It was heartening to watch the plays featured at Yuva Natya Mahotsav organised by Sahitya Kala Parishad at Shri Ram Centre in New Delhi this past week. They were marked by youthful exuberance, ingenuousness and a new approach to the theatrical art. The audiences, mainly young people, gave a tremendous response.
Tumultuous applause greeted the performers and the director of “Suraj Ka Satvaan Ghoda” as soon as they took the curtain call. The excited members of the audience entered on stage, embraced their favourite performers. Such excitement and rapport between the actors and the audience is rarely seen on the Delhi stage – this is the magic of the stage at its best. This kind of exultation was possible when universal theme of pangs of unrequited love grippingly painted in the novel by Dharamvir Bharati of “Andha Yug” fame and directed and dramatized by a talented young artist Happy Ranjeet Sahu, a graduate of National School of Drama. What enhanced the thrill of watching the production was the casting of Delhi's arguably topmost actors such as Teekam Joshi as Mank and narrator and Suresh Sharma as Maheshwar Dalal.
The action in the play shifts from the present to the past and vice versa. The transition is smooth and the narrator joins the action bringing alive vividly the pathetic world of three young women who came in the life of the narrator at different point of time. The mood ranges from light-hearted to poignant and from satirical to reflective. A kind of sweet-bitter feeling of nostalgia prevails in the production. The characterizations become deep and authentic because they are projected against the backdrop of specific socio-economic environment which shapes characters’ consciousness. Gauri Dewat as Yamuna, Priyanka Sharma as Lilli and Sukhmani as Satti bring to life emotionally disturbed world of their characters.
Directed by Ashraf Ali, Daya Prakash Sinha's “Katha Ek Kans Ki” shows a new approach and new interpretation of a play based on mythology which is popular in the Hindi region. Director Ashraf has projected Kans not a mere mythological character but a ruler of a totalitarian modern state. From a humble social status, Kans rises to become the ruler. As he possesses more and more power with complete control over the state, he loses his humanity, destroying everything that has even any semblance of humanity. He has dehumanized his trusted friends, exploited his beloved who has always stood by him in adverse condition and worked for his rise. All his close friends unable to bear his brute acts commit suicide – the only way they could find redemption from a ruler who has turned into a monster.
The director has effectively enacted the drama-within the drama sequence that makes Kans furious, suppressing all forms of theatrical and musical activities. At another level, the production makes us aware about the dangerous consequences of personality cult. The costumes are designed in a way that combines the mythological and modern styles. Using five performers in mask, the director has created the illusion of a wall symbolizing the closed world of a dictator. The performers are also used as temples in which Kans is being worshipped and towards the climax they are transformed into Krishna face to face with Kans. The offstage live music to the accompaniment of instruments reinforces emotional impact.
Sahil Sethi as Kans creates an impressive caricature of his character but his dialogue delivery leaves much to be desired. Nitika Bharti as the true beloved of Kans, Nishant Bharti as the loyal friend of Kans and Nishant Thakur as dedicated follower give impressive performances, revealing their dilemma.
To stage Prabhakar Shrotiya's “Ila” is a changing creative process for a director. It is longish and the action shifts different time and space. But the importance of the play lies in dealing with the complex question of change of sex and its attendant emotional and psychological problems faced by the person who undergoes the change of sex. The play deals this issue though the mythological story of Ila who becomes the victim of her father's whims to have a male heir for his kingdom forced her daughter to undergo change of sex.
Reducing the playing time to two hours and 15 minutes, Rajesh Bakshi, a brilliant actor and director, creates a fine production. Bharti Deng has designed costumes aesthetically that capture mythological flavour. Her choreography lends the production lyrical beauty. The tortured and humiliating journey of Ila is conveyed with telling effect.
Sukumar as Manu, the king possessed with pathological desire to have a male heir, Bupesh Joshi as Vishisht forced to act against the law of nature and his conscience, Dilip Gupta as Sudumn suffering from his crisis of identity caused by repeated change of gender from female to male and Tripti Johari as Ila gives riveting performances.
Discordant note
However, the festival ended on a discordant note: no brochure was published by the organisers in the name of economy. In fact, Sahitya Kala Parishad under Delhi government has made sincere efforts to boost the theatre. But the new regime has stopped even publication of brochures which are an essential part of theatre viewing. As we know theatre is an ephemeral art and it lives in memories which fade away sooner or later. It is only through brochures the production survives for future generation. Sadly, SKP has discontinued some significant theatrical events like Delhi Natya Utsav featuring works of senior directors of Delhi, Lok Natya Utsav-folk theatre and Bhartendu Natya Samaroh-Interstate Cultural Exchange Programme. This act has pained the theatre practitioners and lovers of dramatic art of Delhi.
