Bengali Theatre Fest starts with brilliant ‘Adyo Shesh Rajani’
| Date :15-Sep-2019 |
A scene from Bengali drama ‘Adyo Shesh Rajani’. (Pic by Sanjib Ganguly)
By Dr Supantha Bhattacharyya :
In line with legends like Vaclav Havel, Bratya Basu effortlessly straddles two worlds: that of a career politician (he is the Minister of Science, Technology and Biotechnology with the additional charge of Forest Department in Mamata Banerji’s government) and Bengal’s most prolific living playwright. This former professor of Literature also acts and directs plays (Ruddha Sangeet, Winkle Twinkle, Hemlat -- the Prince of Garanhata), movies and web series! How many hours do you have in your day, Sir! As a tribute to this extraordinary contemporary master, Bengali Association and Bengali Education Society, Nagpur, is hosting a two-day festival, giving the city’s theatre lovers the unique opportunity of viewing two of Basu’s latest productions: ‘Adyo Shesh Rajani’ (The Final Night), and ‘Cinemar Moto’ (Just like the Movies). The first was staged at Dr Deshpande Hall on Saturday while the last would be staged on Sunday at 7 pm. Bratya Basu’s plays are usually thematically centred around political intrigue, nature-human relationships, connection between art and reality, erosion of ethical values, conflict between love and social responsibilities, exploring constructed binaries and hypocrisies.
In ‘Adyo Shesh Rajani’, produced by Paikpara Indraranga, Kolkata, based on a novel with the same title by the underrated Shyamal Gangopadhyay (adaptation by playwright Ujjwal Chattopadhyay), Basu in his directorial avatar salutes the tragic journey of a visionary theatre worker of the 70s in Bengal -- Ashim Chakraborty. Chakraborty, who was a passionate writer, actor-cum-director, had the dream of creating world-class theatre in modern Bengal.
A theatre practitioner, who had failed to create any worthwhile ripple with his conventional productions like ‘Jonoiker Mrityu’, ‘Nil Ghoda’, ‘Samragni’ etc in proscenium, struck gold when he adapted a Subodh Ghosh short story into a play called ‘Baro Bodhu’ (The Whore Bride). The play became a succès de scandale due to its apparently titillating content.
It ran to packed houses which caused grave heartburn in rival theatre camps. Chakraborty reveled in the instant stardom the play brought him but the ostracism by his peers broke his heart and eventually caused his untimely death. The play brilliantly analyses the interdependence of art and life and their symbiosis. Anirban Bhattacharya, the recent Bengali stage and screen whiz kid, gives an astonishingly powerful yet nuanced performance as the protagonist.
His remarkably flexible body and expressive voice breathe life into the complex character of Ashim. He is well supported by a talented ensemble cast, including the brilliant Debjani Chatterji as Rajani the star and Ankita Chatterji as the wife Mala. The innovative use of the tram set and the audio visual effects left the audience yearning for more. The play on Sunday promises to be equally riveting and theatre buffs should not miss this opportunity.