New Delhi, March 1: From the issue of gender justice to the depiction of a slice of Indian history; from the genre of thriller to the supernatural; from bringing alive the dark realities of life to exposing our social hypocrisies – a variety of themes will be at play at the two-day Bengal Theatre Fest to be held at Muktadhara Auditorium here from March 3, 2018.
Four theatre groups from Delhi and one from Kolkata are participating in the festival, being organised by the West Bengal Information and Cultural Centre, under the Office of the Resident Commissioner, Government of West Bengal, New Delhi. This is the maiden theatre festival by WBICC after organizing several film festivals in recent years which were well-received by the culture connoisseurs of the city, especially in the Bengali community.
About the Plays:
1) Aurangzeb: Originally written in Tamil by eminent author Indira Parthasarathy, Aurangzeb was translated into Bengali by Satya Bhaduri. It is an account of the life of Emperor Aurangzeb and his rule during the 17th century. When Emperor Shahjahan fell ill in 1657, a war of succession broke out among his four sons, Dara, Shuja, Aurangzeb and Murad. The main contenders were Dara and Aurangzeb while Shahjahan’s two daughters Jahanara and Roshanara, supported Dara and Aurangzeb, respectively. The play fuses events to capture the fissures during a significant period of history.
Direction: Aniruddha Sarkar
2) Bhoy: Based on the play Jyotileswar, Bhoy is about Dr. Mallika Sen, a medical practitioner and researcher staying alone in Kalimpong. One evening, while investigating a murder, police officer Jyotileshwar Ganguli visits her place to reveal some secrets to Dr. Sen. Those secrets could change Dr. Sen’s life.
Direction: Sandeep Bagchi
3) Ami Sudha Bolchi: According to latest statistics, India has recorded one crime against women every two minutes. It would be very convenient to blame this on patriarchy, social decay and lack of education, entrusting the task of social correction to so-called social workers. But will the edifice of development that we have built standing on a very weak social foundation survive the impending disaster? Shapno Ekhon raises such questions in the play, based on a real life story, titled “Ami Sudha Bolchi”.
Direction: Shomik Ray
4) Tashkar: A thief or a burglar is a person who acquires someone else’s property without the owner’s knowledge. Many of us are performing this act in our lives which doesn’t come forth. Is this trait is hidden inside most of us? An adaptation of the Virtuous Burglar by Dario Fo, this mind-boggling hilarious play raises a lot of questions about duality and morality in our personal and social lives.
Direction – Souvik Sen Gupta
5) Nishir Daak: A breathtaking play with a supernatural theme, Nishir Daak tells the story of three miscreants who steal a diamond from the idol of the deity of a primitive clan. Their action disturbs the natural order of the things and awakes the paranormal entities. The play has been staged more than 800 times in the last 45 years.
Direction: Sohan Banodopadhyay
About the Theatre Groups:
Milani Cultural and Welfare Association is well-known among the Bengali community in the capital for its cultural activities, including theatre productions. Milani has staged plays like “Mesh O Rakhas”, “Galpo Hekim Saheb”, “Sundar”, “Rajdarshan”, “ “Anami Angana”, and “Anubikhan”.
Aamra Kajon is one of the major Bengali theatre organisations of Delhi-NCR for the last 33 years. It has staged 86 theatre productions in Bengali, English and other languages which include more than 450 stage performances. Theatre productions of Aamra Kajon have won more than 60 Prizes, including Third Best Production “Court Martial” in the Full-length Drama Competition organised by Sayak, Kolkata.
Shapno Ekhon is a creative platform in Delhi engaged in promotion and practice of performing arts, especially theatre, among the younger generation. Shapno Ekhon has produced more than 30 plays in the last few years and has been honoured with more than 25 awards in different competitions. Among the plays they have staged are “Manohar Kahaniya”, “Onyo Prem” , “Bagh” and “Poshak”, to name a few.
Aakriti Drama Society is an amateur Bengali theatre group, established in early 2002, with the objective to produce good, meaningful plays, and offer healthy entertainment to theatre lovers. Its productions, such as “Amitakkhar” and “Falgudhara”, received positive reviews from discerning critics and general audience alike.
Nat-Ranga is an organisation which is serving the cause of theatre since 1972, Nat-Ranga was founded by Sushanta Bandyopadhyay and over the years earned distinction in the field of culture and dramatics, with plays like “Shadhabar Ekadoshi” and “Muktadhara” Now being led by renowned playwright, director and actor Sohan Bandopadhyay, the son of the founder, the organisation received both critical acclaim and positive feedback from the theatre connoisseurs for productions like “Gulbaaj: The Man of the Match” and “Snuopoka”.
