DAMINI- HEY : a Sayak production

DAMINI- HEY : a Sayak production

The Bengali theatre scene in the present times has a number of very brilliant productions to boast of and one such is Sayak’s latest, DAMINI-HEY, a play written by Chandan Sen from two short stories by Amar Mitra.  The viewers were treated to a very superbly done play that gave them a reason to believe in positive thinking and also to have the pleasure of acknowledging the self-esteem of the protagonist, a young girl, who fights all odds to keep her head high. Meghnad Bhattacharya takes Sayak once again to cross yet another milestone in their journey to reach new destinations of purposeful theatre.

Chandan’s play has a storyline in order to deliver a very strong message on the Indian philosophy of ethics and morality, and that gives the play a parable-touch which is a pretty rare genre in play-writing, no doubt. Chandan as a playwright has a definite style of his own and has since long, carved out a niche of his own, in the Bengali drama world. His plays lately have deep philosophical contents that force the viewers to sit up and think. But no play can reach out to the people sitting in the auditorium unless the imagination of the maker of the play gives it the shape he wants. The play that the viewers get to see is the end result of an intensive intellectual exercise that the director coordinates with the dramatist. The director is the key person who visualises the ultimate stage product and decides on how things are to synchronize and fall into place like the jig-saw puzzle. This is adequately evident in the present production. Meghnad is one of the few directors who do their homework in absolute earnest. And that is one of the key factors why his works get the blessings of the box-office in spite of the absence of celebrity actors apart from himself.

Meghnad’ designing of the play is simple and is bereft of any gimmick or other contrivance that might stun the viewers and generate a sense of awe, and thereby escape from the finer points of presentation of the play. His way of communicating with his viewers is direct and he believes in presenting the play in its truest structure. He has very craftily mixed the proscenium form with the folk form and thus has been successful in creating a unique ethnicity in his presentation which certainly is different in form from the earlier productions of Sayak. Every actor did his or her bit perfectly and so the stage remained vibrant all through. Another aspect that needs mention is that, the total coordination on the stage was a treat to enjoy. Kathakali, one of the most promising young talents on the Bengali stage did a scintillating job as the young protagonist. It was astonishing to see her take such a huge workload. Biswanath Roy, Pradip Das and Uttam Dey as three old men of three generations were equally outstanding as was Subrata Bhowal as the Pradhan. Meghnad in a short supporting role once again proved his class. The songs created by Subhendu Maity with an apt background score by Swapan Badopadhyay have contributed immensely to bring about a rustic flavour to the presentation. The stage design by Soumik-Piyali has very suitably brought in the paranormal undertone of the content, though Joy Sen’s lights failed to deliver the desired effects. Kudos should pour in for Panchanan Manna’s make-up job. 

SOME BRILLIANT PRODUCTIONS AND.....

SOME BRILLIANT PRODUCTIONS AND.....

The last blog I wrote was way back in April this year on four distinguishing productions of four different types on the Bengali stage (see my blog Binodini, Kadambari.....and Usha.......). Two of them were on Binodini Dasi, the great doyen of the Bengali stage, one was on Kadambari Devi and the remaining one was an autobiographic play by Usha Ganguli.  There was no new blog from me since then so at the very beginning I beg to be excused. There has been a load of productions on the Bengali stage in these six months as well as in the earlier months that goes back to a few of 2013 as well, the productions of which I had not discussed about. The productions ranged from some brilliant to mediocre ones apart from a few trash ones, but most of them need a detailed discussion. As it would not be wise to include all these productions in a couple of blogs, I would rather mention the more significant ones and discuss briefly about them as I believe that they have definitely made their marks in the Bengali theatre scenario.

 Last year Nirbak Obhinay Academy under the direction of Anjan Deb presented a workshop based production, DHUSAR GODHULI, constructed on a poem by Sankha Ghosh and a script by Suranjana Dasgupta, using mime, dance forms with support from readings and songs of Lalan. The compositions and coordination amongst the performers were so well programmed that each of them took the form of framed paintings. Another production of last year worth discussing about was Nirnay’s RAS a play by Subhankar Das Sharma from the short story of the same name by Narendranath Mitra. The director Sangeeta Paul has proved her acumen beyond doubt and has been bold enough to present a very passionate kissing sequence which was very much consistent with the tone of the scene. Manoj Mitra’s CHHOTO CHHOTO BARI was presented by Anya Theatre also last year under the direction of Bibhas Chakraborty. The senior-most dramatist of our stage who has explored new vistas in Bengali playwriting has dealt with a very urban problem where the noxious bonding of business and politics murders the dreams of the working middle class. The sparkling dialogues of Manoj had been beautifully put forth through the actors by Bibhas to create a number of brilliant dramatic moments.

