Screening of a biographical film and the staging of a play marked Adishakti’s tribute to Manipuri theatre icon, Heisnam Sabitri.
The Adishakti Theatre, based in Auroville, organised a film screening by Kalakshetra Manipur, a theatre group based in Manipur.
The film titled Ima Sabitri was based on the life of Heisnam Sabitri, who co-founded the theatre group along with her husband Heisnam Kanhailal back in 1969. “Ima” means mother in Manipuri and she is considered the mother of the theatre group.
The documentary was observational in nature where the art of theatre was captured through the depiction of various stances the artiste had taken on social issues through her life.
The film also shed light on the sensitive topic of the “gang rape” in the northeast by Army personnel. In the film, Ms. Sabitri evokes the issue in a symbolic fashion. She covers herself in a blanket and is surrounded by actors playing the soldiers. It is one of many powerful set pieces from her plays that feature in the 57-minute documentary.
The film also captures a few snippets of where she talks about her life and how she considers the members of the theatre group to be her own children. The film directed by Bobo Khuraijam has bagged several awards at national film festivals.
“She is a motherly figure of the theatre group who nurtures and inspires,” Mr. Khuraijam said.
“The film is an intimate portrayal of Ms. Sabitri. And while portraying her, one cannot gloss over the group, which is her family,” he added.
Live performance
Artistes from Kalakshetra Manipur, led by Ms. Sabitri herself, performed a play Pebet . In the play, a mother bird protects her children from a predatory cat by flattering it and continues to do so until the children are ready to fend for themselves.
This was one of their earliest presentations, first performed in 1975, and marked a turning point for the group. It has continued to establish a connect with audiences, whenever and wherever it was performed.
This play attempted to transform the conventional form of theatre into an alternative one and has been a regular in Kalakshetra Manipur’s repertoire ever since. A five-day workshop on various aspects of theatre was also held.
