Not long ago Vijay Tendulkar’s plays were frequently seen on the Delhi stage. These days his dramatic works have become rather rare. Has he become irrelevant? A theatre critic from Maharashtra said at a seminar in Delhi last year that young theatre directors’ fascination for him is on the decline. In fact, his dramas have become all the more relevant today when moral and ethical values are threatened by forces of corruption and rank opportunism. This is amply illustrated by “Ziddi Ladki”, translated into Hindi from his Marathi original titled “Ek Hatti Mulgi” (1967), which was presented by Pehchan, a group formed by young people struggling for an identity as actors, at Sammukh auditorium, National School of Drama, recently.
In comparison with Tendulkar’s masterpieces like “Ghasiram Kotwal”, “Sakharam Binder” and “Shantala! Court Ahe”, “Ek Ziddi Ladki” is comparatively little known to Delhi theatregoers. However, the play is a severe indictment of a society in which corrupt flourishes and struggle against corruption ends in defeat. The production communicates this core issue of the play with a dramatic force.
Designed and directed by Dinesh Khanna, a senior faculty member of National School of Drama, who is in persistent quest to create meaningful theatre with young and enthusiastic theatre people, the play is a kind of family drama which opens in the family and ends in the family. The main dramatis personae are family members pursuing conflicting way of life style.
Addressed as Babuji, the head of the family resorts to fraudulent methods to make a living, masquerading as the one endowed with spiritual power to bring good luck and now posing as a man with high connections. Cunning as he is, he manages to escape from being arrested by the police. His wife, two sons and a daughter do not seem to oppose his unethical and unlawful acts to support the family. The sons and daughter are unhappy because they are leading a miserable life, they do not resent the decadence of their family life, and they want more money to lead a better life. Babuji is despised by society.
Resorting to fraud, the family manages to get the unemployed elder son married. Enters Mangala, the daughter-in-law. She is bold, intelligent and knows all about the shady life of her in-laws. She wants to transform the parasitic and dishonourable existence of the family into a respected one, making both ends meet with hard work in tune with moral values. With the force of her personality, she makes her father-in-law to cooperate with her in her venture of producing pickle at home.
She is able to involve the whole family in this venture and requests her maternal uncle, a freedom fighter, to help her get subsidy from the state. The honest and morally conscious maternal uncle fails to secure subsidy for her niece because this could only be possible by bribing the politician in power which is an anathema to the crusader of moral values. The big business players create conditions in the market in which Mangala’s pickle has no buyer. Now the family is on the verge of starvation.
The production has loose ends. The first half needs pruning to quicken the pace. However, in the second half the production acquires momentum and intricacy. The original play depicts the return of corrupt father-in-law to occupy the central stage of the family who is marginalised by the daughter-in-law. Dinesh gives the play a different interpretation with Mangala continuing her struggle against a corrupt society in the face of adversity and alienation.
Instead of adhering to the Maharashtrian social milieu, the director has selected North Indian milieu for his dramatic action. The set, the colour scheme of costumes and music all combine to evoke the atmosphere of a decaying house in a small town in a Hindi speaking region. The rendition of bhajans contributes to creating an authentic family ambience. Since the play is set in a realistic mode, background music composed by the talented young composer Sudheer Rikhari,evokes the right mood and intensifies the conflict.
Set design by Rajiv is remarkable. It projects an old spacious house which might have witnessed good days in the past. Now, with its fading colour it indicates that it is going downhill. In a way, it is a metaphor to reflect the decaying moral and ethical values of the family and a rotten society which has no place for a morally conscious humanity.
A seasoned theatre director and actor, Ravi Taneja as the head of the family, gives a brilliant performance. His style of dialogue delivery, movements and gait project the cunning character out to exploit his victims and escape from the police. His Babuji is assertive, vain, wily, greedy and timid depending on the given situation . Sonam Giri as Mangala, the rebellious young daughter-in-law invests her character with sensitivity, perseverance and strong moral conviction. Nadeem Azim’s maternal uncle of Mangala, a freedom fighter, is a pathetic figure, witnessing a society debased by moral degradation.
