of an educated man framed in a murder case has been depicted aptly in “Ek Bayaan”, presented by Yayavar Rangmandal from Lucknow at Sahitya Kala Parishad’s auditorium in Janakpuri recently.
Conceived, written and directed by Jitendra Mittal, the play is based on the script developed during a theatre workshop conducted by Mittal with prisoners in Adarsh Karagar, Lucknow. The participants were all murder convicts. Mittal managed to get permission to stage his workshop production for the public. The tremendous response of the audience to a show by prisoners inspired the director to write a script on his observation of the life of prisoners and their world. The play has had several performances in Lucknow, apart from its shows at National School of Drama’s Bharat Mohatsav-2003, Jaipur, Udaipur and Allahabad.
The central character is Avinash Goswami, a teacher and an intellectual, who is revered by society and his students. He is living a happy life with his wife and two children — a daughter and a son. Suddenly his world is thrown upside down, as he is framed in the murder of his dear friend and colleague. With the stigma of a murderer, he is rotting in prison, waiting for justice.
Though the plot is thin, the director-playwright and his cast offer intense and provocative moments. The entire action takes place in prison; the pathetic story of the teacher is revealed through the interactions between him and his wife, Rewa Goswami, who comes to meet him. Devastated, demoralised and insulted, the wife tells the husband about the destruction of the family — the girl has turned into a prostitute and the boy has become a drug addict. But the wife continues to stand by her husband in the face of adversity as she is sure of his innocence.
We are also touched by the humanity of the prison inmates. Karim Ulla is a bully but has a soft corner for the teacher. Munna, being tried for a murder case, is a simple and honest man but is bold enough to fight the perpetrators of violence against the weak and vulnerable. He has killed a village tyrant to protect a hapless person.
Dominant mood
Though the dominant mood in the production is one of despair, a brief flashback sequence showing the college days of husband and wife when they were young and in love, dreaming of a future full of beauty and love, sharpens the irony in the lives of the couple and heightens the atmosphere of pathos.
The script has a few flaws though. The characterisations tend to be sketchy. Rewa Goswami resorts to a long monologue, projecting her traumatic life and the ruin of her family. This makes the thematic element more obvious. The need is to make it more complex and intricate.
The production conveys a sense of defeat and the characters are vulnerable enough to be crushed by the weight of an unjust social order.
Lalit Singh Pokhariya in the leading role of Avinash Goswami imparts sensitive and emotionally restrained touches to his portrayal. A graduate from Bharatendu Natya Sansthan, he is a fine poet, writer and actor. Roji Dubey as the wife of Avinash Goswami creates a moving portrait of a woman forced to witness the tragic disintegration of her family. Mohammad Hafiz as Karim Ulla, Vijay Mishra as Munna and Anil Shukla as jailor Mishra radiate human warmth.
Page 325
Preserving an artistic tradition
K.K. GOPALAKRISHNAN
The third in a series of Koodiyattom recitals, performed by a few up-and-coming artistes, was staged in Thrissur recently.
Veera-sringara: Ammannur Rajaneesh Chakyar as Bheema.
Koodiyattom, the ancient Sanskrit theatre, is unique to Kerala. Although the UNESCO has recognised Koodiyattom as the “intangible cultural heritage of humanity,” not many in Kerala follow the nuances of this form of theatre. As a result, stages and performances are few and far in between.
In this backdrop, a few up-and-coming Koodiyattom artistes in Thrissur and around have come up with a novel plan of arranging a monthly performance in Thrissur so as to earn enough stage experience (rangaparichaya) and create a space of their own.
It is also an opportunity for art lovers to familiarise themselves with the technical and aesthetics of the art form.
Abridged versions
Lengthy traditional performances have been abridged to 90-minute recitals that deal with each sloka in its order.
It is preceded by a detailed lecture-demonstration of about 30 minutes. The plays are staged by alumni of Kerala Kalamandalam and artistes of Ammannur Chachuchakyar Smaraka Gurukulam.
‘Kalyanasoughandhigam,’ authored by Neelakandakavi of the 8th century, was selected as the first story for this venture.
The first two programmes of the series were staged in July and August with Pothiyil Ranjit Chakyar and Sooraj Nambiar in the role of Bheema and Panchali respectively
The third in the series, held at Thekkemadham Hall in Thrissur, had Ammannur Rajaneesh Chakyar in the role of Bheema. He interpreted the sloka ‘aho mahanayam nayanotsava ihahi,’ which shows Bheema in veera-sringara.
Rajaneesh depicted the Devas and the Gandharvas and their women dancing and singing. The subsequent scene was that of a group of asuras and their women revelling and playing a game of dice.
Rhythmic support on the mizhavu was provided by a team comprising Rajeev, Hariharan and Narayanan Nambiar, all former students of Kalamandalam. Kalanilayam Unnikrishnan was on the edaka.
K.K. GOPALAKRISHNAN
The third in a series of Koodiyattom recitals, performed by a few up-and-coming artistes, was staged in Thrissur recently.
Veera-sringara: Ammannur Rajaneesh Chakyar as Bheema.
Koodiyattom, the ancient Sanskrit theatre, is unique to Kerala. Although the UNESCO has recognised Koodiyattom as the “intangible cultural heritage of humanity,” not many in Kerala follow the nuances of this form of theatre. As a result, stages and performances are few and far in between.
In this backdrop, a few up-and-coming Koodiyattom artistes in Thrissur and around have come up with a novel plan of arranging a monthly performance in Thrissur so as to earn enough stage experience (rangaparichaya) and create a space of their own.
It is also an opportunity for art lovers to familiarise themselves with the technical and aesthetics of the art form.
Abridged versions
Lengthy traditional performances have been abridged to 90-minute recitals that deal with each sloka in its order.
It is preceded by a detailed lecture-demonstration of about 30 minutes. The plays are staged by alumni of Kerala Kalamandalam and artistes of Ammannur Chachuchakyar Smaraka Gurukulam.
‘Kalyanasoughandhigam,’ authored by Neelakandakavi of the 8th century, was selected as the first story for this venture.
The first two programmes of the series were staged in July and August with Pothiyil Ranjit Chakyar and Sooraj Nambiar in the role of Bheema and Panchali respectively
The third in the series, held at Thekkemadham Hall in Thrissur, had Ammannur Rajaneesh Chakyar in the role of Bheema. He interpreted the sloka ‘aho mahanayam nayanotsava ihahi,’ which shows Bheema in veera-sringara.
Rajaneesh depicted the Devas and the Gandharvas and their women dancing and singing. The subsequent scene was that of a group of asuras and their women revelling and playing a game of dice.
Rhythmic support on the mizhavu was provided by a team comprising Rajeev, Hariharan and Narayanan Nambiar, all former students of Kalamandalam. Kalanilayam Unnikrishnan was on the edaka.
Page 324
Powerful depiction
Odalala, after 99 shows, still exudes the same power as it first did. Much of the original cast still play their roles
POWERFUL Umashree’s detailed characterisation of the old wise woman was gut wrenching
Devanuru Mahadeva’s Odalaala’s first dramatic version saw light in the late Seventies. It was resurrected recently in 2006, after the demise of its famous director C.G. Krishna Swamy. Ranga Sampada performed the 99th sh ow of the same play at the closing of the NSD festival, at Ranga Shankara recently.
It is indeed a rare and a fortunate experience to catch a near original cast of actors perform their successful play. This version of Ranga Sampada’s Odalaala had some of the actors from the original show in donning the same roles. Umashree played the role that made her famous as Sakavva, Ramamurthy played Dafedar Shankara, and Mico Chandru essayed the role of a speech impaired villager.
Odalaala stands as a strong illustration of a story that has been adapted into a play. The plot is complex and social in nature, and is set in a village struggling with caste biases, tyranny of the haves over the have nots, and of strong people made weak by the sheer force of a system. This becomes the crux of the story – of how Sakavva, a visibly old and frail person, stands stoically amidst all her concerns, fears and woes – still struggling to get a hold, not just for herself, but for her entire family. CGK’s choice of the story for a play perhaps represents the theatre of the Seventies in Bangalore which was more leftist in nature.
Perpetual struggles
Sakavva has toiled all her life as a dalit woman, a manual worker to make some property for her self and her family. They are the only constants in her ever insecure life. She is constantly dodging the fear of losing all of it to the cunning schemes of her daughter-in-law, or to the evil zamindar. She taunts her daughters-in-law and harasses her sons for not keeping a check on their wives. Her sons live with her and depend on her for their lives. They fight, bicker throughout the play only to come together at the end as a family eating a meal together. This has for long been a motif of a happy family, only this evening is torn apart by the police who barge in looking for thieves. The pain and conflict in the lives of these poor, helpless lot are shown in the way the family crumbles to social injustice that is heaped on them. They are targeted by the SI, because of a wrong tip off. It is always a treat o see Umashree on stage. Her detailed characterisation of the old wise woman is gut wrenching. She is at one time the belittling mother, and at the same time brimming with maternal instincts. While the play is full of scores of other actors, the only other who stands out is Mico Chandru. What was disappointing though was the set changes. This seemed like a long and laborious process and made one wonder how this was still not mastered after 99 shows.
Odalala, after 99 shows, still exudes the same power as it first did. Much of the original cast still play their roles
POWERFUL Umashree’s detailed characterisation of the old wise woman was gut wrenching
Devanuru Mahadeva’s Odalaala’s first dramatic version saw light in the late Seventies. It was resurrected recently in 2006, after the demise of its famous director C.G. Krishna Swamy. Ranga Sampada performed the 99th sh ow of the same play at the closing of the NSD festival, at Ranga Shankara recently.
It is indeed a rare and a fortunate experience to catch a near original cast of actors perform their successful play. This version of Ranga Sampada’s Odalaala had some of the actors from the original show in donning the same roles. Umashree played the role that made her famous as Sakavva, Ramamurthy played Dafedar Shankara, and Mico Chandru essayed the role of a speech impaired villager.
Odalaala stands as a strong illustration of a story that has been adapted into a play. The plot is complex and social in nature, and is set in a village struggling with caste biases, tyranny of the haves over the have nots, and of strong people made weak by the sheer force of a system. This becomes the crux of the story – of how Sakavva, a visibly old and frail person, stands stoically amidst all her concerns, fears and woes – still struggling to get a hold, not just for herself, but for her entire family. CGK’s choice of the story for a play perhaps represents the theatre of the Seventies in Bangalore which was more leftist in nature.
Perpetual struggles
Sakavva has toiled all her life as a dalit woman, a manual worker to make some property for her self and her family. They are the only constants in her ever insecure life. She is constantly dodging the fear of losing all of it to the cunning schemes of her daughter-in-law, or to the evil zamindar. She taunts her daughters-in-law and harasses her sons for not keeping a check on their wives. Her sons live with her and depend on her for their lives. They fight, bicker throughout the play only to come together at the end as a family eating a meal together. This has for long been a motif of a happy family, only this evening is torn apart by the police who barge in looking for thieves. The pain and conflict in the lives of these poor, helpless lot are shown in the way the family crumbles to social injustice that is heaped on them. They are targeted by the SI, because of a wrong tip off. It is always a treat o see Umashree on stage. Her detailed characterisation of the old wise woman is gut wrenching. She is at one time the belittling mother, and at the same time brimming with maternal instincts. While the play is full of scores of other actors, the only other who stands out is Mico Chandru. What was disappointing though was the set changes. This seemed like a long and laborious process and made one wonder how this was still not mastered after 99 shows.
Page 323
Keeping history alive dramatically
DIWAN SINGH BAJELI
The Bheel tribe from Rajasthan performs Gavari, a living piece of ritualistic theatre, around this time of the year.
AWAKENING A scene from the play “Gavari “.
They call him Budia. He wears a wooden mask and red half pants.He holds a stick which has a piece of red cloth wrapped on top. He is believed to be the omnipotent, omniscient and the creator of the world. He moves back and forth in a circle, while t he dancers move in the opposite direction. The brass plate and a drum called madal are the music accompaniments.
The villagers sit in an outer circle that creates a kind of arena. There is a perfect rapport between the spectators and the performers. The performance goes on for hours and is often resumed in the night.
These are the kind of ritualistic scenes one can witnessin the villages of Bheels in Udaipur,Rajasthan these days. This several centuries old performance is known as Gavari. It has its origin in Lord Shiva’s encounter with Bhasmasur, a demon who wanted to destroy him with a view to kidnap Parvati to fulfil his carnal passion. Lord Shiva, is however, protected by Vishnu, who reduced Bhasmasur to ashes by employing a clever modus operandi.
While burning, he asked Lord Shiva for forgiveness and asked him to grant his last wish that he be remembered in future. The tribal theatre, Gavari, is said to be a fulfilment of Bhasmasur’s last wish. It is also believed that Gavari is the daughter of Himal-Bheel, who comes to visit her parents once in a year during Rakshabandhan.
Ritualistic theatre
What make Gavari a dynamic and living piece of ritualistic theatre of Bheel tribe are the theatrical elements like music, dance, dramatic dialogue and commentary. The narrative is laced with mythological stories and also projects lives of local tribes. Light-hearted acts also form a part of this performance. In course of its enactment, several spectators go into trance, and participate in the dance.
Some of the villages in the rural areas of Udaipur have mixed population that includes Bheels, Rajputs, carpenters, porters and Muslims. Though participation in Gavari is reserved for Bheel males, people from other communitiesalso contribute to the annual event in different ways. While the carpenters make wooden masks for performers, porters make elephants and Muslims contribute in terms of the ration that needs to be served to the participants. The performers eat only one time and that too only vegetarian, maintain celibacy and stay away from home in the temple. The villagers from other communities, including Muslims, stop eating non-vegetarian food during the days of Gavari rituals. This is a manifestation of collectivism. This unique tribal art form has survived over the centuries by a collective will of society and, in turn, it has helped to develop a harmonious social relationship.
The Bheels are marginalised farmers, whose pastoral life has been endangered by stringent forest laws. As a result they are forced to work on construction sites. But during Gavari celebrations, they stop work.
The main characters of Gavari are Budia with a wooden mask that symbolises Lord Shiva and Bhasmasur. There are two rayeean – one represents Parvati and the other, Mohini, the enchantress who destroyed Bhasmasur. They wear similar costumes, act in an identical manner and when they are put to questions they reply in unison. Kutkadiya is another important character who, like a narrator, directs the whole programme and comments on the coming episode. During interludes dancers take the space.
In the whole presentation, the character of Bhopa occupies principal place. He is possessed with Bhairav, the manifestation of Lord Shiva, who frequently goes into trance and holds an iron chain. Other characters can be broadly categorized as gods, men and animals.