 Kalindi Bratyajan’s 2014 production, KAY?, is a Bratya Basu play of a different nature. Here he presents a detective play where comedy takes the front seat and viewers are treated with an in-depth analysis of the interrelationship between human beings and their psychoanalytical demeanours. His use of lights and the background music in his compositions is sheer brilliance and sometimes give surrealistic touches to the different scenes. There were other productions as well that have very aptly dealt with the subject of interrelationship between human beings. One of them is yet another Bratya Basu play, AAPATATO EI BHABE DUJANER DEKHA HOYE THAKE, staged brilliantly by Debesh Chattopadhyay for Lake Town Sansriti. Two characters separately speak out the stories of their own lives and the viewers find the age-old questions of man-woman relationships once again vibrantly facing them. The design of the play is a new genre that certainly is a matter of pride for the Bengali stage. Another of this type of play has socio-political trappings. Inspired by playwright Vaclav Havel, the last president of Czechoslovakia and the first of the Czech Republic, and also the recipient of the Gandhi Peace Prize, Chandan Sen has written SPARDHABARNO in the light of one of Havel’s Vanec plays, ‘Protest’ not only as a firm protest against Fascism together with a strong support for Democracy, but also a self-analysis of those who have lost their own bearings to stand up and steer the system for the need of history. Dwijen Banerjee and his group Sanstab have done a commendable job. The other such production was by Ekush Shatak. KHELNA BHANGAR SHABDO written by Subhas Sengupta and directed very efficiently by Adhir Bose deals with a problem that is not rare in our society but is rather not discussed aloud. Negligence of the parents towards their children is not only a problem in the affluent society but also eats into the not so well-off families. Another striking production on the this theme of bonding between people in spite of hurdles has been aptly projected by Subhas Sengupta in his play, JANMASTHAMI STAGED BY Behala Anukar.

There were a few very grandiose productions that had their presence felt on the Bengali stage in the first half of 2014. Two of them dealt on the lives of two historical characters but their objectives lay in mirroring the present political settings of our country. Rangapat under the baton of Tapanjyoti had a very scintillating presentation of Amit Maitra’s DHARMASHOK. Based on the life of Ashoka and his transformation from the tyrannous Chandashok to a Buddhist Dharmashok, the play tries to draw parallels to the present scenario and this simplification of interpreting history in the present context mars the presentation. Such has been the case, too, of Swapnasandhani’s KARKATKRANTIR DESH, a play by the poet Sreejato and directed by Kaushik Sen. In the process of narrating the life of the elder son of Shahjahan, Darashuko it tries a bit blatantly to focus on the political scenario just ahead of the recent Lok Sabha polls, instead of concentrating on the tragedy of the protagonist which itself could have brought the message home.  In sharp contrast to these productions which tend to politicise historical facts, Jojak’s DADATHAKUR written by Ujjwal Chattopadhyay on the life of the great satirist Sharat Chandra Pandit who was universally called Dadathakur strictly adheres to the great man’s life story. Directed by Dulal Lahiri it gives the viewers ample scope to find out for themselves how much relevance the man’s deeds and writings and songs have to the present day happenings. The other very flamboyant and pompous production was by Paikpara Indraranga. They produced Ujjwal Chattopadhyay’s ARABYA RAJANI, which though overtly talked about the oppression of the mighty over the meek; it essentially sings a love song. The dramatist has used the story-telling literary device of the Arabian Nights to give his play a magnetic attraction for his viewers. Ujjwal’s debut in direction, too, has shown enough promise of his directorial wisdom.  

Another very important happening on the Bengali stage need mentioning separately for its form as well as its content. BIYE-GAUNI KANDAN CHAPA is a play written by Chandan Sen on the Muslim marriage singers form Burdwan, Birbhum, Murshidabad and Nadia districts of West Bengal on whom a book has been written in four volumes by Ratna Rashid. Ashok Mukhopadhyay has given a new dramatic language to the play by amalgamating the folk form with the proscenium structure. It is certain to get its share of applause and appreciation from the viewers and also find a place of grace in the history of Bengali theatre for innovative handling of the form. Dialogues with particular dialects have been used so fittingly that the moments get the fitting ambience. Songs, naturally, play a significant role in this production and the twelve songs that have been presented so excellently seemed to become characters of the play itself.

