JATRAGOPAL of Chakdah Natyajon: a fitting dramatization of an excellent script

 

JATRAGOPAL of Chakdah Natyajon: a fitting dramatization of an excellent script (staged on 28 May 2026)

 

Before beginning my discussion, I would like to apologise for having missed mentioning about this play at the end of my last Blog. Sorry folks, as they say!

The prolificity of Chakdah Natyajon can be easily measured, if I am permitted to use the yerm, by looking at my list of unpublished reviews of plays, fourteen in all, staged since February this year that I had mentioned in my first introductory Blog of the present session that was published on 8^th of this month. Of these 14, two happen to be of this group steered by Suman Pal. Their EKTA ISHKOOL has been discussed in the Blog of the 11^th. Their other production, Ujjwal Chattopadhyay’s JATRAGOPAL is directed by Sudipta Dutta and was presented at the Academy of Fine Arts. They presented this play remembering the legendary Jatra-emperor Shantigopal. In the title role was Sanjeeb Sarkar, accompanying him on the stage were Suman himself, Urbi Bhattacharya, Moubani Poddar and Dipak Nayek.

The play is built around Nitai Bhattacharya who is an ardent copyist of the Jatra-emperor. He enacts the roles played by the legend in rural areas and villages as the cheap edition of Shantigopal taking up the moniker of Jatragopal. Copying the legend’s creations of Lenin, Marx, Hitler as well as that of Shahjahan he gets his share of popularity. Though he gets a good number of calls and advance payments thereof, his income is but meagre. Nantu, a journalist of a small paper comes to get his interview in his rented room, the rent of which is lying in default. That room happened to be the room of Nantu’s former lover, Purnima who had since been married off as Nantu could not afford to start a family life with her. But she has come back to her father’s house after estranging her husband. Nantu finds this encouraging. Purnima now wants Nitai to vacate her room but she develops a liking for him and has a sensual attraction towards the veteran thespian. This jeopardises Nantu’s future plans. However, on his request Nitai does pieces of Lenin, Marx, Hitler in full attire and Nantu video records them for his professional needs. The young girl Shabnam who comes daily to supply food for Nitai is raped and killed by two hooligans. This devastates Nitai and he ponders whom should he choose to counter this situation – would it be Hitler’s fascism, or will it be Marx’s communism or may be Lenin’s socialism. Or, will he do his long-dreamt  ‘Aami Subhas Bolcchi’ and take the path of armed militancy?

Ujjwal has discussed in detail the dialectical relationship of the actor with the role he enacts, making it the central theme of the present play. He has touched upon this subject in some of his recent plays. Without taking pieces from the original Shantigopal pala-s, he has used the main characters to design his dialogues, and thereby firmly establishing the central philosophy. Witnessing each of the scenes developing on the stage, one could feel how challenging is the job of the playwright. There are scopes of some editing which I believe would tighten up the script further.   

Sudipta’s making has not many flaws, and he did keep a steady pace in the progression of the play. As because the texture of the drama changes in the second half it was a difficult job for him to maintain the rhythm. He did it well. His scheme of the use of the stage needs applause.

As I was witnessing Sanjeeb in the role of Nitai and doing the various historical personalities, I remembered that in 1977 Pele had come to Calcutta to play for Cosmos Football Club in an exhibition match against Mohan Bagan. But the giant played a very dismal football, and people said this was not the monarch playing but it must have been Shantigopal in the garb of Pele. Shantigopal did have that unique acumen to impersonate any character in his behaviour, gait, way of talking etc., so much so that it is not possible for any actor to equal his versatility. Even then Sanjeeb taking an unimaginable work-load played out in four characters - Nitai, Lenin, Marx and Hitler. And in each part, he kept the individuality of the characters. Of course, he did get the help of the script but representing the personalities in their individual characteristic traits talks volumes about the proficiency of this brilliant actor. Another perfect representative performance was by Suman as Nantu. A little stuttering in speaking enlivens the character, but at the same time Suman was careful not to overstep and make his performance jocular. Urbi was flawless as Purnima. She has proved her mettle in previous productions of this group, but this job had a different texture, and her cerebral application has given her success in a number of challenging situations in the play. Moubani in the role of Shabnam was free of any inhibition and did her role with a natural spontaneity. Dipak owner of the house was apt in his performance. All these four actors with slight change of dress acted as co-actors in the different pala-s that Nitai enacted. Likewise, Nitai with the help of dresses, wigs, moustache and beards change into the historical personalities at the wink of the eye.

Manoj Prasad’s lights and Surajit Nandi’s background music demand mention, as is Sudipta’s design of two big red salu cloths overhead on the two sides of the stage, one with sickle and hammer, and the other with swastika painted on them. Wouldn’t it have been more appropriate if the sickle and hammer cloth was on the left side, and the swastika on the right side? 

    P.S. Now that reviews of the plays staged till the month of May have been done with, I propose to space out the next reviews over a couple of days in-between each. So, I’ll come back a couple of days later with my next Blog with a review of ROOPANTAR of Paramik staged on 1 June 2026. 

See you till then.