Rajinder Nath, a veteran theatre director and founder of Abhiyan, has committed himself to direct for the group plays written by Indian playwrights only for the Hindi audience. In the process, he has staged Hindi versions of eminent playwrights like Badal Sircar and Vijay Tendulkar. He has directed Tendulkar’s controversial play “Sakharam Binder” in Hindi translation for Abhiyan and Shri Ram Centre. After nearly one-and-a-half decades, he directed it for Subrang Theatre Group which was presented at Shri Ram Centre recently.
The play is translated into Hindi from the original Marathi by Sarojini Varma. It deals with the life a deviant, who keeps on bringing home women thrown out by their cruel husbands. The central character is Sakharam, who is a Brahmin by birth and defies Brahminical code of conduct with a sense of sadistic pleasure. He takes pleasure in uttering foul words and drinking alcohol. He hates Brahminical sophisticated mannerism. Though a lumpen, he performs his job of book binding in an earnest manner.
Flaunting his machismo, whenever he brings home deserted woman, mostly from railway stations, he brazenly tells her that she will get meal, shelter to live and will have to remain confined inside his room. Whenever it pleases him, he will throw her out providing her ticket for the destination she wishes to go. She will not be allowed to enter his house again. Two such abandoned women stand out for special mention for dramatic statement.
A scene from “Sakharam Binder”
One such woman is Laxmi. She is an image of a terrorised, starved and enfeebled human creature, willing to accept any condition for shelter over her head and a little bit of food. Sakharam is ready to offer her a little bit more – two saris in a year and food. She will be forced to leave the house at any time. Laxmi is a religious person and believes in the obscurantist philosophy of Pati-Parmeshwar. Though her husband has treated her in a savage manner, she prays for his long life. Sakharam mocks at her slavish manners to wish a long life for a man who has ruined her life. God fearing as she is, she has brought about a semblance of religiosity to the house of nihilist Sakharam by installing an idol of Ganesha and worshipping it. Soon enough Sakharam is disgusted with Laxmi and orders her to quit. She has no choice.
Contrasting character
Sakharam cannot remain alone without the company of a woman. He brings a new woman called Champa. She is seductive, young and horribly vulgar. In contrast to Laxmi, she has deserted her husband with contempt. He is mad after her and goes on from pillar to post to search for her. In his frantic search for her, he has become alcoholic and is dismissed from service.
Finally, he finds her in the house of Sakharam Binder. While confronting her husband, Champa lambasted him, using vulgar language; he merely cringes, pitifully beseeching her to return to him. Another development has taken place in the life of Sakharam. Laxmi has returned and he allows her to stay at the behest of Champa on the condition that she will do all the domestic chores, allowing for herself to have a good time.
Despite insults heaped on him by Champa, her husband frequently visits her and in the absence of Champa, Laxmi attends to him sympathetically and offers him food.
To reduce the playing time, some of the dialogues between Champa and Sakharam and between Laxmi and Sakharam are pruned. It is probably done to tone down the element of obscenity.
Compared with Nath’s earlier productions of the same play, the pace of the production under review is slow and low on energy. However, towards the climax the production acquires momentum. Enraged with Champa’s adulterous relations with his neighbour, disclosed to him by Laxmi, Sakharam throttles Champa. Here the scene gets intensity, evoking a sense of suspense. Dazed, Sakharam remains standing near the body of Champa, miserably frightened, Laxmi suddenly acquires tremendous energy and in a smart tactical move, brings a spade and starts digging the floor of the room with a view to bury the body of Champa.
Emotionally restraint
Sanjeev Johri was cast in the role of Sakharam in the earlier production of “Abhiyan”. Again, he plays the same role in the production under review. In fact, the character of Sakharam is all physical who has no moral qualms. To portray such character needs a bit theatricality. Sanjeev acts in an emotionally restraint manner. However, he makes his portrayal creditable when Champa exposes his self-proclaimed sexual virility, calling him impotent.
Sunita Narain as Laxmi creates the portrait of a suppressed woman, deprived of human dignity. She conveys Laxmi's loneliness while talking to an ant in the kitchen. The ant is her true friend in a cruel world.
Towards the end, she is transformed into a clever and brave woman, acting swiftly in the moment of crisis. Shruti Singhal as Champa impresses the audience with her performance.
