The language did the trick

The beautiful language was explored and exploited to the fullest in the play. Chalesha, staged by Geleyara Ranga Balaga, was a delight in terms of its profound storyline and beautiful language. Scripted by Chandrashekhar Kambar, it traced the story of Govinda and Kashi, an old couple, trying to rid themselves of their debtors.

The storyline, seemingly simple, included multiple layers and fascinating characters which generated diverse interpretations. Another speciality of the play was that it swayed between intense drama and tragic comedy, which saw the audience’s mood change accordingly — sometimes serious and other times light.

Chalesha began with Govinda and Kashi worrying over how to ward off their landlord Nanjayya and avert paying the rent, yet again.The highlights of the dialogues were the instances when both the characters wore sunglasses and transformed into King and Queen, depicting a parallel reality.

The wonderful chemistry between Shashi Rao and Sampath Kumar, who played the worry-stricken couple always at each other’s throats was amazing to watch. Ramachandrappa requires special mention for his comic portrayal of Nanjayya.

The play proceeded on with Govinda weaving a new lie stating that his son, who works for the government, would come and pay the rent.

To his horror, the lie turns into reality and the fictitious characters, in his head, spring to life triggering chaos.

The play ended with Govinda’s realisation that he would no longer be a slave to his mind and would work diligently to repay his debts. Talking about her experience, Shashi Rao, who played Kashi said, “I found the play relevant to our time because, like my character in the play, many women choose to walk away from difficulties but what they need to remember is that no problem in life is permanent and running away from it will only leave one unhappy.”

Another character who did well with his humourous streaks was P1 (son’s servant). Talking about the challenges he faced when playing P1, Girish said,“The main reason why my character is introduced is to create the fear of death in the main protagonist. The biggest challenge I faced while preparing for this play was learning Dharwad Kannada.”
 The audiences were highly appreciative of the use of language in the play. Said Meena Malodey, a member of the audience, “I throughly enjoyed the play and really liked the dialect used. It is not often that you get to hear it and the wonderful dialogues will remain in my memory for a long time to come.”