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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.