JOIN USAs part of the ‘Deccan Herald Theatre Festival’, ‘Centre for Film and Drama’ staged ‘In Such a State’ which is based on Dr UR Ananthamurthy’s novel ‘Avasthe’. The play was directed by acclaimed theatre artiste Prakash Belawadi.
It opened with a debate on the ‘clean’ socialist leader Krishnappa Gowda being the best candidate to head the State. A member of a lower-caste community, Krishnappa meets Maheshwaraiah, who envisions a great future for him.
He becomes the first in his family to attend university, where he is drawn to the company of radical intellectuals. The young idealistic politician becomes the farmers’ leader and fights for their cause. The play revolves around his goal to fight corruption and create a new India.
A short-tempered and violent man, Krishnappa hits a police officer when his Naxalite friend is murdered by the police. He is then thrown into a jail and interrogated before being subjected to brutal torture. But he refuses to give in.
Krishnappa becomes a symbol of hope among the farmers and a powerful man, but stays incorruptible. He lives in a rented flat in Bengaluru and his wife works in a bank to support the family. Just as he is reaching the peak of his political career, he suffers from a stroke and is left paralysed. As he is set to become the Chief Minister, industrialist Veeranna starts showering him with gifts like a new flat, a car and even a better job for his wife.
Krishnappa realises he is on the verge of downfall and does not want to give up on his beliefs and values. The play ends with Krishnappa Gowda resigning from the assembly seat and learning to stand up once again.
The play depicted the power of conflict in identity, purpose and idealism that the protagonist owns, with a large cast playing multiple roles, populating the characters of the time, past and present, that inform our political imagination today. It had elements which were seamless, somewhat stylised, comic and ironical, and simply present.
One of the key highlights of the play was the digital screen which displayed photographs to establish the location of the scene. This kept the audience completely
engrossed in the play, taking them back in time and reflect on today’s political
situation.
The play had a powerful performance by all the actors. The usage of stage was tactful, while the music was in sync with the enactment.
It left the audience contemplating how idealism and corruption are intertwined in our county today. Prakash Belawadi says, “The most striking thing about ‘Avasthe’, Dr UR Ananthamurthy’s stirring Kannada novel, is how contemporary it feels.
The novel seems to be an eerie prophecy of Indian society and our politics of compromise, today — of defections and deals in party politics and government formation, nexus of big money and people in high offices, abuse of political power, gang rape and manipulation of cases by the police establishment.”
The same play will be staged at Ranga Shankara on February 24 at 7.30 pm and Jagriti on February 26 and 27 at 7.30 pm.