Living the part
As a form Gavari has tremendous theatrical relevance to the creation of a modern indigenous theatre. On surface, Gavari appears to be similar to Brechtian epic theatre but it has no concept of alienation. In The performers live their characters. Its powerful music is capable of expressing wide gamut of human emotions. Its distinct acting style, in which the entire body of performer becomes a vehicle of expression, and its capacity to transcend the barriers of time, space and place can enrich modern Indian theatre. Unfortunately, contemporary theatre scholars and practitioners remain unaware of this great tribal tradition of Bheel people. It was only in 1984, Bhanu Bharti, an eminent theatre director, brought his production of K.N. Panikkar’s play “Pashu Gayatri” in Mewari version to Delhi in Gavari style with tribal performers. Ever since Bhanu with his Disha Natya Sansthan, Udaipur and his tribal artists have produced some landmark productions like “Kaal Katha” and “Amarbeej”.
Meanwhile, it is time for the finale of Gavari ritualistic drama, which is marked by colour and religious fervour.
DIWAN SINGH BAJELI
The Bheel tribe from Rajasthan performs Gavari, a living piece of ritualistic theatre, around this time of the year.
AWAKENING A scene from the play “Gavari “.
They call him Budia. He wears a wooden mask and red half pants.He holds a stick which has a piece of red cloth wrapped on top. He is believed to be the omnipotent, omniscient and the creator of the world. He moves back and forth in a circle, while t he dancers move in the opposite direction. The brass plate and a drum called madal are the music accompaniments.
The villagers sit in an outer circle that creates a kind of arena. There is a perfect rapport between the spectators and the performers. The performance goes on for hours and is often resumed in the night.
These are the kind of ritualistic scenes one can witnessin the villages of Bheels in Udaipur,Rajasthan these days. This several centuries old performance is known as Gavari. It has its origin in Lord Shiva’s encounter with Bhasmasur, a demon who wanted to destroy him with a view to kidnap Parvati to fulfil his carnal passion. Lord Shiva, is however, protected by Vishnu, who reduced Bhasmasur to ashes by employing a clever modus operandi.
While burning, he asked Lord Shiva for forgiveness and asked him to grant his last wish that he be remembered in future. The tribal theatre, Gavari, is said to be a fulfilment of Bhasmasur’s last wish. It is also believed that Gavari is the daughter of Himal-Bheel, who comes to visit her parents once in a year during Rakshabandhan.
Ritualistic theatre
What make Gavari a dynamic and living piece of ritualistic theatre of Bheel tribe are the theatrical elements like music, dance, dramatic dialogue and commentary. The narrative is laced with mythological stories and also projects lives of local tribes. Light-hearted acts also form a part of this performance. In course of its enactment, several spectators go into trance, and participate in the dance.
Some of the villages in the rural areas of Udaipur have mixed population that includes Bheels, Rajputs, carpenters, porters and Muslims. Though participation in Gavari is reserved for Bheel males, people from other communitiesalso contribute to the annual event in different ways. While the carpenters make wooden masks for performers, porters make elephants and Muslims contribute in terms of the ration that needs to be served to the participants. The performers eat only one time and that too only vegetarian, maintain celibacy and stay away from home in the temple. The villagers from other communities, including Muslims, stop eating non-vegetarian food during the days of Gavari rituals. This is a manifestation of collectivism. This unique tribal art form has survived over the centuries by a collective will of society and, in turn, it has helped to develop a harmonious social relationship.
The Bheels are marginalised farmers, whose pastoral life has been endangered by stringent forest laws. As a result they are forced to work on construction sites. But during Gavari celebrations, they stop work.
The main characters of Gavari are Budia with a wooden mask that symbolises Lord Shiva and Bhasmasur. There are two rayeean – one represents Parvati and the other, Mohini, the enchantress who destroyed Bhasmasur. They wear similar costumes, act in an identical manner and when they are put to questions they reply in unison. Kutkadiya is another important character who, like a narrator, directs the whole programme and comments on the coming episode. During interludes dancers take the space.
In the whole presentation, the character of Bhopa occupies principal place. He is possessed with Bhairav, the manifestation of Lord Shiva, who frequently goes into trance and holds an iron chain. Other characters can be broadly categorized as gods, men and animals.
Living the part
As a form Gavari has tremendous theatrical relevance to the creation of a modern indigenous theatre. On surface, Gavari appears to be similar to Brechtian epic theatre but it has no concept of alienation. In The performers live their characters. Its powerful music is capable of expressing wide gamut of human emotions. Its distinct acting style, in which the entire body of performer becomes a vehicle of expression, and its capacity to transcend the barriers of time, space and place can enrich modern Indian theatre. Unfortunately, contemporary theatre scholars and practitioners remain unaware of this great tribal tradition of Bheel people. It was only in 1984, Bhanu Bharti, an eminent theatre director, brought his production of K.N. Panikkar’s play “Pashu Gayatri” in Mewari version to Delhi in Gavari style with tribal performers. Ever since Bhanu with his Disha Natya Sansthan, Udaipur and his tribal artists have produced some landmark productions like “Kaal Katha” and “Amarbeej”.
Meanwhile, it is time for the finale of Gavari ritualistic drama, which is marked by colour and religious fervour.
Page 322
Eternal literature
GUDIPOODI SRIHARI
Telugu University held Jayanti celebrations of Gurazada Appa Rao and Boyi Bheemana.
Act time A scene from one of the plays at the jayanti celebrations.
The Potti Sriramulu Telugu University was busy last week in holding the Jayanti celebrations of two great literary figures – Gurazada Appa Rao and Boyi Bheemanna at its auditorium, in a space of two days. A play was staged as a tribute to that genius playwright and poet Gurazada. ‘Mahakavi Gurazada’s Jayanti’ brought into focus ‘Kanyasulkam’, Gurazada’s immortal drama that was written more than a hundred years ago. Speakers said that the play continued to enjoy popularity among theatre and literature lovers as well, for it is considered as a literary masterpiece written in modern Telugu. Vice-Chancellor of the Telugu University Ms. Manjulatha and Prof. P. Gowri Sankar, Director of International Telugu Centrer, reiterated this point in their address and called Gurazada as Vaitalika (harbinger) of Modern Telugu.
A play Mandi Manishi by the students of Theatre Department of Telugu University was also staged under the supervision of Prof. Bittu Venkateswarlu as a tribute to Gurazada. The play was written by Dr. Avantsa Somasundaram in 1918, adapting a German play by Ernest Tollor. This was directed by M. Phil student Raghuveer Gowd. It was more an ‘expressionist’ play, staged during the industrial revolution, where the labour is against an industrialist. Anuradha played that role of a humanist, interestingly. Venugopala Rao appeared in the nameless character. Margadarsi, a jail warden, was played by Nagaraj Naik. L. Venkateswarlu played Sonia’s husbandThe sets and costumes are intelligently improvised by the artistes of the department. And all the artistes gave a sensible presentation of their roles . For the purpose of set changes, they added some group singing in Greek style. The audience included some big names of the theatre. Celebrating Boyi Bheemanna’s 97th Jayanthi two days earlier at the same venue, speakers recalled how Bheemanna, a Padmabhushan, let the voice of the Dalits heard, read and seen in his poetry and plays. Former Chief Secretary of A. P. Government Kaki Madhava Rao saidthat he got his inspiration, as a five year old child, after watching Bheemanna’s play Paleru.. Vice-chancellor Avula Manjulatha said that the ‘Boyi Bheemanna Sahiytya Peetham’ and Telugu University would jointly take up printing of unpublished works of Bheemanna including the English translation of some of Bheemanna’s works. Secretary of Human Rights Commission, Dr. Chellappa, Dr. A. Vidyasagar and poet and literary critic Addepalli Ramamohan Rao also spoke analysing some of Bheemanna’s works.
GUDIPOODI SRIHARI
Telugu University held Jayanti celebrations of Gurazada Appa Rao and Boyi Bheemana.
Act time A scene from one of the plays at the jayanti celebrations.
The Potti Sriramulu Telugu University was busy last week in holding the Jayanti celebrations of two great literary figures – Gurazada Appa Rao and Boyi Bheemanna at its auditorium, in a space of two days. A play was staged as a tribute to that genius playwright and poet Gurazada. ‘Mahakavi Gurazada’s Jayanti’ brought into focus ‘Kanyasulkam’, Gurazada’s immortal drama that was written more than a hundred years ago. Speakers said that the play continued to enjoy popularity among theatre and literature lovers as well, for it is considered as a literary masterpiece written in modern Telugu. Vice-Chancellor of the Telugu University Ms. Manjulatha and Prof. P. Gowri Sankar, Director of International Telugu Centrer, reiterated this point in their address and called Gurazada as Vaitalika (harbinger) of Modern Telugu.
A play Mandi Manishi by the students of Theatre Department of Telugu University was also staged under the supervision of Prof. Bittu Venkateswarlu as a tribute to Gurazada. The play was written by Dr. Avantsa Somasundaram in 1918, adapting a German play by Ernest Tollor. This was directed by M. Phil student Raghuveer Gowd. It was more an ‘expressionist’ play, staged during the industrial revolution, where the labour is against an industrialist. Anuradha played that role of a humanist, interestingly. Venugopala Rao appeared in the nameless character. Margadarsi, a jail warden, was played by Nagaraj Naik. L. Venkateswarlu played Sonia’s husbandThe sets and costumes are intelligently improvised by the artistes of the department. And all the artistes gave a sensible presentation of their roles . For the purpose of set changes, they added some group singing in Greek style. The audience included some big names of the theatre. Celebrating Boyi Bheemanna’s 97th Jayanthi two days earlier at the same venue, speakers recalled how Bheemanna, a Padmabhushan, let the voice of the Dalits heard, read and seen in his poetry and plays. Former Chief Secretary of A. P. Government Kaki Madhava Rao saidthat he got his inspiration, as a five year old child, after watching Bheemanna’s play Paleru.. Vice-chancellor Avula Manjulatha said that the ‘Boyi Bheemanna Sahiytya Peetham’ and Telugu University would jointly take up printing of unpublished works of Bheemanna including the English translation of some of Bheemanna’s works. Secretary of Human Rights Commission, Dr. Chellappa, Dr. A. Vidyasagar and poet and literary critic Addepalli Ramamohan Rao also spoke analysing some of Bheemanna’s works.
Page 320
Ties that bind and catch
DIWAN SINGH BAJELI
C.D. Sidhu’s “Mangoo Aur Bikkar” offers a slice of real life.
HUMANE A scene from the play.
“Mangoo Aur Bikkar” by Sahitya Akademi Award-winning playwright C.D. Sidhu, presented by Collegiate Drama Society at India Habitat Centre recently, is a bitter comment on the young people who abdicate their obligations to look after their old and ailing parents. At another level it celebrates deep human bonds that still exist in a rural milieu.
Set in the rural landscape of Punjab, the play had its premier nearly 20 years ago, its revival evoked encouraging response from the audience. Despite a lapse of two decades, the play appears all the more relevant today.
Director Ravi Taneja has aptly conceived his production on an open-air stage which brings about immediacy between the performers and the audience and is able to bring out the best from the team of his amateur but experienced actors.
As the title of the play suggests, it revolves round two elderly people – Mangoo and Bikkar. Mangoo is 75-year-old and his uncle Bikkar is 90. They are all alone; Mangoo’s children, two sons and a daughter, are settled in cities. Mangoo has full faith in his children that they would stand by him in case of emergency. Life is not a bed of roses for the elderly people in the village but Mangoo, a retired village teacher, is managing to cultivate his land to make both ends meet and look after his old uncle who is solely dependent on him. Despite hardship, the harmonious social life offers them some moment of small joys. Suddenly the lives of the uncle and the nephew take a critical turn when Mangoo’s leg is fractured in an accident.
At this point the playwright brings all the dramatic personae at the home of the elderly people in the village bringing to fore the conflict between the bed-ridden Mangoo and his two sons and a married daughter. In the process the empty lives of his offspring and their mean mentality stand exposed. Woven in is the love-hate relationship between Mangoo and his uncle.
Their frequent quarrels and bickering are marked by the bitterness, helplessness and a sense of defeat and loneliness. At times their quarrels become ridiculously humorous. When they become tired of fighting they discover a kind of mutual love and attachment for each other.
Ulterior motives
As the play moves towards climax in a cohesive way, Mangoo sees through the ulterior motives of his offspring who have not come to see their bed-ridden father but to grab their share in his landed property. The play projects both its rural ambience and characters in a style that is down-to-earth. This enables the audience to strike an emotional cord with the characters and deeply empathise with the plight of the old and ailing. .
Ravi Taneja delivers a brilliant performance as Mangoo.
His Mangoo is emotionally involved in the care of his uncle and is ready to sacrifice his own happiness for his sake –At the time of the premier of the play Ravi performed the role of Bikkar.
Sita Ram as Bikkar imparts impressive touches to his portrayal of an effete old man bringing alive the senility, the helplessness, the insecurity and the suffering of a parasite.
Dhirendra Gupta as Nishan Singh, a village farmer who is providing the helpless old people with food and his company and Chetna Chowdhary as Gurpreet Kaur, a young widow who has dedicated her life to serve her old in-laws act admirably.
Saharsh Bhalla as Rawail Singh, a village student, symbolises the obsession of Punjabi rural youth to go abroad with the fantasy of making it big.
DIWAN SINGH BAJELI
C.D. Sidhu’s “Mangoo Aur Bikkar” offers a slice of real life.
HUMANE A scene from the play.
“Mangoo Aur Bikkar” by Sahitya Akademi Award-winning playwright C.D. Sidhu, presented by Collegiate Drama Society at India Habitat Centre recently, is a bitter comment on the young people who abdicate their obligations to look after their old and ailing parents. At another level it celebrates deep human bonds that still exist in a rural milieu.
Set in the rural landscape of Punjab, the play had its premier nearly 20 years ago, its revival evoked encouraging response from the audience. Despite a lapse of two decades, the play appears all the more relevant today.
Director Ravi Taneja has aptly conceived his production on an open-air stage which brings about immediacy between the performers and the audience and is able to bring out the best from the team of his amateur but experienced actors.
As the title of the play suggests, it revolves round two elderly people – Mangoo and Bikkar. Mangoo is 75-year-old and his uncle Bikkar is 90. They are all alone; Mangoo’s children, two sons and a daughter, are settled in cities. Mangoo has full faith in his children that they would stand by him in case of emergency. Life is not a bed of roses for the elderly people in the village but Mangoo, a retired village teacher, is managing to cultivate his land to make both ends meet and look after his old uncle who is solely dependent on him. Despite hardship, the harmonious social life offers them some moment of small joys. Suddenly the lives of the uncle and the nephew take a critical turn when Mangoo’s leg is fractured in an accident.
At this point the playwright brings all the dramatic personae at the home of the elderly people in the village bringing to fore the conflict between the bed-ridden Mangoo and his two sons and a married daughter. In the process the empty lives of his offspring and their mean mentality stand exposed. Woven in is the love-hate relationship between Mangoo and his uncle.
Their frequent quarrels and bickering are marked by the bitterness, helplessness and a sense of defeat and loneliness. At times their quarrels become ridiculously humorous. When they become tired of fighting they discover a kind of mutual love and attachment for each other.
