Vedike Foundation, a theatre group founded by the late thespian C.R. Simha, dedicated a theatre festival to the legendary Kannada writer P. Lankesh recently. Lankesh Nataka Chakra, a four-day festival held at Suchitra Film Society, staged seven plays, written during 1960s.
Lankesh’s plays lay bare the shocking truths about human beings, even though they take place within a social space. Of the seven plays, this review discusses three plays.
In Kranti Bantu Kranti , a professor who believes that revolution is the means to bring change in society provides shelter to one of his ardent followers to hide him from the police who are in search of revolutionaries. Against all odds, the professor resorts to protect his student. But the circumstances that occur during the following night upturn the course of events. A thief enters the professor’s house when they are away, and the boy who is hiding inside enters into a conversation with the thief. This is rather hilarious as the thief understands only money and nothing else. The boy, finally, manages to get rid of the thief. He leaves empty handed.
Seeing the state of things in their house, professor couple believe it is the boy who planned to thieve. The professor, by mistake, shoots the boy.
The wife eventually receives an award from the government to have eliminated a revolutionary on behalf of her husband.
In Giliyu Panjaradolilla , a husband talks highly of a barber who he knows for four years. The next day when the barber requests him for money for his father’s funeral, he postpones it twice. When he turns up the third time, his wife lies that her husband is not at home. The play ends with his daughter shouting: “It is daddy who is untrue……..not the man, not the man.”
T. Prasannana Grihasthashrama is a tragedy of love and marriage. Bored with her married life, Laxmi, wife of Prasanna falls in love with a doctor who writes romantic letters to her. Laxmi, eventually realises, that the doctor chooses his wife over her.
In all the three plays, Lankesh exposes the paradox between ideology and its practise. Of human nature turns out to be false from the inside.
Prasanna (played by Niranjan Prasad) was a vibrant actor who could manage humour and sarcasm at the same time. Shruti as wife in Kranti.... was also competent.
The plays could have been made contemporary. For instance, the radio in T . Prasannana Grihasthashrama could have been replaced by something of the present.
Ritwik Simha, the Managing Director of Vedike, pointed out, “the highlight of the festival is that some of our members are acting, directing or taking charge of the light and sounds systems for the first time.” Lankesh’s plays are complex, yet a young group like Vedike pulled it off well.
As part of the festival, Vedike also honoured theatre artists like Malatesh Badiger, Chaya Bhargavi, S.V. Kashyap, S.V. Sushma, Gopinath and Sneha Kappanna.
