<p>Music from cymbals, dholak and harmonium ensure that the folk techniques are kept intact. Costumes typical to 18th century Peshwa period prove that authenticity has been maintained. The plot is also not unfamiliar; yet the dramatics prove that it is right to call Vijay Tendulkar’s Ghasiram Kotwal a ‘Modern Indian Classic’.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Directed by veteran Rajinder Nath, the play was recently staged as part of National School of Drama’s Summer Theatre Festival 2015. Having passed the test of time, since last 42 years, it was time for the production to be re-attempted by NSD’s Repertory Company.<br /><br />The actors did have the ease of referring to the work of thespians, who have enacted Nana Phadnavis and Ghasiram in the past. The two characters remain central to the plot and can’t be overlooked. It is therefore essential to comment that while Nana (played by Suresh Sharma) presents tones of contained lechery, Ghasi seeks pleasure in going berserk and is more convincing to the audience. <br /><br />Though known for his directorial artistry, Nath misses the point that there still might be few, who haven’t read the text and would land in confusion on witnessing Gouri, without a hint of introduction. <br /><br />The two-hour performance narrates the tale of how Ghasi uses his daughter Gouri to become the Kotwal of Pune and avenge his insult by the civilians of the state. The depiction of the same is done using the stage technique of ‘human curtain’ – few actors stand in a line to create a temporary wall. <br /><br />What enables the artistes to separate themselves from the human curtain and come alive as characters in the play is the uncomplicated set design by late Ashok Bhattacharya. <br /><br />There are two narrators, instead of one Sutradhar (as in the original version), and throughout the play, their lyrical dialogues make one nostalgic of old times when plays used to be more about content than intricate stage design and props. Though limited, in this production too, the use of props such as masks is quite creative. Especially in the scene where an actor dressed as Ganesha takes centrestage. Holding a stool – with a print of mouse (Ganesha’s mount) on it – the actor enters the stage and gets seated on the same. <br /><br />The lights impress but only in a few scenes where Ghasi’s anger and death are marked with red all over the stage. Even the imagery, created with orange, explains the <br />torrent behind the silence of Ghasi on seeing his dead daughter.<br /><br />What the performance fails to bring out is the larger message of ‘one rule for all in a society’. The rich theatrical form created by Tendulkar through his words isn’t depicted on stage with equal intensity. As a result, the richness dilutes and the performance gets stretched unnecessarily in certain places. While Nath must have conceived it otherwise, it is the Repertory that needs to pull up its socks to present a classic such as this one. <br /> <br /></p>
<p>Music from cymbals, dholak and harmonium ensure that the folk techniques are kept intact. Costumes typical to 18th century Peshwa period prove that authenticity has been maintained. The plot is also not unfamiliar; yet the dramatics prove that it is right to call Vijay Tendulkar’s Ghasiram Kotwal a ‘Modern Indian Classic’.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Directed by veteran Rajinder Nath, the play was recently staged as part of National School of Drama’s Summer Theatre Festival 2015. Having passed the test of time, since last 42 years, it was time for the production to be re-attempted by NSD’s Repertory Company.<br /><br />The actors did have the ease of referring to the work of thespians, who have enacted Nana Phadnavis and Ghasiram in the past. The two characters remain central to the plot and can’t be overlooked. It is therefore essential to comment that while Nana (played by Suresh Sharma) presents tones of contained lechery, Ghasi seeks pleasure in going berserk and is more convincing to the audience. <br /><br />Though known for his directorial artistry, Nath misses the point that there still might be few, who haven’t read the text and would land in confusion on witnessing Gouri, without a hint of introduction. <br /><br />The two-hour performance narrates the tale of how Ghasi uses his daughter Gouri to become the Kotwal of Pune and avenge his insult by the civilians of the state. The depiction of the same is done using the stage technique of ‘human curtain’ – few actors stand in a line to create a temporary wall. <br /><br />What enables the artistes to separate themselves from the human curtain and come alive as characters in the play is the uncomplicated set design by late Ashok Bhattacharya. <br /><br />There are two narrators, instead of one Sutradhar (as in the original version), and throughout the play, their lyrical dialogues make one nostalgic of old times when plays used to be more about content than intricate stage design and props. Though limited, in this production too, the use of props such as masks is quite creative. Especially in the scene where an actor dressed as Ganesha takes centrestage. Holding a stool – with a print of mouse (Ganesha’s mount) on it – the actor enters the stage and gets seated on the same. <br /><br />The lights impress but only in a few scenes where Ghasi’s anger and death are marked with red all over the stage. Even the imagery, created with orange, explains the <br />torrent behind the silence of Ghasi on seeing his dead daughter.<br /><br />What the performance fails to bring out is the larger message of ‘one rule for all in a society’. The rich theatrical form created by Tendulkar through his words isn’t depicted on stage with equal intensity. As a result, the richness dilutes and the performance gets stretched unnecessarily in certain places. While Nath must have conceived it otherwise, it is the Repertory that needs to pull up its socks to present a classic such as this one. <br /> <br /></p>
