JOJOK’S E AABORAN
For
a theatre production to score at the box-office it seems the cast should
include names that can fetch money regardless of what is being offered on the
stage. This is shocking as we the Bengali viewers boast of being intellectually
an advanced creed! This was evident in the staging of E AABORAN by Jojok where hardly a
handful of viewers were present to witness a very neatly designed theatre
production that could be an ideal example of a perfect theatrical presentation
for the students of drama. The students of theatre could have had a first-hand
experience of the perfect working relationship that a director would get to enjoy
with the playwright. If the dramatist is equipped with the sense of the stage
and the art of transforming the written play on to the stage, then only can the
director work out his scheme of presenting the play. Ujjwal Chattopadyay is one
of such distinguished playwrights of the present times whose sense of the stage
is pretty strong and so his plays have scored more success than others. The veteran
actor-director Dulal Lahiri has been able to exercise a lot of his imagination
and acumen, thus making the production a grand success.
The
story centres round an elderly couple who after losing their son tries to hold
the hands of anyone who comes across in their life as their own. Dulal Lahiri’s
acting is a relic of the great classical form of stage acting which
unfortunately is in the wane now-a-days. It was a delight watching him moving
about in a stoop with his hands locked at the back and speaking out in a
baritone with all the modulations and intonations that very intensely construct
an aged man who though has lost his son fights to stay put in a make-belief
world. The viewers get the bonus of his
songs which were a treat for them, no doubt. A number of exquisitely designed
sequences would stay for long in the memories of those fortunate ones who were
present to see the drama. Uttiyo Jana’s lights had an important role to play
and Swapan Banopadhyay’s music acceded to the ambience of the play. Debabrata Maity’s
stage was a bit too cumbersome and the kitchen reminded one of the railway
platform tea-stalls. But this apart, Jojok’s E AABORAN is an important
production worthy of taking note of.