A few more productions needs mention though I strongly believe all of them should get a far more space in my blog. However, I am trying to do justice by mentioning them in brief. Yet another play has been produced by Gobordanga Naksha under Ashis Das’s direction on Binodini Dasi named BINODINI, A WOMAN A HUMAN written by Mainak Sengupta more in a dissertation mode. A very well produced play no doubt. Shilpi Sangha has produced Chanchal Bhattacharya’s BOMBAGARER RAJA based on six writings of Sukumar Roy, a rare feat, indeed. Seema Mukhopadhyay’s direction has given the play a superb touch which the viewers had enjoyed to their hearts out. Swati Roy’s THOR BORI KHARA of Oihik and directed by Arindam Roy is a collage of life’s happenings that may go unnoticed sometimes or may have some bearings on our lives. Ichhapore Aleya’s AAPON GHARE PARER AAMI, written by Mainak Sengupta and directed by Sangita Choudhury seemed to be a thoroughly professional job done with élan and demands kudos for their efforts. Acting is their forte, no doubt. Equally commendable was Anya Theatre’s NIJER KHOJE, a play adapted from Jean Anouilh’s ‘Traveller without Luggage’ by Subrata Nandi and directed by Sanat Chanda. Bengali theatre goers are familiar with Anouilh’s name courtesy ‘Antigone’. However, Nandi has kept true to the original though has aptly given it a Bengali appearance. The stage designed by Bibhas Chakraborty is a lesson for the theatre students on how stage-setting can be pertinently enhance the drama. Heritage and its devastation by land-sharks has been the theme for Shouvanik’s VIRUS-e BHOOT and Kolkata Playmakers’ AMAR SRMITI CHALLENGE CUP. Interestingly both the plays have ghosts playing pivotal roles in tiding over the situations. The former has been written by Debkumar Ghosh and directed by Chandan Das and is a comedy that the viewers enjoy for its pun-added dialogues. The later one is written by Sumitro Bandopadhyay and directed by Ram Mukhopadhyay is also a very well orchestrated production.  Naihati Somay 1400 under the direction of Arpita Ghosh presented KHARIR TEER written by Alok Biswas. It is an important production well performed. It hints on the story of a very black spot in the cultural history of our state as well as of a very unhealthy political situation that prevailed in the 80s.       

Binodini, Kadambari.....and Usha

Binodini, Kadambari.....and Usha

The Kolkata stage recently witnessed a number of productions that had been designed to pay homage to womanhood in general and to two ladies in particular who have had a long lasting influence on the Bengali psyche, particularly in the Bengali cultural domain. Of them one lady the legendary stage queen Binodini Dasi is passing through her sesquicentennial year, while the other though not so ceremoniously celebrated is Kadambari Devi, the sister-in-law of Rabindranath whose untimely death left the young poet shattered, not to speak of an indelible scar on the social status of the Jorasanko family.

Behala Anudarshi’s presentation of Ek Nari Kadambari written and directed by Sumana Chakraborty did not indulge in scandal mongering as is perhaps the favourite past-time of us Bengalis, and is more so if it concerns someone from a family that is generally revered by the common man. If it had not been so then pornographic literature scandalizing such personalities would not have topped the best-seller list keeping well researched analytical works far behind. Fortunately the play by Sumana never strode for cheap applause. A story with facts and fiction mixed adequately is told on the stage which brings in different characters like Kadambari’s husband Jyotiridranth, her playmate brother-in-law Rabindranath and other family members from whom viewers get to know the new bride of the Jorasanko Tagores.  Kadambari before ending her life writes a letter to her consort Rabi where she mentions Bindini Dasi as a detractor for her husband Jyoti and she also mentions that Rabi’s recent marriage had left her forlorn. The play never transgresses the modesty of the characters despite a few episodes that is difficult to comprehend.

Binodini is the first actress in this part of the world who had penned an autobiographical sketch entitled Aamar Katha which was published in 1913.  This piece in the form of a number of letters addressed to “Garrick of the East” the great dramatist-actor-director and the father of Bengali stage, Giris Chandra Ghose is a gem of a literary work as is her later work Aamar Abhinetri Jiban. But unfortunately Binodini’s literary talents have been purposefully overlooked by the various theatre historians and this has rightly been pointed out in the introduction by the editors Soumitra Chatterjee and Nirmalya Acharya of a collected works by Binodini. Her experiences and observations have been penned in a lucid style that was certainly much progressive in nature and it adds an important hindsight to the theatre world of the late nineteenth century. Nirbak Abhinoy Academy presented Suranjana Dasgupta in a mono-acting as Binodini in their latest production Aamar Katha. Excerpts from the original work were presented with imaginative innovations.