Ulterior motives
As the play moves towards climax in a cohesive way, Mangoo sees through the ulterior motives of his offspring who have not come to see their bed-ridden father but to grab their share in his landed property. The play projects both its rural ambience and characters in a style that is down-to-earth. This enables the audience to strike an emotional cord with the characters and deeply empathise with the plight of the old and ailing. .
Ravi Taneja delivers a brilliant performance as Mangoo.
His Mangoo is emotionally involved in the care of his uncle and is ready to sacrifice his own happiness for his sake –At the time of the premier of the play Ravi performed the role of Bikkar.
Sita Ram as Bikkar imparts impressive touches to his portrayal of an effete old man bringing alive the senility, the helplessness, the insecurity and the suffering of a parasite.
Dhirendra Gupta as Nishan Singh, a village farmer who is providing the helpless old people with food and his company and Chetna Chowdhary as Gurpreet Kaur, a young widow who has dedicated her life to serve her old in-laws act admirably.
Saharsh Bhalla as Rawail Singh, a village student, symbolises the obsession of Punjabi rural youth to go abroad with the fantasy of making it big.
Page 319
Jagged little pill
NANDINI NAIR
With technical imagery “Electronic City” creates the fragmented city of Gurgaon.
I want to reverse the process, that’s why my performers shoot themselves, instead of being shot
Directed by Amitesh Grover and written by Falk Richter, “Electronic City” reaches out to the audience by alienating them. Staged recently at Max Mueller Bhavan, this performance art piece is a combination of digitised media and acting. Th rough an intelligent use of electronic media, it shows the dehumanising effect of the technological age. Grover chose Richter’s script finding it a “global text”. The script has remained unchanged, but visuals ground it in Gurgaon.
The plot is a neo-love story set around Tom and Joy. Tom is a travelling consultant. Constant jet-setting has made him lose his sense of location. He is unsure whether he is in Berlin, London or New York. Joy works at an airport. She becomes overwhelmed as machines seem to take over and customers lose patience. They meet at the airport; where an airport is essentially a microcosm of the modern world. It is a place of transit and dislocation, where meetings are circumstantial and often based on loneliness. This chance meeting leads to a torrid and sexual coming together. Set around these two characters the play, also, includes a chorus. The chorus is conceptualised as “ghosts of an electronic city”.
This abstract play works largely through symbols and projections. But symbols always run the risk of being either missed or misunderstood. At times the play veers toward the incomprehensible. But it does finally succeed in creating the fragmented world of Gurgaon, where growth and change have not occurred naturally, but have been artificially implanted from outside.
Live images
Photo: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar
Live telecast “Electronic City” is a play that addresses issues of the corporate world
Action is both enacted and presented. While the actor acts, his image is also recorded and broadcast simultaneously, using two handycams, a television screen and a cinema screen. An NSD Graduate, Grover explains that this technique reverses the usual power equation between man and machine. “We are not in control of technology,” he says, “I want to reverse this process, that’s why my performers shoot themselves, instead of being shot.” The juxtaposition between real action and the televised image shows the possible manipulative power of the media.
A camera makes visible angles and positions that would normally remain invisible. For Grover, this serves as a reminder that our reality is manipulated.
Combination effect
The combination of digital media with real action is Grover’s attempt to return to the Natyashastra, albeit in a profoundly different way. Grover understands the Natyashastra as a collaborative forum.
The only difference is that today the mediums have changed. Today it is a combination of the digital with histrionics, while previously it would have been a combination of dance and music, for example.
The chorus, as Grover explains, are the sounds and voices of technology that haunt and dominate us.
He gives the example of how people suffer from Ring Anxiety, imagining that their phones are ringing, when they are not. Technology comes to acquire insidious and dominating powers.
The play is brazen in its presentations and unapologetically sexual. Amit Saxena and Padma Damodar, in the lead roles, bring a raw and muscular energy to the stage. It is an age of media frenzy and subsequently of feverish passions.
NANDINI NAIR
With technical imagery “Electronic City” creates the fragmented city of Gurgaon.
I want to reverse the process, that’s why my performers shoot themselves, instead of being shot
Directed by Amitesh Grover and written by Falk Richter, “Electronic City” reaches out to the audience by alienating them. Staged recently at Max Mueller Bhavan, this performance art piece is a combination of digitised media and acting. Th rough an intelligent use of electronic media, it shows the dehumanising effect of the technological age. Grover chose Richter’s script finding it a “global text”. The script has remained unchanged, but visuals ground it in Gurgaon.
The plot is a neo-love story set around Tom and Joy. Tom is a travelling consultant. Constant jet-setting has made him lose his sense of location. He is unsure whether he is in Berlin, London or New York. Joy works at an airport. She becomes overwhelmed as machines seem to take over and customers lose patience. They meet at the airport; where an airport is essentially a microcosm of the modern world. It is a place of transit and dislocation, where meetings are circumstantial and often based on loneliness. This chance meeting leads to a torrid and sexual coming together. Set around these two characters the play, also, includes a chorus. The chorus is conceptualised as “ghosts of an electronic city”.
This abstract play works largely through symbols and projections. But symbols always run the risk of being either missed or misunderstood. At times the play veers toward the incomprehensible. But it does finally succeed in creating the fragmented world of Gurgaon, where growth and change have not occurred naturally, but have been artificially implanted from outside.
Live images
Photo: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar
Live telecast “Electronic City” is a play that addresses issues of the corporate world
Action is both enacted and presented. While the actor acts, his image is also recorded and broadcast simultaneously, using two handycams, a television screen and a cinema screen. An NSD Graduate, Grover explains that this technique reverses the usual power equation between man and machine. “We are not in control of technology,” he says, “I want to reverse this process, that’s why my performers shoot themselves, instead of being shot.” The juxtaposition between real action and the televised image shows the possible manipulative power of the media.
A camera makes visible angles and positions that would normally remain invisible. For Grover, this serves as a reminder that our reality is manipulated.
Combination effect
The combination of digital media with real action is Grover’s attempt to return to the Natyashastra, albeit in a profoundly different way. Grover understands the Natyashastra as a collaborative forum.
The only difference is that today the mediums have changed. Today it is a combination of the digital with histrionics, while previously it would have been a combination of dance and music, for example.
The chorus, as Grover explains, are the sounds and voices of technology that haunt and dominate us.
He gives the example of how people suffer from Ring Anxiety, imagining that their phones are ringing, when they are not. Technology comes to acquire insidious and dominating powers.
The play is brazen in its presentations and unapologetically sexual. Amit Saxena and Padma Damodar, in the lead roles, bring a raw and muscular energy to the stage. It is an age of media frenzy and subsequently of feverish passions.
Page 318
Intense performance
An all-women cast presented a mythological — a male dominated genre in theatre — with much aplomb
DRAWING ADMIRATION Women artists performing the mythological Sri Krishna Sandhana in Chitradurga
Sporting thick dark beards, stiff moustaches and long curly hair, they were even trying to put on a thicker voice to match the male tone. With perfect make-up to boot, they delivered thundering dialogues.
The audience could not resist responding with a thundering applause.
This was the scene at the Ranga Mandira of Chitradurga when Bangalore-based theatre group, Sri Kabbalamma Kala Sangha presented a mythological “Sri Krishna Sandhana”.
The four-hour long play was presented by an all-women team, who skilfully played characters of the Mahabharata such as Duryodhan, Arjuna, Krishna, Shakuni, and Bhima. While the Sangha has been presenting plays for over a decade now, it was only last year that they decided to stage a mythological exclusively by women. “When we decided to adopt a mythological drama, we wanted to bring some uniqueness into it.
We decided to experiment with only women performers,” said B. Ramesh, general secretary of the Sangha. Starting out from Bangalore, they plan to present it in all districts of the State. This was the eighth show in Chitradurga; next is Davangere.
Mythological plays are not easy to stage because they require heavy financing for sets and costumes. “For every play, we have incurred expenses of nearly one lakh rupees. Meeting the expenses is a Herculean task; most of the time we do not find sponsors. Mere ticket sales does not provide enough to run the shows, especially when I have to manage expenses of 17 artists,” he laments.
Though he is facing financial constrains, his zeal and passion for theatre does not appear to have dampened. Giving him further strength, the performers are working hard. The artists feel earning money is not their sole motto; by performing with the Sangha, they are doing their bit to enrich the gradually-fading genre of mythological plays. Most of the artists are professionals. Some of them have even quit their studies to dedicate themselves to theatre.
Rupashree, a senior performer who plays Shakuni says she has been into theatre since childhood. Coming from a family of artists, she never thought of any other profession. “Earlier, men played of women on stage. Now, why can’t women showcase the character of men? After all, we are as equally talented.”
R. G. Meena, who plays Duryodhana, said artists earn a very meagre income through this profession. “We earn less, but money is not all. The satisfaction of being associated with a profession where you give pure entertainment to people cannot be weighed in money,” she said.
An all-women cast presented a mythological — a male dominated genre in theatre — with much aplomb
DRAWING ADMIRATION Women artists performing the mythological Sri Krishna Sandhana in Chitradurga
Sporting thick dark beards, stiff moustaches and long curly hair, they were even trying to put on a thicker voice to match the male tone. With perfect make-up to boot, they delivered thundering dialogues.
The audience could not resist responding with a thundering applause.
This was the scene at the Ranga Mandira of Chitradurga when Bangalore-based theatre group, Sri Kabbalamma Kala Sangha presented a mythological “Sri Krishna Sandhana”.
The four-hour long play was presented by an all-women team, who skilfully played characters of the Mahabharata such as Duryodhan, Arjuna, Krishna, Shakuni, and Bhima. While the Sangha has been presenting plays for over a decade now, it was only last year that they decided to stage a mythological exclusively by women. “When we decided to adopt a mythological drama, we wanted to bring some uniqueness into it.
We decided to experiment with only women performers,” said B. Ramesh, general secretary of the Sangha. Starting out from Bangalore, they plan to present it in all districts of the State. This was the eighth show in Chitradurga; next is Davangere.
Mythological plays are not easy to stage because they require heavy financing for sets and costumes. “For every play, we have incurred expenses of nearly one lakh rupees. Meeting the expenses is a Herculean task; most of the time we do not find sponsors. Mere ticket sales does not provide enough to run the shows, especially when I have to manage expenses of 17 artists,” he laments.
Though he is facing financial constrains, his zeal and passion for theatre does not appear to have dampened. Giving him further strength, the performers are working hard. The artists feel earning money is not their sole motto; by performing with the Sangha, they are doing their bit to enrich the gradually-fading genre of mythological plays. Most of the artists are professionals. Some of them have even quit their studies to dedicate themselves to theatre.
Rupashree, a senior performer who plays Shakuni says she has been into theatre since childhood. Coming from a family of artists, she never thought of any other profession. “Earlier, men played of women on stage. Now, why can’t women showcase the character of men? After all, we are as equally talented.”
R. G. Meena, who plays Duryodhana, said artists earn a very meagre income through this profession. “We earn less, but money is not all. The satisfaction of being associated with a profession where you give pure entertainment to people cannot be weighed in money,” she said.
Page 317
Enduring magic of Greek drama
V.GANGADHAR
The immortal Antigone is being staged today in Mumbai.
What is the unique appeal of ancient Greek theatre, so much so that plays first staged thousands of years ago continue to be popular even now? Sophocles’ narration of the tragedy of King Oedipus could have been staged in the fifth century BC or even earlier, but even today our Hindi, Marathi and other regional stage never tire of staging ‘Raja Oedipus’ which deals with fatal flaws bringing about the fall of a tragic hero and the inevitability of Destiny in controlling our existence. These issues are relevant even today and that is why ‘Oedipus’ continues to be staged all over the world.
On October 12, Mumbai will have the stage presentation of yet another immortal Greek tragedy. This time, it is French playwright Jean Anouilh’s 1942 adaptation of the Sophocles classic, ‘Antigone,’ which was first performed in Athens in 5 BC. Anouilh’s version was staged in Paris in 1942 when the city was under the Nazi yoke.
‘Antigone’ is the cry of the individual against state repression and the Paris audience saw in it their own resistance to the Nazi occupation and repression. Why then did the Nazis permit the staging of such a play? Perhaps, they were influenced by the long speeches, the strong defence of dictatorship and the need for implicit obedience by one of the major characters, King Creon.
‘Antigone’ has been staged in the past, both in Marathi and Hindi, in Mumbai. The October 12 show is in English, by the MOTLEY group and produced by actor Naseeruddin Shah, a powerful force in Mumbai theatre world. Satya Dev Dubey, veteran stage personality, is directing a newer and modern adaptation of the play where the establishment is challenged by contemporary forces and ideas.
Starring Naseer
The play stars Naseer as the dictatorial King Creon and his wife Ratna Pathak Shah as his rebellious niece Antigone, daughter of the late King Oedipus. Set in Thebes, the play centres around 16-year old Antigone’s defiance of her uncle who had refused permission for the burial of her brother Polynices killed in a power struggle by his own brother. Caught in the act of trying to bury the body of Polynices, Antigone, who was in fact engaged to Haemon, son of Creon, challenges the authority of Creon, screams defiance at him thereby inviting the death penalty.
This is the eternal struggle between dictatorship and the voice of the individual which has stood the test of time. “Don’t be awed of classics, their settings and costumes. We don’t care nor does the audience” asserts Naseer during rehearsals. He had staged Chekov without wine decanters and Moliere without frills, stockings and other French paraphernalia.
The sets for ‘Antogone’ consist of a table, chair and four stools. The actors will wear loose pyjamas, robes and there is no indication that the scene of action is Thebes. MOTLEY did not have money for grand sets or costumes and would not compromise quality to offers of sponsorship. What did count was the dialogue, emotions and appeal to the audience. The production has taken liberties even with the original cast. The character of Haemon has been dropped because according to director Dubey he was not really ‘important’ despite the fact that Dubey had played Haemon in an earlier version of ‘Antigone.’ The group had been preparing for the play for over six months.
Ratna Pathak Shah is all keyed up for her return to the stage in a new role after about six years. It is a challenge for the 50-year-old mother of two to play a 16 year old rebel.
V.GANGADHAR
The immortal Antigone is being staged today in Mumbai.
What is the unique appeal of ancient Greek theatre, so much so that plays first staged thousands of years ago continue to be popular even now? Sophocles’ narration of the tragedy of King Oedipus could have been staged in the fifth century BC or even earlier, but even today our Hindi, Marathi and other regional stage never tire of staging ‘Raja Oedipus’ which deals with fatal flaws bringing about the fall of a tragic hero and the inevitability of Destiny in controlling our existence. These issues are relevant even today and that is why ‘Oedipus’ continues to be staged all over the world.
On October 12, Mumbai will have the stage presentation of yet another immortal Greek tragedy. This time, it is French playwright Jean Anouilh’s 1942 adaptation of the Sophocles classic, ‘Antigone,’ which was first performed in Athens in 5 BC. Anouilh’s version was staged in Paris in 1942 when the city was under the Nazi yoke.
