Each theatre hall in Kolkata, the cultural epicenter of West Bengal, can be personified with a distinct characteristic trait. Girish Mancha in Bagbazar can be classified with having its own conservative character, when the number of audiences assembling for a theatre show is concerned. It has been a legacy for this hall, which every theatre group keeps in mind that the weekdays generally do not attract much audience for any show, if not something extraordinary rare theatre is been staged. Exceptions do happen, and that occurred for a so-called mofussil theatre group Kalyani Natycharcha Kendra, when they staged their latest production ”Dhruboputra” in ‘Pashchim Banga Natya Mela” on 29thNovember 2017. This diversion of trend happened not just because, audiences had a chance to watch the play for free, but Kalyani Natyacharcha Kendra, even after operating from Kalyani, little far away from Kolkata could convince the theatre audiences and could generate new audiences for theatre with their much precious productions like “Meyeti”, “Nuruluddiner Sharajibon” and many more. Kalyani Natya Charcha Kendra generally do not work with so called theatre stars if not their skills are very much needed for the character, and have a very potent team of skilled actors and craftsmen. For this, director Kishore Sengupta deserves many accolades from the entire theatre audiences of Bengal.
Kaahon Theatre Review
NIRBHAYA – BRECHT AGAIN, WITH A TOUCH OF REVISIONISMhttps://t.co/RPCVpdsq34#bengalitheatre |#KaahonPerformingArts pic.twitter.com/72DKUI4Kg0— kaahon (@kaahonwall) October 23, 2017
This expectation, unfortunately, from the group was not fulfilled this time with their latest production, “Dhruboputra”. As said before, Kishore Sengupta’s earlier productions spoke of team effort and conformed the actor’s role as to be mandatory in a medium called theatre. ‘Dhruboputra’ disturbed that confidence from the very beginning with the less-rehearsed opening choreography itself. It was disproportionately maligned, at least from the corner seat of the auditorium. The dance sequences are perceived to be a very important part of the entire visual design of the play. There were confusions in establishing the center of all the compositions. It is expected that the chorographical compositions should be designed for the entire seating arrangement of the auditorium keeping all the corners in mind. The beautiful music designed by Mayukh-Mainak could neither mesmerize the audiences nor could complement the play itself as the fragments of the songs were not well mixed and each time it came with a jerk. Shumit Nath had designed the choreography, but he could not come out of his intense admiration for Bollywood. Theatre, especially the Bengali theatre does not have that liability of selling ‘Indianness’ to the rest of the world as Bollywood has, hence in a sequence when a character is longing for her love to return back, the Bollywoodish visuals and a ‘looking good’ happy facial expression is unnecessary and avoidable.
These were minor issues, the deeper problem was seeded somewhere else. The play is based on a novel by Amar Mitra with the same name and is contextualized and placed in the famous historical city of Ujjain and its adjoining areas. The play includes themes like love, anarchyand corruption of the ministers in a kingdom, and the suppressive, exploitative class politics. Kishore Sengupta who is also the playwright directs the play, stagecraft is by Hiran Mitraand Dipak Mukherjee has designed light. A fixed backdrop with various cubical shapes is the main mise-en-scene, which signifies a particular time frame, and also the larger space of Ujjain. Thus the change of spaces within Ujjain, was supposed to be demarcated either by the usage of zonal light or through the use of body language by the actors. Light changed the zones, but the actors themselves could not imagine the stage area to be transforming into micro spaces such as market, domestic household spaces, riverside or others. Thus the audiences had no choice but to listen to a storyline through the dialogues. The stage remained just a wooden platform, where even the actors were seen to be walking backwards with their face towards the audience. Not even a single moment was developed which penetrated deep into audiences’ mind. There was hardly any take-home for them. The entire interaction with the actors and the audiences remained a storytelling session except some dance sequences in between.
Ujjain, in the contextual time frame of the play, is a pre-Buddhist city. Islam came much later in India. Just because, the lower caste ‘Shudras’ is there in the play, can they be portrayed as anything that is non-Aryan or non-Brahmin or Muslims or tribal (Santhals in this case)? To characterize the ‘Shudras’, the director had no second choice but to dress them up and make them speak like the Santhals in Bengal, again sometimes they were seen to be praying for rain like the Muslims! The caste system is an indefensible social peril but has a history of its own which may be derogatory but cannot be mishandled! One should not make such a nuisance celebrating the age-oldapathy of the upper caste Hindus to the subaltern people of India?
In conclusion, what can be said is that the play is overburdened with beautiful literary text which takes audiences to nowhere, again commits serious mistakes with history creating nothing but aversion.
