Natasamrat, primarily a Marathi play, written by V.V Shirwadkar, translated into Hindi by R.S. Kelkar was staged for the third time in a short span of two months at the Telugu University auditorium recently. Popular theatre actor and director Vinay Varma was the Sutradhar of Natasamarat. Produced and directed by Bhaskar Shewalkar and sponsored by Ministry of Culture, Government of India, the two-hour classic play is staging of the shades of a transitional world as seen through the fading vision of a great actor.
The play’s main character Samraat Singh Rathore is Natasamrat – a king amongst actors. Long after his swansong and blinded with love for his children — Nalini and Siddharth — he decides to bequeath his property between them, keeping for himself the love and loyalty of his devoted wife Kaveri. Natasamrat deals with the theme of whether the love of parents always begets love in return.
The play’s associate director Vinay Varma shared that the play written 50 years ago, had relevance then, now and in the future too. “We are not preachers. Every person must find his own solution to the problems. In the West, there are welfare schemes for the elderly, but in the coming years they too may face similar problems. There should be some flexibility on both sides (between the youth and elderly),” Vinay said.
Regarding the preparation for the title role, Varma said, “I don’t prepare so meticulously for the role. I am not a method actor in an academic sense. I draw my inspiration from people around me and I recall all my observing skills from people from that age including my father.” He added that an actor should keep evolving with lot of subtleties and delineate himself from the character.
The actor firmly said that there was no need to bring in any changes in the play. “The play was presented to suit the pan Indian audience. We have tried to portray each character with conviction and not in a clichéd way. All actors in the play have performed well. Some of them have stepped in the last minute,” Varma said.
Vinay agrred that Natasmarat was definitely a landmark in his career. “The character of Rathore and Dr Rahi Masoom Raza are at different levels. They have one common trait – Both men are passionate about what they are doing and speak openly about things they don’t like and what they like. The characters have reached out to people. Performance is not only speech but also body movement. Pauses have been used with effect.”
Spelling out the intricacies of the Rathore character, Varma said: “All of us have that kind of emotion. An amount of sarcasm has to be there or there will be no fun. It also helps one to understand or misunderstood.”
Recalling the performance of monologue, Main Rahi Masoom in London recently, Varma said that it played to packed houses and resounding applause at the Waterman’s Arts Centre and Nehru Centre. “It was an amazing experience and the audience present had roots from the sub-continent. They were quick in appreciating the subtleties in the language. My host Mustafa Ali Khan, who writes poetry in Urdu under the pen name Mustafa Shahab, who had migrated to London 50 years ago, is still rooted in Hyderabadi culture – lingo, manners, food etc. Hyderabadis are very deep rooted and even there I came across the love for our lingos.” He said that many Pakistanis had come up to him after the monologue to say: “It was a journey which took them back in time.” He said that at least over a dozen people had been there at both the shows. “London was a lovely experience and I got used to the tube easily. We should emulate the facilities they extend to the handicapped and the elderly. Even if you lose your way in London, you can find your way, thanks to signages,” Varma said.
