Life in its diverse shades against different backdrops and how it is hard for the common man to eke out a living and finding relevance in contemporary times came alive in a string of plays staged at Kalabharati Visakhapatnam. At the four-day Rasagjna National Theatre Festival-2015, the plays in Telugu, Odia, Tamil, Hindi and Urdu sought to portray travails in the lives of common folk in theatrical idiom. Histrionic talent apart, theatrical craft in presentation formed a striking aspect of these performances for these teams being academically good in theatre arts.
The fest opened with a Telugu play ‘ Bommalaata ’. Scripted by Nadiminti Narasingarao and directed by L. Satyanand, the play on its debut arrival way back in 1988 was a good draw then. It was about the troubles and travails of the artistes of traditional puppet show that had enjoyed rich patronage and subsequently fell on hard days on the arrival of alternative modes of entertainment. Finding it hard to sustain the art with paltry income, a troupe that had remained wedded to the art form down generations, opted for contemporary themes for its narratives instead of its old mythological ones. Steeped in intense emotions, the skilful presentation carried the audience along, suspending the normal and rational sense that thematic rigidity is not the cause for its decline but the technological advances in modes of entertainment that superseded the traditional folk art forms.
Another Telugu play ‘ Rajakar ’ staged the reign of terror that the Rajakars unleashed on people in Telangana region before its merger into the union of India after independence. The brutality of the Nizam’s police forces and the havoc it played on the lives of innocent people got poignantly portrayed in this performance. The rural scenario of those days with its bucolic touch of hard life got well depicted in a taut treatment.
A Tamil play ‘ Once there was a donkey ’ was hilarious, keeping the audience riveted. It dealt with the political chicanery and manipulations of wily politicians.
Odia play ‘ Charandas Chor’ with its folklore charms narrated how hard it is to be honest even for a professional thief and in the process captured the flipside of society in its stark realistic shades. The presentation stood out for its simple yet alluring structure in seamless sequences of twists and turns in its course. It was an Odia version of Habib Tanvir’s Hindi play.
The Urdu play ‘ Khalid Ki Khala ’, Jiberish play ‘ Whistle ’ and Hindi play ‘ Bulb jalega ’ were well-received in the fest. Rasagjna Samskruthika Samstha in association with Andhra Pradesh language and cultural department, Telangana language and cultural department, Andhra University and Andhra Pradesh TV Drama and Film Development Corporation hosted the event.
