NK SINGH
BHOPAL, once described by Indira Gandhi as the cultural
capital of the country, on Tuesday night lived up to its reputation. It paid a
fitting tribute a Habib Tanvir, one of the most important theatre personalities
of our times – a man who has become a legend in his lifetime, and, more
importantly for the people of Bhopal, who has made the city home for himself
and his equally legendary Naya Theatre.
Habib
Tanvir’s Charandas Chor, enacted on Tuesday night at Bharat Bhavan, not only
drew a packed house, but the audience turned up in such a large number that the
organizers had to install film screen to telecast the play. Bookings for the
play closed 45 minutes before the starting time.
It is
a very old play- 38 years to be exact. It has been enacted several times in
Bhopal, as in many part of the world. Yet, as the octogenarian director climbed
the stage to greet the audience it was clear that the all-time popular play had
not lost anything of the old charm.
So theatre
lovers, including many VIPs, kept sitting in the open courtyard of Bharat
Bhavan, where a cinema screen had been hastily put up after organiser saw the
large crowd. There was a thunderstorm and many braved elements.
It was
indeed a fitting tribute from a city that has become a legend due to cultural
moorings.
Charandas Chor pulls big
crowd
NK SINGH
BHARAT Bhavan was chock-a-block with theatre lovers on
Tuesday-the concluding day of the Rangadhar Theatre fest. And the draw was
Habib Tanvir’s Charandas Chor.
The
crowd was so much that people had to sit outside the auditorium to watch the
play.
The
organisers had rightly anticipated that the audience could not be accommodated
in Antrang. And therefore a screen was put up right outside the auditorium to
allow theatre buffs to relish the play. This was for the first time, during the
12-day Rangadhar Samaroh, that a screen had to be put up for the crowd.
Nearly
400 odd persons in the audience, some sat on the steps in the courtyard, some
stood on the terrace outside the Bahirang and yet others squatted at the
fountain area, watching the play in pin drop silence.
While
the visual impact on the screen was good, the aural flow was ‘satisfactory’ as
the listeners had to strain their ears to catch the words, which were mostly in
Chattisgarhi dialect.
And
this went on till rain played spoilsport, and lights went off just before the
interval. While the packed audience inside the Antarang, sat unfazed, the crowd
outside had to move with disappointment writ large on their faces.
As the
rain continued, albeit mildly, the crowd slowly started dispersing,
disappointed for not being able to see the end of the creative masterpiece.
“I
have seen the play two times earlier but each time the play brings a newness.
It’s really sad that I have to go back without seeing the full play.” Said
Vandana Soni.
Praveen,
a college student echoed the same: I had heard so much about the play and
wanted to see till the end.
Earlier,
after being felicitated. Habib Tanvir said the director had a significant role
during the making of a play. “But during enactment, the director plays a
vanishing act. It’s just a chord between the audience and the artsite.”
The
play, originally written by Vijaydan Detha, and interpreted as folk play, is a
story about a thief who runs around the forces of law and order till he comes
up against one force he cannot trounce – his commitment to truth.
The
play gave a stimulating peep into the social structure. The meticulous use of
the stage and the swift change of scenes captivated the audience.
“The
story has contemporary relevance and I have tried to exploit this aspect of the
story to the full. I have written the play with my folk actors, all of them
improvisers, rather than with a pen,” Habib Tanvir told HT.
Chaitram
Yadav as Charandas gave an amazing performance. But the others in the cast crew
also left an indelible mark. A special mention must be made of the folk songs
and dances that all though the play.
A
great finale to the fest.
Published in Hindustan Times, 8 April 2009
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