‘Antigone’ is the cry of the individual against state repression and the Paris audience saw in it their own resistance to the Nazi occupation and repression. Why then did the Nazis permit the staging of such a play? Perhaps, they were influenced by the long speeches, the strong defence of dictatorship and the need for implicit obedience by one of the major characters, King Creon.
‘Antigone’ has been staged in the past, both in Marathi and Hindi, in Mumbai. The October 12 show is in English, by the MOTLEY group and produced by actor Naseeruddin Shah, a powerful force in Mumbai theatre world. Satya Dev Dubey, veteran stage personality, is directing a newer and modern adaptation of the play where the establishment is challenged by contemporary forces and ideas.
Starring Naseer
The play stars Naseer as the dictatorial King Creon and his wife Ratna Pathak Shah as his rebellious niece Antigone, daughter of the late King Oedipus. Set in Thebes, the play centres around 16-year old Antigone’s defiance of her uncle who had refused permission for the burial of her brother Polynices killed in a power struggle by his own brother. Caught in the act of trying to bury the body of Polynices, Antigone, who was in fact engaged to Haemon, son of Creon, challenges the authority of Creon, screams defiance at him thereby inviting the death penalty.
This is the eternal struggle between dictatorship and the voice of the individual which has stood the test of time. “Don’t be awed of classics, their settings and costumes. We don’t care nor does the audience” asserts Naseer during rehearsals. He had staged Chekov without wine decanters and Moliere without frills, stockings and other French paraphernalia.
The sets for ‘Antogone’ consist of a table, chair and four stools. The actors will wear loose pyjamas, robes and there is no indication that the scene of action is Thebes. MOTLEY did not have money for grand sets or costumes and would not compromise quality to offers of sponsorship. What did count was the dialogue, emotions and appeal to the audience. The production has taken liberties even with the original cast. The character of Haemon has been dropped because according to director Dubey he was not really ‘important’ despite the fact that Dubey had played Haemon in an earlier version of ‘Antigone.’ The group had been preparing for the play for over six months.
Ratna Pathak Shah is all keyed up for her return to the stage in a new role after about six years. It is a challenge for the 50-year-old mother of two to play a 16 year old rebel.
Page 316
Remembering the revolutionary
DIWAN SINGH BAJELI
“Gatha Bhagat Singh Ki” is a valuable contribution to the growing works on the freedom fighter.
The hero lives on From “Gatha Bhagat Singh Ki”
In September 1928, Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad, Sukhdev, Rajguru and their comrades from different parts of the country assembled in Ferozeshah Kotla and formed Hindustani Socialist Republic Army (HSRA) to liberate India from British rule and e stablish a socialistic democratic society. This past week, the historic fort vibrated with the slogans of ‘Inquilab Zindabad’ a part of multi-media show entitled “Gatha Bhagat Singh Ki” to commemorate the birth centenary of this great patriot and martyr who had left an indelible mark on the history of India’s Independence movement.
This magnificent presentation was jointly organised by Punjabi Academy, Delhi and Department of Art and Culture, Government of NCT of Delhi in Association with Ministry of Culture, Government of India. Since Bhagat Singh’s life and time are intricately woven into freedom struggle, his life is depicted against the emotionally charged backdrop of history of his time.
It is heartening to know that the heroic saga of Bhagat Singh continues to capture the imagination of people in India. In recent times, we have witnessed several theatrical presentations on his life and message. C.D. Sidhu’s magnum opus in three parts – “Bhagwan Pota, Inquilabi Puttar and Nastik Shaheed” – is a remarkable theatrical tribute to him. There have been about five feature films on Bhagat Singh like “Rang De Basanti”, “Legend of Bhagat Singh”, “Shaheed”, etc. “Gatha Bhagat Singh Ki” is yet another valuable contribution to the growing works on the legend.
Challenging work
The production is directed by Lokendra Trivedi, a member of the faculty of National School of Drama, who has done a number of plays of different genres in the past but this has been the most challenging work for him and he has come out with flying colours. He has conceived seven acting areas for depiction of dramatic action with two raised areas as high as the original structures of the fort. In one of the spots Bhagat Singh’s village and his family are shown, while in another raised area General Dyer of Jallianwala Bagh massacre and Police Superintendent Scott are shown perpetuating the attack on peaceful protestors against Simon Commission led by Lala Lajpat Rai The highest acting space is used to convey the revolutionary message to the audience.
The director has aptly synthesised the elements of light, sound, film clippings, music, dance and theatre to project a coherent production to convey the revolutionary vision of the freedom fighter. More than 100 artistes have acted out the script written by Amrik Gill. Director Trivedi displays his artistry in handling mass scenes charged with intensity, revealing people’s hope, anxiety and grief.
Gill has followed a chronological order with more emphasis on events. In the process, he has less space for elaborating the socio-political philosophy of Bhagat Singh. In one of the most vital sequences where Bhagat Singh is to be led to the gallows, he says, “Wait a minute, one revolutionary is meeting with another revolutionary”, referring to Lenin.
But the script writer did not mention the name of the great proletarian leader. The use of voices of Manoj Kumar, Om Puri, Kulbhushan Kharbanda and others has enhanced the dramatic character of the presentation.
Seven songs, including Ram Prasad Bismal’s immortal songs “Sarfarosi Ki Tamana Ab Hamare Dil Mai Hai” and “Shaheedon Ki Chitaoan Par Lagenge Har Baras Mele”, composed by Mohinder Kumar Babloo, not only heightened the emotional appeal but also harmonised various elements of the production. Trivedi’s creative collaborators Anis Azami, a well-known theatre personality, choreographer Sangita Sharma, light and sound integrator Debashish Karmakar make this production vividly memorable, highlighting the spirit of man, his heroism and his indefatigability to fight against imperialism.
DIWAN SINGH BAJELI
“Gatha Bhagat Singh Ki” is a valuable contribution to the growing works on the freedom fighter.
The hero lives on From “Gatha Bhagat Singh Ki”
In September 1928, Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad, Sukhdev, Rajguru and their comrades from different parts of the country assembled in Ferozeshah Kotla and formed Hindustani Socialist Republic Army (HSRA) to liberate India from British rule and e stablish a socialistic democratic society. This past week, the historic fort vibrated with the slogans of ‘Inquilab Zindabad’ a part of multi-media show entitled “Gatha Bhagat Singh Ki” to commemorate the birth centenary of this great patriot and martyr who had left an indelible mark on the history of India’s Independence movement.
This magnificent presentation was jointly organised by Punjabi Academy, Delhi and Department of Art and Culture, Government of NCT of Delhi in Association with Ministry of Culture, Government of India. Since Bhagat Singh’s life and time are intricately woven into freedom struggle, his life is depicted against the emotionally charged backdrop of history of his time.
It is heartening to know that the heroic saga of Bhagat Singh continues to capture the imagination of people in India. In recent times, we have witnessed several theatrical presentations on his life and message. C.D. Sidhu’s magnum opus in three parts – “Bhagwan Pota, Inquilabi Puttar and Nastik Shaheed” – is a remarkable theatrical tribute to him. There have been about five feature films on Bhagat Singh like “Rang De Basanti”, “Legend of Bhagat Singh”, “Shaheed”, etc. “Gatha Bhagat Singh Ki” is yet another valuable contribution to the growing works on the legend.
Challenging work
The production is directed by Lokendra Trivedi, a member of the faculty of National School of Drama, who has done a number of plays of different genres in the past but this has been the most challenging work for him and he has come out with flying colours. He has conceived seven acting areas for depiction of dramatic action with two raised areas as high as the original structures of the fort. In one of the spots Bhagat Singh’s village and his family are shown, while in another raised area General Dyer of Jallianwala Bagh massacre and Police Superintendent Scott are shown perpetuating the attack on peaceful protestors against Simon Commission led by Lala Lajpat Rai The highest acting space is used to convey the revolutionary message to the audience.
The director has aptly synthesised the elements of light, sound, film clippings, music, dance and theatre to project a coherent production to convey the revolutionary vision of the freedom fighter. More than 100 artistes have acted out the script written by Amrik Gill. Director Trivedi displays his artistry in handling mass scenes charged with intensity, revealing people’s hope, anxiety and grief.
Gill has followed a chronological order with more emphasis on events. In the process, he has less space for elaborating the socio-political philosophy of Bhagat Singh. In one of the most vital sequences where Bhagat Singh is to be led to the gallows, he says, “Wait a minute, one revolutionary is meeting with another revolutionary”, referring to Lenin.
But the script writer did not mention the name of the great proletarian leader. The use of voices of Manoj Kumar, Om Puri, Kulbhushan Kharbanda and others has enhanced the dramatic character of the presentation.
Seven songs, including Ram Prasad Bismal’s immortal songs “Sarfarosi Ki Tamana Ab Hamare Dil Mai Hai” and “Shaheedon Ki Chitaoan Par Lagenge Har Baras Mele”, composed by Mohinder Kumar Babloo, not only heightened the emotional appeal but also harmonised various elements of the production. Trivedi’s creative collaborators Anis Azami, a well-known theatre personality, choreographer Sangita Sharma, light and sound integrator Debashish Karmakar make this production vividly memorable, highlighting the spirit of man, his heroism and his indefatigability to fight against imperialism.
Page 315
A classic retold, classically
NARESH GULATI
Kalidasa’s “Meghadoot” was revived in a performance at Darpana Academy of Arts.
Eye-catching A scene from “Meghdoot”.
The fourteenth season at Natrani, the amphitheatre club of Darpana Academy of Arts, organised a remarkable performance on Kalidasa’s Meghadoot by its in-house performing group last Saturday. The ‘Natrani’ season s tarted a week back with Rajasthani folk singing after the Monsoon break.
Based on elements of Kathakali (sans the layers of colourful make-up, the usual heavy costumes and accessories), Kudiyattam, Bharatanatyam and Mohiniattam, the performance went down well with the staple audience at the packed amphitheatre. This is in spite of it being an old production, which was revived for the Ganesh festival in Mumbai and repeated for Amdavdis.
Choreographed jointly by doyenne Mrinalini Sarabhai and Sasidharan Nair, this seventy-five minute performance flows on the stage from minute one. The troupe enacted sequences in the dance-drama effortlessly from the beginning to the end.
Kalidasa’s Meghadoot is a narrative by the lovelorn Yaksha, where he beckons the cloud to act as his emissary and take his message of love to Yakshini, his wife left behind in Alkapuri, while he serves a curse in exile for a year at Ramagiri.
An attendant in the workforce of the wealth God Kuber, this Yaksha enrages the Lord who was stung by a wasp tucked inside a flower string made for him. Yaksha is thus cursed to the exile.
Hailed for its excellent portrayal of nature and diversity, Meghadoot is a great work in romanticism that captures the feminine beauty and the viraha bhava. The verses in the epic poem take its reader on a journey through the land, cities, rivers, mountains, flora and fauna of the country called Bharat as known through ancient history and as depicted in Hindu mythology.
Hindu deities
Major Hindu Gods like Vishnu, Rama, Krishna, Shiva, Kartikeya, Laxmi and Janaki are described in the work. Dashanana or Ravana, as he was later known, also finds a place in the scheme of the work in an episode where he tries to remove Mount Kailas from his way.
Nair, who plays the role of Yaksha, while Mallika Sarabhai plays Yakshini, essayed their roles with equal élan. Nair and Mallika, in fact, double up in their roles. Nair narrates the storyline not only with recitation of Sanskrit shlokas, but also with emotive enactment, hand movements and facial expressions in several sequences that comes close in excellence to Kathakali and Kudiyattam. Mallika reappears as the courtesan during the long interlude between Yaksha and Yakshini’s separation and reunion and fascinates with the coquettish mannerism befitting her character. Another dancer who excels is the one who plays Kuber, Shiva and Krishna with lyrical fluidity.
Maheshwari Nagrajan and J. N. Nair carried the performance with their soulful and flawless singing of the Sanskrit verses, while Rajesh on flute, Shaji on violin, Palanivelu on Mridangam and Mankandan on Chenda and Edakka comprised the traditional orchestra.
NARESH GULATI
Kalidasa’s “Meghadoot” was revived in a performance at Darpana Academy of Arts.
Eye-catching A scene from “Meghdoot”.
The fourteenth season at Natrani, the amphitheatre club of Darpana Academy of Arts, organised a remarkable performance on Kalidasa’s Meghadoot by its in-house performing group last Saturday. The ‘Natrani’ season s tarted a week back with Rajasthani folk singing after the Monsoon break.
Based on elements of Kathakali (sans the layers of colourful make-up, the usual heavy costumes and accessories), Kudiyattam, Bharatanatyam and Mohiniattam, the performance went down well with the staple audience at the packed amphitheatre. This is in spite of it being an old production, which was revived for the Ganesh festival in Mumbai and repeated for Amdavdis.
Choreographed jointly by doyenne Mrinalini Sarabhai and Sasidharan Nair, this seventy-five minute performance flows on the stage from minute one. The troupe enacted sequences in the dance-drama effortlessly from the beginning to the end.
Kalidasa’s Meghadoot is a narrative by the lovelorn Yaksha, where he beckons the cloud to act as his emissary and take his message of love to Yakshini, his wife left behind in Alkapuri, while he serves a curse in exile for a year at Ramagiri.
An attendant in the workforce of the wealth God Kuber, this Yaksha enrages the Lord who was stung by a wasp tucked inside a flower string made for him. Yaksha is thus cursed to the exile.
Hailed for its excellent portrayal of nature and diversity, Meghadoot is a great work in romanticism that captures the feminine beauty and the viraha bhava. The verses in the epic poem take its reader on a journey through the land, cities, rivers, mountains, flora and fauna of the country called Bharat as known through ancient history and as depicted in Hindu mythology.
Hindu deities
Major Hindu Gods like Vishnu, Rama, Krishna, Shiva, Kartikeya, Laxmi and Janaki are described in the work. Dashanana or Ravana, as he was later known, also finds a place in the scheme of the work in an episode where he tries to remove Mount Kailas from his way.
Nair, who plays the role of Yaksha, while Mallika Sarabhai plays Yakshini, essayed their roles with equal élan. Nair and Mallika, in fact, double up in their roles. Nair narrates the storyline not only with recitation of Sanskrit shlokas, but also with emotive enactment, hand movements and facial expressions in several sequences that comes close in excellence to Kathakali and Kudiyattam. Mallika reappears as the courtesan during the long interlude between Yaksha and Yakshini’s separation and reunion and fascinates with the coquettish mannerism befitting her character. Another dancer who excels is the one who plays Kuber, Shiva and Krishna with lyrical fluidity.
Maheshwari Nagrajan and J. N. Nair carried the performance with their soulful and flawless singing of the Sanskrit verses, while Rajesh on flute, Shaji on violin, Palanivelu on Mridangam and Mankandan on Chenda and Edakka comprised the traditional orchestra.
Page 314
Mythology on stage
‘Gayopakhyam’, an eternal mythological play, was staged at Thyagaraya Gana Sabha.
