An elephant story
MANU REMAKANTH
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‘Bundola,’ staged by Kaliyuga Theatre, narrates the relationship between man and elephant.
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Photo: S. Gopakumar
Hidden secrets: A young man discovers his father through a diary.
Kaliyuga Theatre staged its new play ‘Bundola’ at Vyloppilly Samskriti Bhavan, Thiruvananthapuram, recently. Scripted by Rupesh Ravi, the play, which tells the story of the relationship between man and elephant, was directed by veteran television serial actor V.P. Ramachandran.
As the story begins, we see a young man reading a diary. A flashback tells us a story that is supposed to have happened during the Second World War. In the inaccessible forests of Burma, 7,000 elephants and its mahouts are engaged in building roads for the British army.
Major Williams, an Irish officer, is in charge of the elephant regiment. As the play evolves, the major falls in love with a local girl Ila and ‘Bundola,’ a tusker so rare that local lore has it that such an elephant is born only once in 1,000 years.
As the Japanese army advances, Williams neglects all commands from the top to return from the warfront, as it endangers the safety of the elephant regiment. He is taken a prisoner by the Japanese. However, when he returns he discovers that Ila is married to a mahout and that Bundola is missing. In a fit of anger, Williams kills Ila’s husband.
As the flashback ends, the young man who was reading the diary realises that his father is Major Williams. He questions his father. As the curtain falls, we see his father worshipping the image of a tusker.
The unseen presence
The unseen presence of the title character, Bundola, plays a major role in the play. Relationships between characters are redefined by him.
The narrative is punctuated throughout by the reading of the diary, which gives the viewers many perspectives of the play.
Rajawarrier essayed the role of Major Williams with élan as Bindhu complemented him with her twin role as Ila and as Pooja Chatterjee, who is the wife of Major Williams’ friend. C.G. Suresh as the mahout Poyoon deserves special mention.
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