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.]