Some stories never fade. One such is Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw and the cult movie My Fair Lady based on it. Both have inspired several versions of the story on screen as well as stage. One such is Shuddho Banerjee’s Manasi , a Hindi social play. It is a journey of a girl from Delhi pavements to fame with theatre forming the background which also explores other subjects like tussle between an actor and director and sexual exploitation.
“The theme of ‘Pygmalion’, had always inspired me as one with multiple and strong socio-political message, though packaged as a comedy. In ‘Manasi’, I show the lead character, Rammo (played by Enab Khizra) born and brought up on Connaught Place pavements struggling to fit into the world of acting, theatre and TV serials. ‘Manasi’ is a moving commentary on the cruel contradictions between the life riddled with middle class values and people living in the lower depths of our society,” reveals Shuddho.
Grit and determination
Rammo’s character, he says, is one of grit and determination. “Taking up the challenge of theatre, she goes through vigorous training including reciting couplets from ‘Kamayani’, the epic Hindi poem and finally succeeds finding her identity and value. After all this, she feels terribly humiliated on coming to know about the bet wagered on her success.” Shuddho feels this will resonate well with audience as gender disparity continues to be a burning issue in society. In fact, he avers that being a classic, “Pygmalion” does not lose its relevance even today. “The emotional equations surrounding the question of individual identity, dignity and deception are the same as what used to be in mythology. I have taken up TV serial production as the background as the soaps involve most of our contemporary Indian middle class.”
“Rammo’s character is another image of Lajjo in ‘Gharwali’, my earlier play based on Ismat Chughtai’s story. Strong and unconventional woman characters attract me most as is evident in my other productions like ‘Kankal - The Desire Beyond Death’ (based on Tagore’s story) and ‘William & Mary’ (based on Roald Dahl’s story), and ‘September 30 Din’ (Mahesh Dattani) among others.”
Depicting the social and personal story running parallel with contemporary Delhi as the background, lends the play a different tone and shade. “The acting part rules here and that is the novelty with the inexplicable dynamics between an actor (Rammo) and a director, Jackie Sen (played by me) being explored into,” he explains. Rammo is the pivot while Jackie’s part too is vital. “An established director, he symbolises the strong social authority who consider, that they can make and break actors even though as an individual he is caring and humane. It explores this zone of an outsider’s advent into the world of us,” says Shuddho.
On being asked how much does Jackie reflect his persona, he clarifies, “Not a bit but I do know many directors who are like him. The perpetual tussle between an actor and director about who is the soul of the play or film is never ending. As director, I am possessive about my play but do realise that actors too are an integral and important part.”
Emotional sequences
Shuddho is confident of fine performances from his mix of new and mature actors. “There are strong emotional sequences like those between trainer (Namanita) and Rammo and maid servant (Nandini) and me among others in the play. To make emoting real we discussed the play and characters threadbare and visited pavements to observe people first hand.” He feels music too forms a vital part of his presentation. “Though not a musical the acting practice from different famous pieces in the play gives the taste of travelling through literary arena full of its charm is complimented by background music ranging from Hindustani classical to Western music. We are using a Punjabi folk song and Hindi translation of a Rabindra Sangeet, ‘Sakhi Bhabana Kahare Bole (Jaane Pyaar Kisey Kehte Hai).”
(To be staged on July 16, India Habitat Centre, 7.30 p.m.)