Popular fare A scene from the play Gayopakhyam
Gayopakhyanam is considered as one of eternal plays written by Chilakamarthi Lakshmi Narasimham more than 100 years ago. This as a mythological verse play that is said to be has been a most popular production of the times. The play, staged by C.S.R. Kalamandir at Thyagaraya Gana Sabha last week, also marked a book release function. Unfortunately, the play was seriously edited and the last parts of Krishnarjuna Yudham were abandoned, as the time given for holding functions has been restricted to 8.30 p.m. only.
Kotte Venkatacharylu played the role of Gayudu. Jayalakshmi played Gayudu’s wife. Vanam Sankarayya played the role of Narada impressively. Akella Prabhakara Sarma as Balarama, S.V. Krishna as Satyaki, Sriramulu Naidu in the prime role of Srikrishna, also acquitted themselves well. The verse rendition was greatly supported by harmonium artiste Venugopalachari.
Book released
The book titled Gayopakhyanamu -Chilakamarthy Kavitha Vaibhavam by Kotte Venkatacharyulu was released by Dr. C. Narayana Reddy. Film actor T.L. Kanta Rao inaugurated the function that was presided over by Prof. Ravva Srihari. Bittu Venkateswarlu, head of the department of Theatre arts, Telugu University, spoke of the contents of the book. Samala Venu who organised the function, artistes Vanam Sankarayya and Sriramulu Naidu were warmly felicitated.
‘Gayopakhyam’, an eternal mythological play, was staged at Thyagaraya Gana Sabha.
Popular fare A scene from the play Gayopakhyam
Gayopakhyanam is considered as one of eternal plays written by Chilakamarthi Lakshmi Narasimham more than 100 years ago. This as a mythological verse play that is said to be has been a most popular production of the times. The play, staged by C.S.R. Kalamandir at Thyagaraya Gana Sabha last week, also marked a book release function. Unfortunately, the play was seriously edited and the last parts of Krishnarjuna Yudham were abandoned, as the time given for holding functions has been restricted to 8.30 p.m. only.
Kotte Venkatacharylu played the role of Gayudu. Jayalakshmi played Gayudu’s wife. Vanam Sankarayya played the role of Narada impressively. Akella Prabhakara Sarma as Balarama, S.V. Krishna as Satyaki, Sriramulu Naidu in the prime role of Srikrishna, also acquitted themselves well. The verse rendition was greatly supported by harmonium artiste Venugopalachari.
Book released
The book titled Gayopakhyanamu -Chilakamarthy Kavitha Vaibhavam by Kotte Venkatacharyulu was released by Dr. C. Narayana Reddy. Film actor T.L. Kanta Rao inaugurated the function that was presided over by Prof. Ravva Srihari. Bittu Venkateswarlu, head of the department of Theatre arts, Telugu University, spoke of the contents of the book. Samala Venu who organised the function, artistes Vanam Sankarayya and Sriramulu Naidu were warmly felicitated.
Page 313
Tracing the life of Gandhiji
K. RAJAN
The Kavalappara troupe of puppetry will stage a show on the life and times of Gandhiji.
In Gandhiji’s footsteps: A puppet made for ‘Gandhikkoothu.’
The shadow puppetry of Kerala, Tholpavakkoothu, is experimenting with non-traditional themes in order to preserve and make the art form relevant.
The Kavalappara troupe of puppeteers under the guidance of K.K. Ramachandran Pulavar is slated to stage their show at Munnar on December 26 with a new theme – the life and times of Gandhiji.
Christened ‘Gandhikkoothu,’ the one-and-a-half hour performance would herald a new beginning for the folk art that is now being performed mainly in the Koothumadam of Bhagavati temples during Pooram festivals in Palakkad and parts of Thrissur and Malappuram.
Tradition-bound
Although traditional artistes have been staging special programmes of Tholpavakkoothu outside the confines of temples and even abroad for the last few decades, the centuries-old ritual art has not swerved from its traditional theme of narrating stories from the Ramayana.
“Devotees hope to please the Devi by sponsoring puppetry shows that are held on the premises of the temples. We, therefore, are not envisaging radical changes from its ritual moorings even when we adopt new themes,” says Ramachandran Pulavar.
Although the puppeteers of Kerala are patronised by the temples for nearly four months every year, it has not been easy for them to sustain their livelihood by performing shows in the traditional style.
“Puppetry, in myriad forms, is found everywhere in India and in other countries. It is only in Kerala that we attach a ritual significance to it. In the absence of a permanent theatre, the going is tough for us,” explains Ramachandran Pulavar .
The Gandhi being unravelled in ‘Gandhikkoothu,’ which has been scripted by novelist Nandan, is some one who embodies a number of noble ideals. For Ramachandra Pulavar, it is a tribute to his father, Krishnankutty Pulavar, who had ardently desired a change in the traditional character of the folk art by adopting the life of Gandhi. Unfortunately Krishnankutty failed to secure a script for the purpose.
In 1999, the Kendra Sangeet Natak Academy exhorted the puppetry artistes of the country to come forward with novel themes.
National-level competition
At the first-ever national-level competition of puppetry shows at Udaipur in 2000, which was organised by the Sangeet Natak Academy, Pulavar’s troupe staged a 60-minute play titled ‘Panchanana Punerjani’ (‘Resurrection of Lion’). Even though the theme was taken from the ‘Panchatantra,’ the message conveyed was of communal harmony.
The Academy’s initiative in providing a stage for the country’s puppetry artistes has since then been of great help to the art form. Two French puppetry artistes had visited the troupe in mid-2005. One of them, Ivana, made the puppet of Gandhiji that is going to be used in the show.
“We would need about 42 puppets to represent Kasturba Gandhi, Manu, Jawaharlal Nehru, Mahadev Desai, Sarojini Naidu, Patel, Abul Kalam Azad, Pyarelal, Kelappaji, Nathuram et al. In the traditional format of Tholpavakkoothu, the story of Rama is being told through 182 puppets,” says Ramachandran Pulavar.
The show will begin in the traditional style with Ganesavandanam and Kalarichint. Performed in a flash back mode, ‘Gandhikkoothu’ would feature the important episodes in Gandhiji’s life such as his brush with apartheid in South Africa, relations with his wife, Kasturba, the Dandi March and his death at the hands of Godse.
K. RAJAN
The Kavalappara troupe of puppetry will stage a show on the life and times of Gandhiji.
In Gandhiji’s footsteps: A puppet made for ‘Gandhikkoothu.’
The shadow puppetry of Kerala, Tholpavakkoothu, is experimenting with non-traditional themes in order to preserve and make the art form relevant.
The Kavalappara troupe of puppeteers under the guidance of K.K. Ramachandran Pulavar is slated to stage their show at Munnar on December 26 with a new theme – the life and times of Gandhiji.
Christened ‘Gandhikkoothu,’ the one-and-a-half hour performance would herald a new beginning for the folk art that is now being performed mainly in the Koothumadam of Bhagavati temples during Pooram festivals in Palakkad and parts of Thrissur and Malappuram.
Tradition-bound
Although traditional artistes have been staging special programmes of Tholpavakkoothu outside the confines of temples and even abroad for the last few decades, the centuries-old ritual art has not swerved from its traditional theme of narrating stories from the Ramayana.
“Devotees hope to please the Devi by sponsoring puppetry shows that are held on the premises of the temples. We, therefore, are not envisaging radical changes from its ritual moorings even when we adopt new themes,” says Ramachandran Pulavar.
Although the puppeteers of Kerala are patronised by the temples for nearly four months every year, it has not been easy for them to sustain their livelihood by performing shows in the traditional style.
“Puppetry, in myriad forms, is found everywhere in India and in other countries. It is only in Kerala that we attach a ritual significance to it. In the absence of a permanent theatre, the going is tough for us,” explains Ramachandran Pulavar .
The Gandhi being unravelled in ‘Gandhikkoothu,’ which has been scripted by novelist Nandan, is some one who embodies a number of noble ideals. For Ramachandra Pulavar, it is a tribute to his father, Krishnankutty Pulavar, who had ardently desired a change in the traditional character of the folk art by adopting the life of Gandhi. Unfortunately Krishnankutty failed to secure a script for the purpose.
In 1999, the Kendra Sangeet Natak Academy exhorted the puppetry artistes of the country to come forward with novel themes.
National-level competition
At the first-ever national-level competition of puppetry shows at Udaipur in 2000, which was organised by the Sangeet Natak Academy, Pulavar’s troupe staged a 60-minute play titled ‘Panchanana Punerjani’ (‘Resurrection of Lion’). Even though the theme was taken from the ‘Panchatantra,’ the message conveyed was of communal harmony.
The Academy’s initiative in providing a stage for the country’s puppetry artistes has since then been of great help to the art form. Two French puppetry artistes had visited the troupe in mid-2005. One of them, Ivana, made the puppet of Gandhiji that is going to be used in the show.
“We would need about 42 puppets to represent Kasturba Gandhi, Manu, Jawaharlal Nehru, Mahadev Desai, Sarojini Naidu, Patel, Abul Kalam Azad, Pyarelal, Kelappaji, Nathuram et al. In the traditional format of Tholpavakkoothu, the story of Rama is being told through 182 puppets,” says Ramachandran Pulavar.
The show will begin in the traditional style with Ganesavandanam and Kalarichint. Performed in a flash back mode, ‘Gandhikkoothu’ would feature the important episodes in Gandhiji’s life such as his brush with apartheid in South Africa, relations with his wife, Kasturba, the Dandi March and his death at the hands of Godse.
Page 312
From despair to joy
The Ninasam Tirugata plays were interesting for their variety
Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P.
DARK A scene from Ee Naraka…
Ninasam’s Tirugaata has started its rounds with two plays this year; “Ee Naraka Ee Pulaka” and “Lokottame”. If “Ee Naraka…” is a string of seven short plays by P. Lankesh, “Lokottame” is the Kannada adaptation of Aristophanes’ comedy “Lysistrata”, the third and concluding play of the War and Peace series. Lankesh, who was engaged with the genre of the play for almost three decades, examines the existential state of the individual situated as he was in a society that was modernizing.
This – a very Navya preoccupation – forms the basis of most Lankesh’s works, who came from a rural background with traditional roots. Even while Lankesh, in the larger scheme of things spoke of a social reality, he was also speaking of the individual fraught with despair, alienation, suspicion, and a search for the self. It is particularly forceful in Lankesh, who came into the city and found the phoney middle class existence worthy only of contempt. So much so, in opposition to this, one finds in many of Lankesh’s writings a rural romanticism.
The title of this play comes from his longish poem “Nanna Sutta”, which is a mound of wrecked images, fragmented people, oppressive institutions and technological strides that make for significant markers of the city. This, for Lankesh, is simultaneously hell and thrill, literally and metaphorically. So, what you get in this long play (three hours!), designed and directed by Raghunanadana, is despair, gloom, and grave suffering. This trail of seven plays also captures Lankesh’s antagonism, resentment and a gnawing purposelessness of life; it is unwavering, constant, with hardly any routes for rescue.
You can have your ideological differences with the playwright and his near lack of ambivalences, but what takes you through this pall of gloom is the competent, rigorous performance by the team and a set that acquires a life of its own. It in fact, becomes an embodiment of anarchy, a chaotic presence, heightening the sense of disintegration.
In “Teregalu”, what begins like a banter turns into an interrogation, before it assumes frightful, psycho-analytical proportions, with the protagonist wanting to run away from his own self. In “T. Prasannana Grihasthashrama”, Lankesh asks serious questions about the institution of marriage itself. He even broods over the notion of an ideal relationship wondering if it is anything but a mirage. It is to a tragic realisation that Lankesh concludes that relationships are oppressive and brutal. What really troubles, both in the play and in its stage representation is Lankesh’s views on women; one is tempted to see him as a misogynist. This is true even of the poem “Nanna Sutta”, where he equates squalor with woman. But there is some relief in “Nanna Tangigondu Gandu Kodi”, where his strong anti-women perceptions (one can see glimpses of this even in “Giliyu Panjaradolilla”) are refreshingly replaced by the liberal humanist position.
“Kranti Bantu Kranti” is an effective account of the deep, often insurmountable chasms of practicing an ideology in theory as opposed to its ground reality. What could be seen as an interesting twist is how the play raises itself to mythical proportions. The characters bow in imploration to a ray of light, a peacock feather and a flute (also the monogram of Lankesh Patrike itself) for liberation from this suffering. In action, it seems contrived, but does make the plot complex. The play tests one’s levels of endurance by its sheer length. Also, for a production of such sustained intensity, keeping it shorter will perhaps make it more effective. The body language of the actors is quite a strain on the viewer.
“Lokottame” (translated by Vishala and Channakeshava), based on Aristophanes’ “Lysistrata”, was a complete contrast. It is not merely a comment on the plot and treatment, but also the versatility of the actors. A robust, lively production full of song and dance, kept the audience hooked from beginning to end. The pace, sense of timing, change of sets… everything was done to near perfection. Channakeshava, director and choreographer of the play, gives this 5 B.C. play a contemporary touch with a body language and movements that’s here and now.
This hilarious comedy reflects the disgust with war prevalent at Athens. It is complete with sexual innuendo and is also a war of the sexes. The play at the outset is about the struggle for peace through a self-denying ordinance by the women, “we must refrain from the male altogether”, but it is also a comment on the folly of military aggression and a society with deep gender biases.
The play effectively ropes in Gandhian preoccupation of the Charaka, urging the man to abandon his legendary obsession with violence. With Manmatha, the God of love making his appearance on stage, the play, yet again, transcends geographical barriers and time locations.
The music for the play (Hegde M.P. and Aruna Bhatt) is outstanding. It moves effortlessly between styles and uses the Christian choir form to brilliance.
But with all this, one wonders, if in all the fun and laughter, is there a danger of the message getting lost?
The Ninasam Tirugata plays were interesting for their variety
Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P.
DARK A scene from Ee Naraka…
Ninasam’s Tirugaata has started its rounds with two plays this year; “Ee Naraka Ee Pulaka” and “Lokottame”. If “Ee Naraka…” is a string of seven short plays by P. Lankesh, “Lokottame” is the Kannada adaptation of Aristophanes’ comedy “Lysistrata”, the third and concluding play of the War and Peace series. Lankesh, who was engaged with the genre of the play for almost three decades, examines the existential state of the individual situated as he was in a society that was modernizing.
This – a very Navya preoccupation – forms the basis of most Lankesh’s works, who came from a rural background with traditional roots. Even while Lankesh, in the larger scheme of things spoke of a social reality, he was also speaking of the individual fraught with despair, alienation, suspicion, and a search for the self. It is particularly forceful in Lankesh, who came into the city and found the phoney middle class existence worthy only of contempt. So much so, in opposition to this, one finds in many of Lankesh’s writings a rural romanticism.