Yet another play in commemoration of the great actress was presented by Paikpara Aakhor in their latest production entitled Meni (Binodini) o Kolkatar Thiatar. Their earlier production on the life of the great singing star Gawaharjaan was exemplary in every aspect thus it was natural for the viewers to expect a presentation to touch the benchmark or even surpass it. The play concentrated on the different dramas and the different characters the great actress had played. Thus it was a huge workload on Anandi Bose to handle the part. The contemporary theatre scene of the late nineteenth century and the filthy politics played by the then owners and different theatre big-shots was missing thus the play seemed not to have kept in tune to its own title. It was a treat to watch the veteran thespian Asit Bose in the role of Giris Chandra.

The fourth production in our discussion is absolutely different from the other three. Rangkarmee’s Antaryatra is an old production that Usha Ganguly has been doing since the last twelve years perhaps as a soul-searching journey of a theatre worker. One finds glimpses of such legendary productions like Mitti ki Gari, Parichay, Guria Ghar, Himmat Mai and such likes. Simultaneously there is an effort to identify and establish a niche for the woman actor in the social as well as the cultural fronts.

Before signing off it can be said that the Kolkata viewers loved them all.

NIHSANGA SAMRAT & KALLUMAMA: two significant works by Debsankar Haldar

NIHSANGA SAMRAT & KALLUMAMA: two significant works by Debsankar Haldar

In the last few months the Bengali stage-goers had the opportunity of witnessing two very significant dramas starring one of the most versatile actors of the present day, Debsankar Haldar, in two very difficult characters. Paikpara Indraranga’s Nihsanga Samrat and Ushnik’s Kallumama are two very different dramas both in form as well as in content. While the first one is a stage-adaptation of Sunil Ganguli’s novel of the same name based on the life and times of the father of modern Bengali theatre, Natyacharya Sishirkumar Bhaduri, the later one is a solo-acting play written by Ishita Mukherjee. The two dramas naturally have two different characters and the actor predictably, fulfils all the parameters to portray the two. But what strikes the viewers is the fact that in both the dramas, especially in Kallumama, the characters have multiple shades and tones and Debsankar excels in portraying these diversifications on the stage.

Debesh Chatterjee’s adaptation of the Sunil novel is arguably one of the best adaptations on the Bengali stage in the recent past. He has created a collage on the life and struggles of the Natyacharya more as a critical analysis rather than as a biography. The innovativeness of the dramatist has explored the personal life of the legendary thespian with a parallel reference to the characters he portrayed on the stage. Three distinct facets of the persona of Sishirkumar have been shown – one being his personal life and struggles, the second being his interactions with the characters he portrayed, while the third is his relationship with the then Bengali theatre-world. It is a challenge for any actor to do the job and for Debsankar in spite of his versatility is no exception. His power of memorising lines mesmerises the audience and he does a commendable job, no doubt. His ability to take a huge workload is one of the factors that have distinguished him from any other of his creed. But there were signs of fatigue at times especially when he portrays the thespian in the various roles that he had performed. The great actor through these performances had introduced the present day low-key form of stage acting but Debsankar could not bring out these subtleties. Nonetheless, at the end of the day Debsankar could achieve the admiration of his viewers.

This admiration was double folded in and as Kallumama in the play of the same name. This portrayal of a simpleton turning into a Dada due to socio-economic reasons can boast as one of his best works on stage. It would not be improper to mention that at a point of time when Debsankar’s works showed signs of weariness and were almost stereotype, this particular production came about as a windfall for his ardent admirers. Ishita has constructed the character in episodic segments thus each segment has its own protagonist who is the same person but with a mutated character. These changes have been effected by Debsankar with the same dynamism in every instance thus proving without the least doubt his ability to handle a vast spectrum of characters. It was an absolutely astounding performance and should be rated high in all standards.

Before signing off it should be mentioned that no performance by any individual can sparkle if the co-artists and the other departments of the production too, does not keep up to the same high benchmark. So credits for Debsankar should also be shared with Debesh Chatterjee and Ishita Mukherjee together with the other members of the two groups. Both the director-cum-playwrights have provided enough space in their respective plays for the actor to improvise and cater the best fare to the Bengali audience. 

