The Hindi version of Vijay Tendulkar's “Meeta Ki Kahani” presented by the Repertory Company of Shri Ram Centre at its auditorium recently is a provocative, disturbing and absorbing theatrical piece. It vibrates with youthful life and vitality. One of the foremost Indian playwrights, Tendulkar had the courage to expose the hypocrisy of a patriarchal, conservative and misogynistic society. The element of rebellion displayed by his women protagonists is discernible in some of his plays which challenge dogmatic view about female sexuality.
Based on a hard hitting theme, “Meeta Ki Kahani” is a poignant tale of an anguished young girl who dares to express her sexual preferences. It is a deep dramatic insight into the tortured emotional and psychological world of the protagonist.
Vijay Tendulkar
The play is directed by Sameep Singh, a seasoned theatre practitioner, who has directed significant plays for the SRC that have won admiration of the audience. In the production under review, he has incorporated into presentational style visuals in multiple colours as a metaphor to reflect repressed sexuality against the backdrop of a hostile social milieu.
We watch the tragic unfolding of the play through the eyes of a character named Bapu who is the narrator. He introduces us to Meeta, a college student. Bapu reads in the same college. The sequences depict Meeta as bold and frank having the persona of a tom boy, always riding a bicycle. She is an object of attraction for boys. This image evokes a keen sense of curiosity to know more about this young lady. Shy by nature, Bapu, one day, finds a photograph of Meeta lying on the college lawn. With trepidation, he meets Meeta while she is on way to college and hands her the photograph he has found. She takes photograph and returns it to Bapu nonchalantly. Her behaviour shocks Bapu.
In the course of their casual meetings, Bapu finds himself inextricably drawn towards her and becomes her confidante. One more shock awaits Bapu when she discloses to him that she is not at all attracted towards boys and has a different sexual orientation.
Salacious gossip
Between the transitions of scenes, Bapu tells us what is next to happen in the life of Meeta which is more dreadful than what the audience could imagine. The scene as part of drama-within-the drama manifests Meeta’s passion for her female co-actor leading to her rendezvous with her, the place of their secret meeting is the room of Bapu who simply yields to the demand of Meeta. Soon enough, this meeting degenerates into a scandal, becoming part of salacious gossip and local yellow journalism.
What creates intense emotional tension with an undercurrent of violence is the device of playwright to create a love triangle. Meeta’s partner already has a lover, a young man, who is furious and desperately chases the couple to teach them a lesson, using angry tirades targeting her sexual orientation. All these narrative elements culminate in catastrophic tragedy.
The way the production is designed tends to clutter the space. The big screen used for the projection of the narrator should have been projected upstage, raised from the acting space. The character of narrator has a vital role to establish a direct rapport with the audience to evoke live response from the audience. Similarly, the space where Meeta and Bapu meet, with a view to remain unnoticed by students, has a backdrop dotted with different colours. The brightness of these colours often distract the attention from the action. A stark realistic presentational style would have revealed the inner emotional turmoil of the characters with more dramatic force.
However, some of the scenes are enacted with remarkable force. The scene set in the room of Bapu where Meeta and her female partner are celebrating their relationship and at the height of their happiness abruptly enters the male friend of Meeta’s partner. He expresses his pent up anger, destroying the decorative material to make celebration grand and memorable. This sudden clash between contradictory emotions gives deep shock to the audience. Similarly, the climactic scene where Meeta drinks like a horse in a bar in the company of a military personnel grips the attention and the tragedy offers cathartic experience to the audience.
Multiple characters
Alqama Khatoon as Meeta gives a brilliant performance, living multiple emotional ebbs and flows of her character with telling effect. Ashutosh Singh Rathore as Bapu paints the portrait of a shy, introvert, kind-hearted and well-meaning friend of Meeta who suffers for her sake with subtle touches. His restrained acting style imparts depth to his portrayal. Manish Sharma as Pandey, the roommate of Bapu, brings to his role, youthful vitality. Interested in body-building, he, in vain, dreams of becoming the lover of Meeta. Jyoti Rana as Nama, the partner of Meeta is torn between her passion for Meeta and desire for male company. Kirti Kumar as Dalvi, the lover of Nama, gives a satisfying performance of an angry and revengeful lover.