The title of this play comes from his longish poem “Nanna Sutta”, which is a mound of wrecked images, fragmented people, oppressive institutions and technological strides that make for significant markers of the city. This, for Lankesh, is simultaneously hell and thrill, literally and metaphorically. So, what you get in this long play (three hours!), designed and directed by Raghunanadana, is despair, gloom, and grave suffering. This trail of seven plays also captures Lankesh’s antagonism, resentment and a gnawing purposelessness of life; it is unwavering, constant, with hardly any routes for rescue.
You can have your ideological differences with the playwright and his near lack of ambivalences, but what takes you through this pall of gloom is the competent, rigorous performance by the team and a set that acquires a life of its own. It in fact, becomes an embodiment of anarchy, a chaotic presence, heightening the sense of disintegration.
In “Teregalu”, what begins like a banter turns into an interrogation, before it assumes frightful, psycho-analytical proportions, with the protagonist wanting to run away from his own self. In “T. Prasannana Grihasthashrama”, Lankesh asks serious questions about the institution of marriage itself. He even broods over the notion of an ideal relationship wondering if it is anything but a mirage. It is to a tragic realisation that Lankesh concludes that relationships are oppressive and brutal. What really troubles, both in the play and in its stage representation is Lankesh’s views on women; one is tempted to see him as a misogynist. This is true even of the poem “Nanna Sutta”, where he equates squalor with woman. But there is some relief in “Nanna Tangigondu Gandu Kodi”, where his strong anti-women perceptions (one can see glimpses of this even in “Giliyu Panjaradolilla”) are refreshingly replaced by the liberal humanist position.
“Kranti Bantu Kranti” is an effective account of the deep, often insurmountable chasms of practicing an ideology in theory as opposed to its ground reality. What could be seen as an interesting twist is how the play raises itself to mythical proportions. The characters bow in imploration to a ray of light, a peacock feather and a flute (also the monogram of Lankesh Patrike itself) for liberation from this suffering. In action, it seems contrived, but does make the plot complex. The play tests one’s levels of endurance by its sheer length. Also, for a production of such sustained intensity, keeping it shorter will perhaps make it more effective. The body language of the actors is quite a strain on the viewer.
“Lokottame” (translated by Vishala and Channakeshava), based on Aristophanes’ “Lysistrata”, was a complete contrast. It is not merely a comment on the plot and treatment, but also the versatility of the actors. A robust, lively production full of song and dance, kept the audience hooked from beginning to end. The pace, sense of timing, change of sets… everything was done to near perfection. Channakeshava, director and choreographer of the play, gives this 5 B.C. play a contemporary touch with a body language and movements that’s here and now.
This hilarious comedy reflects the disgust with war prevalent at Athens. It is complete with sexual innuendo and is also a war of the sexes. The play at the outset is about the struggle for peace through a self-denying ordinance by the women, “we must refrain from the male altogether”, but it is also a comment on the folly of military aggression and a society with deep gender biases.
The play effectively ropes in Gandhian preoccupation of the Charaka, urging the man to abandon his legendary obsession with violence. With Manmatha, the God of love making his appearance on stage, the play, yet again, transcends geographical barriers and time locations.
The music for the play (Hegde M.P. and Aruna Bhatt) is outstanding. It moves effortlessly between styles and uses the Christian choir form to brilliance.
But with all this, one wonders, if in all the fun and laughter, is there a danger of the message getting lost?
Page 311
Rising to the fore
DIWAN SINGH BAJELI
“Bhoomi” highlights the plight of the urban marginalised in an unfair social system.
A powerful statement From “Bhoomi”.
Bhoomi”, presented by Indu Art Theatre and Film Society, at LTG Auditorium, this past week severely indicts an economic system that perpetuates inequality resulting in an increase in the number of urban poor and dispossessed farmers in the rural areas. After projecting a human landscape of misery, hopelessness and alienation, the play moves to a situation in which the exploited unite themselves, starting a relentless struggle to liberate themselves from the bondage of their oppressors.
The play has been directed and written by Yasin Khan who has been active in amateur theatre in the Capital for the last one and a half decades.
He apprenticed under R.S. Vikal, who was known for his experimental works in the early eighties in the Capital, but before he could establish himself as a socially relevant and artistically valid theatre artist he was lured by Bollywood.
The urban marginalised
As a writer, Yasin highlights the plight of the urban marginalised like the rickshaw-pullers, rag-pickers and hawkers, who are migrants from villages and are often beaten and abused by the police and humiliated by a cruel urban society.
Their conditions have dehumanised them. It’s an absurd life they lead but even in the absurdity of their existence, in the silence of night, they have a few moments of solace when they become nostalgic about their lives in the village.
These characters are feckless; neither can they go back to their roots nor does urban society allowthem to get a place of respect.
Juxtaposing this black and sombre image, the writer-director takes us to the struggle of farmers against the acquisition of their land by multi-national companies and big national capitalist with the support of the state. There are agent-provocateurs, who have penetrated the spontaneous mass movements of the farmers, giving the movement a violent turn, resulting in the death of farmers in brutal police firing.
Gradually,there emerges a leadership from amongst the ranks of farmers to lead the movement.
Yasin has imbibed Vikal’s social concerns and his sharp criticism of an unjust social system, but Vikal was also a craftsman.
Yasin’s production is half-baked . The opening scene showing the harmonious life of a village community and their simple joys is presented in a shoddy manner. The other flaw of his production is his unimaginative use of acting space.
He has mostly placed his actors in an upstage position.
He should have known that actors standing downstage, near the audience, could have left a deep impact on the audience.
Despite an inadequately rehearsed production and an amateurish cast, “Bhoomi” manages to communicate its message without attempting a simplistic solution to a complex issue.
The use of the song “ Tu Zinda Hai To Zindagi Ki Jeet Par Yakeen Kar”, a song popularised by Indian People’s Theatre Association, in the denouement, is a redeeming feature of the production.
DIWAN SINGH BAJELI
“Bhoomi” highlights the plight of the urban marginalised in an unfair social system.
A powerful statement From “Bhoomi”.
Bhoomi”, presented by Indu Art Theatre and Film Society, at LTG Auditorium, this past week severely indicts an economic system that perpetuates inequality resulting in an increase in the number of urban poor and dispossessed farmers in the rural areas. After projecting a human landscape of misery, hopelessness and alienation, the play moves to a situation in which the exploited unite themselves, starting a relentless struggle to liberate themselves from the bondage of their oppressors.
The play has been directed and written by Yasin Khan who has been active in amateur theatre in the Capital for the last one and a half decades.
He apprenticed under R.S. Vikal, who was known for his experimental works in the early eighties in the Capital, but before he could establish himself as a socially relevant and artistically valid theatre artist he was lured by Bollywood.
The urban marginalised
As a writer, Yasin highlights the plight of the urban marginalised like the rickshaw-pullers, rag-pickers and hawkers, who are migrants from villages and are often beaten and abused by the police and humiliated by a cruel urban society.
Their conditions have dehumanised them. It’s an absurd life they lead but even in the absurdity of their existence, in the silence of night, they have a few moments of solace when they become nostalgic about their lives in the village.
These characters are feckless; neither can they go back to their roots nor does urban society allowthem to get a place of respect.
Juxtaposing this black and sombre image, the writer-director takes us to the struggle of farmers against the acquisition of their land by multi-national companies and big national capitalist with the support of the state. There are agent-provocateurs, who have penetrated the spontaneous mass movements of the farmers, giving the movement a violent turn, resulting in the death of farmers in brutal police firing.
Gradually,there emerges a leadership from amongst the ranks of farmers to lead the movement.
Yasin has imbibed Vikal’s social concerns and his sharp criticism of an unjust social system, but Vikal was also a craftsman.
Yasin’s production is half-baked . The opening scene showing the harmonious life of a village community and their simple joys is presented in a shoddy manner. The other flaw of his production is his unimaginative use of acting space.
He has mostly placed his actors in an upstage position.
He should have known that actors standing downstage, near the audience, could have left a deep impact on the audience.
Despite an inadequately rehearsed production and an amateurish cast, “Bhoomi” manages to communicate its message without attempting a simplistic solution to a complex issue.
The use of the song “ Tu Zinda Hai To Zindagi Ki Jeet Par Yakeen Kar”, a song popularised by Indian People’s Theatre Association, in the denouement, is a redeeming feature of the production.
Page 310
Multi-pronged study on Thullal
G. S. PAUL
A two-day workshop on Thullal dwelt on the many dimensions of the art form. Different kinds of Thullal were also staged on the occasion.
A two-day workshop on Thullal, organised by Kerala Kalamandalam Deemed University for Art and Culture, became memorable owing to novel performances, incisive discussions and active participation by many leading artistes.
Thullal was introduced in Kalamandalam at the behest of Jawaharlal Nehru who was fascinated by the simplicity and narrative technique of the art form during a performance at Kalamandalam. Under the guidance of Malabar Raman Nair and K.S. Divakaran Nair, the art form was streamlined and it eventually resulted in the Kalamandalam sailee (style).
“We had planned a multi-pronged study of the art form, perhaps the first attempt in the six-decade history of the department,” explained Kalamandalam Geethanandan, head of the department and organiser of the two-day workshop.
The sessions on the first day were proof enough of this. Indigenous rhythms such as Marma thalam, Kumbha thalam, Lakshmi thalam, Kundanchi thalam and so on were discussed and studied at length during the seminar. Kadammanitta Vasudevan Pillai’s lecture-demonstration on the rhythms was exhaustive.
Music of Thullal
A separate seminar on the same day deliberated on the music of Thullal. ‘Thullal pada kutcheri’ was staged, perhaps, for the first time.
“True, it is not a novel attempt to present the musical part of a visual performing art in a concert,” admitted Geethanandan.
The attempt was to highlight the unique qualities of Kunchan Nambiar’s music, he explained.
Assisted by his colleague Kalamandalam Mohana Krishnan, Geethanandan enthralled the audience in the koothampalam of Kalamandalam with familiar padams from stories such as the Pathracharitam, Kiratham, Santhanagopalam, Panchaliswayamvaram and so on in 16 ragas.
Worth mentioning was the style of rendition in the intrinsic style of Thullal, in which only the contours of the ragas were discernible. This retained the essential folk nature of the art form.
Performances
‘Kurathiyattam,’ directed by K.P. Nandipulam, was the highlight on the second day. Kuravan and Kurathy are characters in many a folk play and are believed to be Siva and Parvathy in disguise.
An outstanding Thullal artiste, Nandipulam had introduced many episodes culled from folk stories such as the conversation between Cheeta and Thampuratti that threw light on the social practises of yesteryear. The workshop witnessed varieties of Thullal.
While Kalamandalam Prabhakaran staged ‘Seethankan Thullal,’ Killikkurissimangalam Sankaranarayanan presented ‘Parayan Thullal.’ Senior artistes Kalamandalam Devaki and Vatamon Devaki presented Ottan Thullal along with Kongad Achuta Pisharody, Kuttamath Janardanan and Vayalar Krishnankutty.
G. S. PAUL
A two-day workshop on Thullal dwelt on the many dimensions of the art form. Different kinds of Thullal were also staged on the occasion.
A two-day workshop on Thullal, organised by Kerala Kalamandalam Deemed University for Art and Culture, became memorable owing to novel performances, incisive discussions and active participation by many leading artistes.
Thullal was introduced in Kalamandalam at the behest of Jawaharlal Nehru who was fascinated by the simplicity and narrative technique of the art form during a performance at Kalamandalam. Under the guidance of Malabar Raman Nair and K.S. Divakaran Nair, the art form was streamlined and it eventually resulted in the Kalamandalam sailee (style).
“We had planned a multi-pronged study of the art form, perhaps the first attempt in the six-decade history of the department,” explained Kalamandalam Geethanandan, head of the department and organiser of the two-day workshop.
The sessions on the first day were proof enough of this. Indigenous rhythms such as Marma thalam, Kumbha thalam, Lakshmi thalam, Kundanchi thalam and so on were discussed and studied at length during the seminar. Kadammanitta Vasudevan Pillai’s lecture-demonstration on the rhythms was exhaustive.
Music of Thullal
A separate seminar on the same day deliberated on the music of Thullal. ‘Thullal pada kutcheri’ was staged, perhaps, for the first time.
“True, it is not a novel attempt to present the musical part of a visual performing art in a concert,” admitted Geethanandan.
The attempt was to highlight the unique qualities of Kunchan Nambiar’s music, he explained.
Assisted by his colleague Kalamandalam Mohana Krishnan, Geethanandan enthralled the audience in the koothampalam of Kalamandalam with familiar padams from stories such as the Pathracharitam, Kiratham, Santhanagopalam, Panchaliswayamvaram and so on in 16 ragas.
Worth mentioning was the style of rendition in the intrinsic style of Thullal, in which only the contours of the ragas were discernible. This retained the essential folk nature of the art form.
Performances
‘Kurathiyattam,’ directed by K.P. Nandipulam, was the highlight on the second day. Kuravan and Kurathy are characters in many a folk play and are believed to be Siva and Parvathy in disguise.
An outstanding Thullal artiste, Nandipulam had introduced many episodes culled from folk stories such as the conversation between Cheeta and Thampuratti that threw light on the social practises of yesteryear. The workshop witnessed varieties of Thullal.
While Kalamandalam Prabhakaran staged ‘Seethankan Thullal,’ Killikkurissimangalam Sankaranarayanan presented ‘Parayan Thullal.’ Senior artistes Kalamandalam Devaki and Vatamon Devaki presented Ottan Thullal along with Kongad Achuta Pisharody, Kuttamath Janardanan and Vayalar Krishnankutty.
Page 309
In the line of fire
MINI ANTHIKAD-CHHIBBER
A Mighty Heart, a retelling of the horrific kidnap and murder of journalist Daniel Pearl, hits theatres today
ENDLESS WAIT Marianne Pearl (Angelina Jolie) and Asra Nomani (Archie Panjabi) look for clues
On January 22, 2002, Daniel Pearl, the South Asia Bureau Chief of the Wall Street Journal, who was investigating the shoe bomber Richard Reid, went to meet an informant in Karachi. He never came back. That was the beginning of a ni ghtmare for Pearl’s wife, Marianne, also a journalist and six-months pregnant at the time with the couple’s first child.
With the help of old friend and Pearl’s colleague, Asra Nomani, Pakistan counter terrorism unit, the FBI, and American Diplomatic Security Agents, an extensive search was launched ending with the heartbreaking news of Pearl’s murder.
Marianne, who returned home to Paris to have her son, Adam, wrote a memoir, “A Mighty Heart: The Brave Life & Death of My Husband Danny Pearl”. The memoir is the basis of the new Michael Winterbottom movie, “A Mighty Heart”.
Brad Pitt was so impressed with an interview of Marianne that he watched on CNN, that he was inspired to translate the memoir on screen. He called on Winterbottom, known for his documentary style filmmaking from acclaimed movies like “Welcome to Sarajevo” and “The Road to Guantanamo”, to direct the film.
Winterbottom was filming in Peshawar when he heard of Pearl’s death and that experience lent immediacy to the proceedings. Winterbottom met Marianne and later they went with producers Dede Gardner and Andrew Eaton to meet Pitt and partner Angelina Jolie in Namibia.
