BHAMKIRTAN: A satire by Chandan Sen

BHAMKIRTAN: A satire by Chandan Sen

Chandan Sen, one of the playwrights whose plays were important ingredients of the theatre-cuisines on which survived the theatre-hungry people like us in the late ‘60s and early 70’s still remains one of the most important dramatists of our times. When in those days almost every group was trying out apt as well as inapt adaptations/translations of works of dramatists from different lands like those of Brecht, Pirandello, Chekov, Moliere, and even Greek tragedians, a few groups tried to survive on desi fares. HaJaBaRaLa survived fifty three years in this fashion and this is a feat by itself as it is a group coming from the mofussils. This group with Chandan Sen as the nucleus did never suffer from a want of a play for production. They staged Sen’s recent satire, BHAMKIRTAN being their fifty fourth production. Strangely, to a query Sen could not recall the total number of plays he had penned. And that is what one calls prolificacy! 

Sen like in his most other works has put in powerful dramatic elements to capture the imagination of the general viewer as well as very strong retorts to questions on social problems that would give the viewers food for thought. The play highlights the epidemics that plague our society today – denying one's roots and fishing in troubled waters, as the saying goes. He has used two very attractive forms in this latest comedy of his. He has used rhyming dialogues that the viewers enjoy a lot. One also finds a very intelligent use of the folk format in the dramatic form.

As for the production the first and the foremost credit should go to the musical ambience created by Subhadip Guha. Dulal Santra’s make-up needs a special mention. Ranajit Chakraborty’s stage and Manoj Prasad’s lights did not have any pretension so viewing the happenings on the stage was comfortable. 

It was interesting to observe the creative conflicts between the dramatist Chandan Sen and the director Chandan Sen. The production had both the parts of him strongly present. So in the first half while some editing was required it was felt, the last climactic part could have been elaborated to some extent in order to highlight or rather focus on the bottom-line of the matter.