If your story is overridden with rejection and pain, if you want to hint a popular catastrophe, then you need to take your audiences to the pace where they were standing when it happened. For a perfect subject appropriating the present time, which revamps new coinages like ‘deglobalisation’ uncertainty about a space and time is surely the death knell.
Kaahon Theatre Review
BUKJHIM EK BHALOBASHA – A NOVEL ENACTED
Read more : https://t.co/vsNnhOEQVK#bengalitheatre |#kaahontheatrereview pic.twitter.com/uDc4PXvKV2— kaahon (@kaahonwall) July 15, 2017
‘Equations’ a Bengali play directed by Raja Bhattacharya suffered as it committed the same mistake. The unfortunate reality of ‘Equations’ is that both the play writer and the director tried to talk in German only through names, but looked Bengali. ‘Equation’ is based on the short story “Maxwell Equations” written by Anatoly Dneprov. A mathematical physicist played by Debshankar Halder was looking for an artificial intelligence (computer) to find a solution to a linearized version of Maxwell’s equations. He finds an offer surprisingly in a newspaper advertisement. Following the address listed in the advertisement, he finds that he is at a very close proximity of the local insane asylum. He receives a very satisfactory solution to his problems. On a careful scrutiny of the solutions, He finds out that no artificial intelligence had been engaged to solve his research equations. Only human brain has the capacity to use variety of analysis to reach up to such solutions. His in depth investigation takes him to a reality where he finds out that a Nazi war criminal was experimenting with ordinary human minds and transforming them into brilliant brains solving the most critical mathematical problems through electromagnetic stimulation. The physicist in an urge to stop this destructive human ability transformation mechanism uses this strategy of cyber neurotics and mobiles the endangered human machines to protest against the war criminal and his intentions. Tirthankar Chandra and Raja Bhattacharya should be acknowledged for choosing such a brilliant text, which is so relevant for the present time. A time that we are living in has already experienced the power hierarchy forcing the entire education system for strengthening material benefits, military and diplomatic position for sovereign start and not the free spirited thinking, wisdom, personal and societal emancipation which canincite criticizing and revolting power. To formulate a design to execute this narrative chosen by Tirthankar Chandra, approved by Raja Bhattacharya should have been an evocative translation of the story, painting the stagnant geopolitical tension during the cold war. Instead, Raja Bhattacharya and Tirthankar Chandra immersed in the ode of over explanation of the story and trying hard to make it relevant for the Indian scenario diluted the entire effort. The play is obese with extra dialogues and contexts justifying the motive of actions. Thus the audiences were denied the luxury of watching a political thriller. The collective viewing experience of thrillers was only addressed by the music of the play, designed by Drone Acharya. The same experience was asphyxiated by unnecessary subplots like the girl sabotaged to work for the company is actually looking for her father, or comic reliefs unnecessarily inserted into the play. Just a symbolic indication leaving the rest for the intelligent cognitive quarters of audience brains could have tightened the thrill expected from the play.
Raja Bhattacharya neither adapted the story to Indian context nor designed the play to excite the audiences with a political thriller of the cold war era. The actors seemed never to have been directed to follow the body gestures and pronunciation of the German characters they were playing. The actors used Indian props and pronounced wrongly German words. The light design never followed any dramatic logic. Any action, effective to change the narrative course of the play was deluged with flood light negating the secretive mood the play demanded as for a thriller to enfold. Some of the actors wore costumes completely in contrast to the colour scheme of the rest of the actors and also of the entire play which created a discomforting optic jerk. The costume of Hans Boltz and Elsa Brinter justifies such allegation. Raja Bhattacharya had extended the acting zone of the play from the main stage. He termed the design to be extended proscenium but the design never added any advantage for the play rather seemed to be imposed. The actors had hardly used the protruding space, which if used judiciously, could help the actors to modify their vocal tone, which could have brought more colors and shades to their characters.
In conclusion, what can be said is ‘Equations’ is not a play to experiment with form. This play has an excellent storyline which could have been audio visually translated in Bengali through a marvelous story telling craft. All the people, behind the production of the play are masters of this craft, but they chose not to use it. It is really a perilous decision to over explain the history, scientific truths and events to Indian audiences and not trusting the audiences to interpret the play with their own wisdom. A wrong choice soled up a good thought. Alas!
Srijayee Bhattacharjee