The cast was finalised with the lovely Angelina Jolie — she of the bee-stung lips hiding her superstar luminosity under corkscrew curls and a heavily pregnant belly playing Marianne. There is Archie Panjabi (remember her from “Bend it like Beckham”?) playing Asra while Dan Futterman is Daniel Pearl. Our very own intense Irrfan Khan plays Captain, the head of Pakistan’s counter-terrorism unit. The film was shot in 2006 with Pune doubling up for Karachi. We all remember the paparazzi circus of those days where practically everyday we had snippets of information and photographs — who can forget the Brangelina bunch taking that auto ride around town and then there was the bust up with over-zealous security men.
Having a superstar on board a small project is a good thing as it increases visibility and also helps generate curiosity that translates to ticket sales and money. However, there is a problem if the celebrity overwhelms a project.
As far as the jolly Jolie goes, there have been conflicting reviews. While J. Hoberman from Village Voice writes: “There’s hardly a moment when Jolie is on-screen that you can’t sense the presence of make-up artists and hair stylists hovering anxiously just off frame”, veteran movie critic Roger Ebert writes: “Angelina Jolie reminds us as we saw in some of her earlier films like ‘Girl Interrupted’ that she is a skilled actress and not merely (however entertainingly) a tomb raider”.
This kind of debate is only to be expected when you have a star of Jolie’s wattage. Whether it would take away from the seriousness of the story and the issues raised is the question.
That the material is compelling goes without saying. What Winterbottom has done with it remains to be seen.
MINI ANTHIKAD-CHHIBBER
A Mighty Heart, a retelling of the horrific kidnap and murder of journalist Daniel Pearl, hits theatres today
ENDLESS WAIT Marianne Pearl (Angelina Jolie) and Asra Nomani (Archie Panjabi) look for clues
On January 22, 2002, Daniel Pearl, the South Asia Bureau Chief of the Wall Street Journal, who was investigating the shoe bomber Richard Reid, went to meet an informant in Karachi. He never came back. That was the beginning of a ni ghtmare for Pearl’s wife, Marianne, also a journalist and six-months pregnant at the time with the couple’s first child.
With the help of old friend and Pearl’s colleague, Asra Nomani, Pakistan counter terrorism unit, the FBI, and American Diplomatic Security Agents, an extensive search was launched ending with the heartbreaking news of Pearl’s murder.
Marianne, who returned home to Paris to have her son, Adam, wrote a memoir, “A Mighty Heart: The Brave Life & Death of My Husband Danny Pearl”. The memoir is the basis of the new Michael Winterbottom movie, “A Mighty Heart”.
Brad Pitt was so impressed with an interview of Marianne that he watched on CNN, that he was inspired to translate the memoir on screen. He called on Winterbottom, known for his documentary style filmmaking from acclaimed movies like “Welcome to Sarajevo” and “The Road to Guantanamo”, to direct the film.
Winterbottom was filming in Peshawar when he heard of Pearl’s death and that experience lent immediacy to the proceedings. Winterbottom met Marianne and later they went with producers Dede Gardner and Andrew Eaton to meet Pitt and partner Angelina Jolie in Namibia.
The cast was finalised with the lovely Angelina Jolie — she of the bee-stung lips hiding her superstar luminosity under corkscrew curls and a heavily pregnant belly playing Marianne. There is Archie Panjabi (remember her from “Bend it like Beckham”?) playing Asra while Dan Futterman is Daniel Pearl. Our very own intense Irrfan Khan plays Captain, the head of Pakistan’s counter-terrorism unit. The film was shot in 2006 with Pune doubling up for Karachi. We all remember the paparazzi circus of those days where practically everyday we had snippets of information and photographs — who can forget the Brangelina bunch taking that auto ride around town and then there was the bust up with over-zealous security men.
Having a superstar on board a small project is a good thing as it increases visibility and also helps generate curiosity that translates to ticket sales and money. However, there is a problem if the celebrity overwhelms a project.
As far as the jolly Jolie goes, there have been conflicting reviews. While J. Hoberman from Village Voice writes: “There’s hardly a moment when Jolie is on-screen that you can’t sense the presence of make-up artists and hair stylists hovering anxiously just off frame”, veteran movie critic Roger Ebert writes: “Angelina Jolie reminds us as we saw in some of her earlier films like ‘Girl Interrupted’ that she is a skilled actress and not merely (however entertainingly) a tomb raider”.
This kind of debate is only to be expected when you have a star of Jolie’s wattage. Whether it would take away from the seriousness of the story and the issues raised is the question.
That the material is compelling goes without saying. What Winterbottom has done with it remains to be seen.
Page 308
Charged performances
Neelam Mansingh’s The Suit was intimate, expressive, and real
Photo: Bhagya Prakash K.
Courtroom Mansingh distorts stage space and time for a complex narrative
The man comes home unexpectedly and finds his wife in bed with another man who makes a hurried exit. It’s that joke we have all heard before in its many variations. In this case, the other man leaves his grey suit behind.
At the Ranga Shankara Festival, director Neelam Mansingh and her group – The Company, Chandigarh – put this little plot into a familiar Indian middle-class setting and grow on it an experience of pure theatre — intimate, expressive, charged and real. Based on a short piece written by South African writer Can Themba in which the offended husband, “forces the woman to treat the abandoned suit as an honoured guest, accompanying them even on walks and at the dinner table,” The Suit becomes the presence — of betrayal, guilt, injury and obsession.
Paring down
In Neelam Mansingh’s adaptation, dramatised by Surjit Patar, the tortured relationship is pared down to such a basic, molecular level that the tension between the two principal characters would be the same if they were of different castes, classes or cultures. It matters nothing that the dialogue is Punjabi-English: it wouldn’t, anywhere in the world this play travels.
The husband, Bunty (Vajinder Bharadwaj), is young, caring and very endearing, obviously in love with his wife, Mina (Ramanjit Kaur). He wakes up on a cool and cloudy morning, makes his morning tea, reads his morning paper on the little sit-out or balcony and brings a cup to the sleeping Mina on the mattress. She in turn runs about the house to get him ready to leave for work — giving him a quick wash in the cosy little bathroom, rubbing his hair dry, packing his lunch dabba. Who can tell whether she means it or wants to get him out of the house quickly? As Bunty rides pillion with friend Pappaji, Mina transforms at home into the languid lover, lets her hair down, literally, and becomes the sex kitten.
Ironically, a standard joke about the cuckold shared between the men brings Bunty home to discovery. In his uncontrollable nausea, he asks, “What makes a woman like her want to experiment with adultery?” Mina doesn’t know (who knows?) and Mansingh won’t tell. Mortified, she submits to her natural sense of guilt and Bunty’s inexorable sense of injury. Until Neelam Mansingh brings it to a point where it must either snap or burn down.
As it turns out, Mansingh gets it to snap, but outside the known frameworks of political and sociological clichés. In her director’s note, she says: “In my production, I would say outright, the play is apolitical, rather, it is not intentionally political and thus, in appearance at least, lacking in agenda... While reading the story I felt the anger of the characters, their sense of being betrayed by their own natures. Theatre then becomes a courtroom in which we judge ourselves and our mysteries.”
The space is charged at the very outset as the musician walks around the mattress casting a spell. Mansingh, with a seemingly shabby set, ideal for domestic squalor, distorts stage space and time for a complex narrative in which there is simultaneous action in two spaces and uses the setting for multiple locations. She gets her actors — Kaur and Bhardwaj — and Hitender Kumar, who plays all the other characters, to extend the possibilities of the theatrical idiom with minimal music, lights and sets. They perform with amazing vigour and grace.
Tragedy in formal register
The Ranga Shankara Theatre Festival opened with a grand concert of possibilities: “Andha Yug”, written in Hindi by Dharamvir Bharati and an acknowledged classic of modern Indian drama, and directed by Ratan Thiyam, internationally acclaimed and once described by the New York Times as ‘a genius.’
Compelling performances, fantastic stage energy and haunting music and choreography, all of which have been associated over the years with the director and his talented Chorus Repertory Theatre of Imphal, Manipur, were delivered as promised. But there was something disturbingly disconnected. That it was in Manipuri was, of course, a simple enough obstruction. But Thiyam’s evident skills in going beyond the verbal and an average Indian’s familiarity with epic content combined to overcome that one as effectively as one possibly could with an original text so severe in its rhetoric.
The core issue, however, is with the very presentation of Tragedy: Thiyam’s players are so earnest, so without distance, , even to the point of becoming lurid, that it is hard to feel for or with them. There was a startling contemporary medical team that seemed to mock, yes, but it was the formal tone that dominated the presentation.
Dharmavir Bharati’s “Andha Yug”, with the burning fields of Kurukshetra — strewn with rotting corpses, hovering vultures, pervaded by an utter depravity — is already classic dystopia. And Thiyam renders it in tragic symphony, grand drama, at once fearful and hellish.
High register
Perhaps the problem is with our days of breaking news and exposure to sensational cinema, a casual carnage in Gujarat or spectacular bombing in Iraq, where commercial media expression struggles to engage the prurient, the bored and the blasé. But tragedy in high register seems to alienate the performer’s experience. Ashwattama’s debasement and Gandhari’s hopeless anger and equally devastating remorse, played with such passion and conviction, evoke a sterile admiration for the abilities of the performers and an apathetic curiosity about tragedies that happen to “people like them.”
In a critical introduction to his excellent English translation of Andha Yug, Alok Bhalla writes: “...the play, written soon after the carnage of the Partition of the Indian... and being read once again in our rakshas times of hysterical unreason, still had the power to make us realise how close we live to the borders of nightmares. Unfortunately, however, the existing translations were not so finely inflected as to help us understand whether the play was about our anguish at finding ourselves in a terrible world where we could only lament and curse, or whether it invited us to hear, in its difficult notes of tragedy ...”
What Bhalla achieves in the translation is not under discussion here, but Thiyam’s staged version leaves the question wide open.
Neelam Mansingh’s The Suit was intimate, expressive, and real
Photo: Bhagya Prakash K.
Courtroom Mansingh distorts stage space and time for a complex narrative
The man comes home unexpectedly and finds his wife in bed with another man who makes a hurried exit. It’s that joke we have all heard before in its many variations. In this case, the other man leaves his grey suit behind.
At the Ranga Shankara Festival, director Neelam Mansingh and her group – The Company, Chandigarh – put this little plot into a familiar Indian middle-class setting and grow on it an experience of pure theatre — intimate, expressive, charged and real. Based on a short piece written by South African writer Can Themba in which the offended husband, “forces the woman to treat the abandoned suit as an honoured guest, accompanying them even on walks and at the dinner table,” The Suit becomes the presence — of betrayal, guilt, injury and obsession.
Paring down
In Neelam Mansingh’s adaptation, dramatised by Surjit Patar, the tortured relationship is pared down to such a basic, molecular level that the tension between the two principal characters would be the same if they were of different castes, classes or cultures. It matters nothing that the dialogue is Punjabi-English: it wouldn’t, anywhere in the world this play travels.
The husband, Bunty (Vajinder Bharadwaj), is young, caring and very endearing, obviously in love with his wife, Mina (Ramanjit Kaur). He wakes up on a cool and cloudy morning, makes his morning tea, reads his morning paper on the little sit-out or balcony and brings a cup to the sleeping Mina on the mattress. She in turn runs about the house to get him ready to leave for work — giving him a quick wash in the cosy little bathroom, rubbing his hair dry, packing his lunch dabba. Who can tell whether she means it or wants to get him out of the house quickly? As Bunty rides pillion with friend Pappaji, Mina transforms at home into the languid lover, lets her hair down, literally, and becomes the sex kitten.
Ironically, a standard joke about the cuckold shared between the men brings Bunty home to discovery. In his uncontrollable nausea, he asks, “What makes a woman like her want to experiment with adultery?” Mina doesn’t know (who knows?) and Mansingh won’t tell. Mortified, she submits to her natural sense of guilt and Bunty’s inexorable sense of injury. Until Neelam Mansingh brings it to a point where it must either snap or burn down.
As it turns out, Mansingh gets it to snap, but outside the known frameworks of political and sociological clichés. In her director’s note, she says: “In my production, I would say outright, the play is apolitical, rather, it is not intentionally political and thus, in appearance at least, lacking in agenda... While reading the story I felt the anger of the characters, their sense of being betrayed by their own natures. Theatre then becomes a courtroom in which we judge ourselves and our mysteries.”
The space is charged at the very outset as the musician walks around the mattress casting a spell. Mansingh, with a seemingly shabby set, ideal for domestic squalor, distorts stage space and time for a complex narrative in which there is simultaneous action in two spaces and uses the setting for multiple locations. She gets her actors — Kaur and Bhardwaj — and Hitender Kumar, who plays all the other characters, to extend the possibilities of the theatrical idiom with minimal music, lights and sets. They perform with amazing vigour and grace.
Tragedy in formal register
The Ranga Shankara Theatre Festival opened with a grand concert of possibilities: “Andha Yug”, written in Hindi by Dharamvir Bharati and an acknowledged classic of modern Indian drama, and directed by Ratan Thiyam, internationally acclaimed and once described by the New York Times as ‘a genius.’
Compelling performances, fantastic stage energy and haunting music and choreography, all of which have been associated over the years with the director and his talented Chorus Repertory Theatre of Imphal, Manipur, were delivered as promised. But there was something disturbingly disconnected. That it was in Manipuri was, of course, a simple enough obstruction. But Thiyam’s evident skills in going beyond the verbal and an average Indian’s familiarity with epic content combined to overcome that one as effectively as one possibly could with an original text so severe in its rhetoric.
The core issue, however, is with the very presentation of Tragedy: Thiyam’s players are so earnest, so without distance, , even to the point of becoming lurid, that it is hard to feel for or with them. There was a startling contemporary medical team that seemed to mock, yes, but it was the formal tone that dominated the presentation.
Dharmavir Bharati’s “Andha Yug”, with the burning fields of Kurukshetra — strewn with rotting corpses, hovering vultures, pervaded by an utter depravity — is already classic dystopia. And Thiyam renders it in tragic symphony, grand drama, at once fearful and hellish.
High register
Perhaps the problem is with our days of breaking news and exposure to sensational cinema, a casual carnage in Gujarat or spectacular bombing in Iraq, where commercial media expression struggles to engage the prurient, the bored and the blasé. But tragedy in high register seems to alienate the performer’s experience. Ashwattama’s debasement and Gandhari’s hopeless anger and equally devastating remorse, played with such passion and conviction, evoke a sterile admiration for the abilities of the performers and an apathetic curiosity about tragedies that happen to “people like them.”
In a critical introduction to his excellent English translation of Andha Yug, Alok Bhalla writes: “...the play, written soon after the carnage of the Partition of the Indian... and being read once again in our rakshas times of hysterical unreason, still had the power to make us realise how close we live to the borders of nightmares. Unfortunately, however, the existing translations were not so finely inflected as to help us understand whether the play was about our anguish at finding ourselves in a terrible world where we could only lament and curse, or whether it invited us to hear, in its difficult notes of tragedy ...”