ANTONY SAUDAMINI: a musical by Purba Paschim

ANTONY SAUDAMINI: a musical by Purba Paschim

My earlier blog was on a drama that had been a hit Uttam Kumar starrer almost fifty years back. My present blog also is about a drama that had been a super-duper hit film starring Uttam Kumar once again in the lead role. Sunil Banerjee in the late 60s had made Antony Firingee with the super star in the role of the Portuguese kobiyal or an oral-lyricist and Tanuja in the role of his Bengali wife. The film was an instant hit and remains so till date with the songs sung by Manna Dey to the tune of Anil Bagchi haunting every Bengali psyche. Interestingly a drama titled Antony Kobiyal was also a hit production at that time at the Kasi Biswanath Mancha with the thespian Sabitabrata Dutta in the title role and the veteran actor Jawahar (Sulal) Ganguly as Bhola Moira which in the film was done by Asit Baran. But fairly speaking the drama we are discussing, Antony Saudamani by Purba Paschim is entirely a fresh work with Ujjwal Chattopadhyay doing the script.

The play had been designed as a musical and the presenter informs the audience that the storyline has been developed from the different tales many of which have come up through various hearsays, and of course, from figments of imagination of the story-teller who in this case is the playwright. So for the viewers there was no compulsion to corroborate what is being portrayed on the stage with the few facts that are available to the historians. It was a feast for the eyes and the ears as the production tend to concentrate on the visual and aural elements. Such a musical production impose a big challenge for any team and Purba Paschim meets it with flair as three very good actor-singers portray the three pivotal roles of Antony, portrayed by Anirban Bhattachaya, the wife Saudamani, done by Gargi Roychoudhury, and Bhola Moira by Rajat Ganguli. The play has been developed in the opera mould and so traditional Bengali musical instruments have been arranged by Dhiren Das to accompany the various songs on the stage and the complementary background music has been aptly scored by Murari Roychoudhury.

Ujjwal’s script has many a slip which does not conform to the high standard of dramaturgy that the recent works of this play-writ have presented. There were instances where dramatic contrasts between two characters could be built up but Ujjwal preferred to remain a simple story-teller. This work of his instead suffered from affectations of employing very stale dramatic elements that the viewers of the present do not feel comfortable with any more. Mention is worth for Indraneel Ghosh’s art with Bilu Dutta’s stage and Sudip Sanyal’s lights. Soumitra Mitra’s overall directorial work is praiseworthy though many a slip like someone entering the scene with a pen tucked in his pocket or the prize currency notes made into a garland for Antony depicting Gandhi’s portrait speak of carelessness that can never be pardoned in a production of such a big proportion.  

SWAPNASANDHANI’s Thana Theke Aaschhi

SWAPNASANDHANI’s Thana Theke Aaschhi

Almost fifty years back a distinguished Tollywood director Hiren Nag did a unique job in his film Thana Theke Aaschhi, an adaptation by Ajit Ganguly of J B Priestley’s An Inspector Calls, by portraying the ever glamorous Uttam Kumar in a most unattractive role of a surrealist police inspector. The film was a hit and till date it has a large viewership whenever it comes up on the screen though another film of the same name has recently been produced with all the massalla of today’s entertainment. In the end-70’s director Shyamal Sen staged the same Ganguly adaptation with Ajitesh Bandopadhyay and Tripti Mitra, the two of the most sought after names of the Bengali theatre of those times in two pivotal roles. It would be worthwhile to note that Bengali theatre during that point of time reached a turning point with a couple of productions, one of which was Soumitra Chatterjee’s Naam Jibon with himself and Liliy Chakraborty in the lead, and the other one being this Shyamal Sen’s  Thana Theke Aaschhi.   As if to carry on the legacy Kaushik Sen and his Swapnasandhani presented the same drama after about twenty five years against the present socio-political scenario.

The Inspector Teenkori Haldar who has no real existence turns up at the house of a big business tycoon who is all ready to get a nominated Rajya Sabha seat with the blessings of the ruling echelons, to investigate a case of suicide of a young woman. Gradually the well protected devious past of each member of the household gets exposed. Kanchan Mullick does a sterling job in the role of the Inspector Teenkori Haldar. It would not be a hyped comment if one declares him a far better fit in the role than the great screen hero. As I have commented in a review article that comparing the two one finds Kanchan’s portrayal has de-glamousised the Teenkori Haldar image and yet has glorified the character far enough. 

The storyline is known to most of the viewers, courtesy the Uttam Kumar starrer, yet the viewers seem to happily accompany Teenkori in his investigating job of ascertaining the reasons that led to the suicide of the girl, and in the process unravel the unscrupulous lives of the so-called privileged.  Kaushik’s dexterous presentation does the magic and in the end the viewers get their worth of money. The present socio-political and economic situation has been deftly referred to thus giving the production its relevance in the present scenario. Sanchayan Ghosh’s stage contributed a lot to the success of the production as was Joy Sen’s lights.

[Due to very personal reasons there has been a far too large absence of fresh blogs on the recent productions on the Kolkata stage and the backlog will earnestly be dealt with.]