What Bhalla achieves in the translation is not under discussion here, but Thiyam’s staged version leaves the question wide open.
Page 307
A powerful commentary
ROMESH CHANDER
The Indian adaptation of Barrie Koeffe’s “SUS” questioned the identity of politics.
Realistic portrayal From “SUS”.
After thesuccessful run of “Goodbye Blue Sky,” Atelier Theatre has come up with yet another meaningful presentation: an adaptation of the British playwright Barrie Koeffe’s SUS (short for suspicious) adapted by Rajiv Asish and direc ted by Kuljeet Singh. The play, by and large, deals with the politics of identity that is always detrimental to any multi-cultural nation as we have experienced in India for quite some time. Thegovernment in power claims that the State has risen above religion, creed andcaste but in reality do these claims have substance, asks the play. Rajiv Ashish, who adapted the script says, “These universal situations are used as a plot in order to recreate the socio-political reality, where the characters invariably face conflict.” He goes on to say, “The phrase minority – majority has left us no where but to violence. Reality is always more complicated than imagination and the same holds good for our recreation of the script.” Rajiv is being modest for it is a meaningful script though it needs some tightening. Chauhan, Paswan and Gurpal are not only three characters in the play but also represent three different ideologies that are victims and victimisers at the same time.
Victims and victimisers
Gurpal is a Left-inclined, suspended college lecturer and a social worker, married to a woman who lives in the slums and works for the red-district women, urchins and children and speaks vehemently against caste politics. Chauhan is a senior investigating officer and is engrossed in his own world of cricket and politics. Paswan is a newly-appointed junior police officer and assists Chauhan in his work. All the three are related, yet not related simultaneously. They seem alike yet they are three different entities with bruised psyches. They are the victims and the victimisers.
The presentation at times is rather slow and to rub in that Gurpal was married to a woman from the slums sounded rather gimmicky as the theme is not developed enough.
The cast as whole plays well and among them the director Kuljeet Singh playing Gurpal, Nitin Abbey as Paswan, Jasjit Singh in his mother’s role and Rajiv Ashish as Chauhan live their roles with conviction that is indeed infectious.
“SUS” is a must whenever it is on the boards again for it is a classic reminder that even if some of our repressive laws are repealed or abolished, they will stay on in some other incarnation all the time.
ROMESH CHANDER
The Indian adaptation of Barrie Koeffe’s “SUS” questioned the identity of politics.
Realistic portrayal From “SUS”.
After thesuccessful run of “Goodbye Blue Sky,” Atelier Theatre has come up with yet another meaningful presentation: an adaptation of the British playwright Barrie Koeffe’s SUS (short for suspicious) adapted by Rajiv Asish and direc ted by Kuljeet Singh. The play, by and large, deals with the politics of identity that is always detrimental to any multi-cultural nation as we have experienced in India for quite some time. Thegovernment in power claims that the State has risen above religion, creed andcaste but in reality do these claims have substance, asks the play. Rajiv Ashish, who adapted the script says, “These universal situations are used as a plot in order to recreate the socio-political reality, where the characters invariably face conflict.” He goes on to say, “The phrase minority – majority has left us no where but to violence. Reality is always more complicated than imagination and the same holds good for our recreation of the script.” Rajiv is being modest for it is a meaningful script though it needs some tightening. Chauhan, Paswan and Gurpal are not only three characters in the play but also represent three different ideologies that are victims and victimisers at the same time.
Victims and victimisers
Gurpal is a Left-inclined, suspended college lecturer and a social worker, married to a woman who lives in the slums and works for the red-district women, urchins and children and speaks vehemently against caste politics. Chauhan is a senior investigating officer and is engrossed in his own world of cricket and politics. Paswan is a newly-appointed junior police officer and assists Chauhan in his work. All the three are related, yet not related simultaneously. They seem alike yet they are three different entities with bruised psyches. They are the victims and the victimisers.
The presentation at times is rather slow and to rub in that Gurpal was married to a woman from the slums sounded rather gimmicky as the theme is not developed enough.
The cast as whole plays well and among them the director Kuljeet Singh playing Gurpal, Nitin Abbey as Paswan, Jasjit Singh in his mother’s role and Rajiv Ashish as Chauhan live their roles with conviction that is indeed infectious.
“SUS” is a must whenever it is on the boards again for it is a classic reminder that even if some of our repressive laws are repealed or abolished, they will stay on in some other incarnation all the time.
Page 306
Memory play
M. L. MELLY MAITREYI
A lyricist’s bouquet of plays give food for thought.
Emotional play A scene from the play.
The lovers of literature and sensitive cinema had a wonderful treat when the play Kharaashein, based on Gulzar’s short stories was staged to mark the Foundation Day celebrations of University of Hyderabad recently.
Kharaashein (Wounds that refuse to heal) is a collage of Gulzar’s literary creations on stage. The stories and poems are linked by the common thread set against the backdrop of riots. Enacted by actors noted for their performances in various critically acclaimed films and plays, Kharaashein comprised four presentations, Hilsa, Raavi Paar, Khauff and Khuda-Haafiz.
If Hilsa depicted the typical middle-class attitude in a riot-torn city, Ravvi Paar, was set against the chaos and trauma of Partition and a family’s disintegration in the process. Khauff was about fear and its impact on the psyche of a normal man in anxiety and Khuda Haafiz was a dramatisation of Samaresh Basu’s Aadaab adapted by Gulzar exploring a relationship which evolves under duress during a riot.With actors of calibre like Atul Kulkarni of Rang De Basanti, Anoop Soni of Apaharan, Kishore Kadam who enacted the role of Harilal in Gandhi viruddh Gandhi, Yashpal Sharma of Lagaan, Ganesh Yadav of Company, Lubna Salim, an active theatre artist, the event provided a rare opportunity for the viewers to witness thought-provoking plays with the actors transforming into the characters they were portraying with seasoned ease.
An added bonus was Gulzar’s lecture on ‘Role of Language in the evolution of Cinema’. The programme indeed turned out to be one unforgettable experience.
M. L. MELLY MAITREYI
A lyricist’s bouquet of plays give food for thought.
Emotional play A scene from the play.
The lovers of literature and sensitive cinema had a wonderful treat when the play Kharaashein, based on Gulzar’s short stories was staged to mark the Foundation Day celebrations of University of Hyderabad recently.
Kharaashein (Wounds that refuse to heal) is a collage of Gulzar’s literary creations on stage. The stories and poems are linked by the common thread set against the backdrop of riots. Enacted by actors noted for their performances in various critically acclaimed films and plays, Kharaashein comprised four presentations, Hilsa, Raavi Paar, Khauff and Khuda-Haafiz.
If Hilsa depicted the typical middle-class attitude in a riot-torn city, Ravvi Paar, was set against the chaos and trauma of Partition and a family’s disintegration in the process. Khauff was about fear and its impact on the psyche of a normal man in anxiety and Khuda Haafiz was a dramatisation of Samaresh Basu’s Aadaab adapted by Gulzar exploring a relationship which evolves under duress during a riot.With actors of calibre like Atul Kulkarni of Rang De Basanti, Anoop Soni of Apaharan, Kishore Kadam who enacted the role of Harilal in Gandhi viruddh Gandhi, Yashpal Sharma of Lagaan, Ganesh Yadav of Company, Lubna Salim, an active theatre artist, the event provided a rare opportunity for the viewers to witness thought-provoking plays with the actors transforming into the characters they were portraying with seasoned ease.
An added bonus was Gulzar’s lecture on ‘Role of Language in the evolution of Cinema’. The programme indeed turned out to be one unforgettable experience.
Page 305
Speaking from the margins
DIWAN SINGH BAJELI
Delhiites saw two touching accounts of women in distress this past week.
Poignant The performances struck a chord with the audience.
The Hindi adaptation of two short stories by Rabindranath Tagore presented by Shaurya at Purva Sanskritik Kendra this past week brought to fore the plight of women in feudal India and their yearning for compassion. The directors tried to capture the pathos, anguish and irony inherent in the original stories.
The evening opened with the presentation of “Patni Ka Patr” which was directed and adapted by Navratan Gautam, displaying total fidelity to the original investing the production with poetic sensibility and rhythmic flow of dramatic action.
In first person
A young woman, Mrinal, is the protagonist who narrated her pathetic story in first person. The way she narrated her tale moved our hearts. The world she presented is one dominated by the male in which woman is a mere commodity. In this process, she was able to present many faces of tortured women that inhabit her world.
A solo act, Vidhi was cast in the role of Mrinal. Mrinal unburdened herself to her husband through a letter. She recalled with bitterness the behaviour of her arrogant and insensitive husband who had no feelings for his wife.
Only suffering and humiliations had been her lot. What shocked her the most was the brutal end of Bindu, the sister of the wife of her brother-in-law. This poor and orphan girl was forced to stay with her sister to escape from the slavery of her cousins.
Here in her sister’s house she was treated just like a servant and forced to marry a mentally unsound man. Unable to bear the savagery inflicted by the male members, she committed suicide.
Mrinal was very much attached to the unfortunate girl. Bindu’s tragic death had jolted her and she began her journey to find out a meaning in her life and in an act of defiance left her husband and wrote to him a letter.
Properties are placed at different places on the stage in an elegant style that create the right ambience of an upper class Bengali home. Director Gautam aptly uses male voices from the wings to convey the brutality of men against women to create dramatic intensity. The effect of flute added to the mood. Various theatrical expressive devices projected a social fabric in which women are denied basic human rights.
Vidhi as Mrinal gave a brilliant account of herself. The way she moved on the stage, delivered her lines, using a variety of pitches and tones conveyed the inner turmoil of her character. Towards the end she imparted serenity to her portrait when she discovered the spiritual meaning in her life as discovered by Meera, a woman tortured by heartless men, who attained sublime divinity.
This was followed by another short story, the “Postmaster” which was adapted and directed by H.S Harsh. The “Postmaster” is a highly significant work of art which vibrates with contemporary sensibility. The undercurrents of the story reveal the boredom caused by alienation, the insensitivity of urban men towards the dispossessed living in villages. There are strong elements of sympathy and irony.
A deviation
Harsh’s adaptation of the original appeared to be a deviation, to say the least. There are two main characters in the original – A young “Postmaster” from Kolkata posted in a remote village and Ratan, an illiterate and orphan village girl who volunteers herself as a domestic help to the postmaster.
Away from the metropolitan life he is lonely in this mosquito-infested village. In his loneliness he establishes a human contact with Ratan and starts teaching her. Once he falls sick Ratan looks after him as if she were his sister or a little mother. The girl becomes attached to him.
In Harsh’s adaptation Ratan was a young man who was shown as mentally retarded who becomes normal after being taught by the postmaster who resigned to offer Ratan his post.
Satyajit Ray’s cinematic version of the Postmaster not only highlighted “The loneliness of the human heart” but also with the slight change in the original Ray showed Ratan’s maturity who revealed her wounded pride in a restrained manner and turned away from the departing postmaster who tried to give her money.
In the original she takes her relationship with the postmaster seriously, “fell to the ground, clasped his feet and pleaded” to take her with him. The postmaster, a city-bred, rationalises his departure in these words, “life is full of partings, full of death…” In Harsh’s adaptation we missed this vital hiatus between the world-views of village and city people.
DIWAN SINGH BAJELI
Delhiites saw two touching accounts of women in distress this past week.
Poignant The performances struck a chord with the audience.
The Hindi adaptation of two short stories by Rabindranath Tagore presented by Shaurya at Purva Sanskritik Kendra this past week brought to fore the plight of women in feudal India and their yearning for compassion. The directors tried to capture the pathos, anguish and irony inherent in the original stories.
The evening opened with the presentation of “Patni Ka Patr” which was directed and adapted by Navratan Gautam, displaying total fidelity to the original investing the production with poetic sensibility and rhythmic flow of dramatic action.
In first person
A young woman, Mrinal, is the protagonist who narrated her pathetic story in first person. The way she narrated her tale moved our hearts. The world she presented is one dominated by the male in which woman is a mere commodity. In this process, she was able to present many faces of tortured women that inhabit her world.
A solo act, Vidhi was cast in the role of Mrinal. Mrinal unburdened herself to her husband through a letter. She recalled with bitterness the behaviour of her arrogant and insensitive husband who had no feelings for his wife.
Only suffering and humiliations had been her lot. What shocked her the most was the brutal end of Bindu, the sister of the wife of her brother-in-law. This poor and orphan girl was forced to stay with her sister to escape from the slavery of her cousins.
Here in her sister’s house she was treated just like a servant and forced to marry a mentally unsound man. Unable to bear the savagery inflicted by the male members, she committed suicide.
Mrinal was very much attached to the unfortunate girl. Bindu’s tragic death had jolted her and she began her journey to find out a meaning in her life and in an act of defiance left her husband and wrote to him a letter.
Properties are placed at different places on the stage in an elegant style that create the right ambience of an upper class Bengali home. Director Gautam aptly uses male voices from the wings to convey the brutality of men against women to create dramatic intensity. The effect of flute added to the mood. Various theatrical expressive devices projected a social fabric in which women are denied basic human rights.
Vidhi as Mrinal gave a brilliant account of herself. The way she moved on the stage, delivered her lines, using a variety of pitches and tones conveyed the inner turmoil of her character. Towards the end she imparted serenity to her portrait when she discovered the spiritual meaning in her life as discovered by Meera, a woman tortured by heartless men, who attained sublime divinity.
This was followed by another short story, the “Postmaster” which was adapted and directed by H.S Harsh. The “Postmaster” is a highly significant work of art which vibrates with contemporary sensibility. The undercurrents of the story reveal the boredom caused by alienation, the insensitivity of urban men towards the dispossessed living in villages. There are strong elements of sympathy and irony.
A deviation
Harsh’s adaptation of the original appeared to be a deviation, to say the least. There are two main characters in the original – A young “Postmaster” from Kolkata posted in a remote village and Ratan, an illiterate and orphan village girl who volunteers herself as a domestic help to the postmaster.
Away from the metropolitan life he is lonely in this mosquito-infested village. In his loneliness he establishes a human contact with Ratan and starts teaching her. Once he falls sick Ratan looks after him as if she were his sister or a little mother. The girl becomes attached to him.
In Harsh’s adaptation Ratan was a young man who was shown as mentally retarded who becomes normal after being taught by the postmaster who resigned to offer Ratan his post.
Satyajit Ray’s cinematic version of the Postmaster not only highlighted “The loneliness of the human heart” but also with the slight change in the original Ray showed Ratan’s maturity who revealed her wounded pride in a restrained manner and turned away from the departing postmaster who tried to give her money.
In the original she takes her relationship with the postmaster seriously, “fell to the ground, clasped his feet and pleaded” to take her with him. The postmaster, a city-bred, rationalises his departure in these words, “life is full of partings, full of death…” In Harsh’s adaptation we missed this vital hiatus between the world-views of village and city people.
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