Fragments of life
ROMESH CHANDER
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Ranjit Kapoor's "Chekov ki Duniya" showed different aspects of human relationships.
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INTELLIGENT CHOICE "Chekov Ki Duniya" was indeed the best one to open the festival with..
The second Mahindra Theatre Festival opened in Delhi this past week. The festival, featuring 10 plays, is spread across two venues with different timings for theatregoers' convenience.
It opened with "Chekov ki Duniya" directed by Ranjit Kapoor.
The play consists of six short stories by Chekov, which project different aspects of human relationships. The presentation opens with "Cheek", a beautiful title story in which a Sneezer, a junior clerk, sitting just behind his boss watching an Opera, cannot control his misfired sneezing nor his effusive apologising to his boss.
It is indeed a delightful opening that keeps the audience in fits of laughter. Ashwin Chadha gives a convincing performance as a man afraid of losing his job for sneezing.
Next follows "Surgery", the story of a man with a toothache in the clutches of an inexperienced dental assistant played by Brij Bhushan Shukla. It is a little run-of-the-mill and becomes repetitive after a time.
The next story "Shikari", features Amitabh Srivastava, a seasoned player on the Delhi stage, as a man about town who gives lessons on how to seduce a woman. He uses a new husband as the conduit in his attempt to seduce the young bride.
Funny and convincing
Next comes the most hilarious and one of the best performed pieces "Besahara Aurat", in which a woman with a nervous disorder tries to extract money from a banker. Nutan Surya, a former NSD graduate, who has played many roles over the last 30 years or so, beautifully performs the short piece. Nutan was not only at her best, but gave one of the most convincing wild performances seen on the Delhi stage.
Yet another delightful presentation was that of "Dooba Hua Aadmi", in which a man in the maritime entertainment business drowns himself for a small fee.
It is played well by the two characters.
And of course the "Gift" in which the father (Amitabh Srivastava) tries to introduce his 19-year-old son to manhood by taking him to a prostitute's house is a well-balanced piece of work.
The diffident son is well played by Hemant Misra and one sees Amitabh yet again in a different mould. Mukta Singh as the prostitute is not only well controlled but also comes across as very understanding.
"Chekov Ki Duniya" was indeed an intelligent choice to open the festival with, for it touches upon human emotions.
Avtar Sahni's lighting design and the director's music indeed enhance the overall impact of the presentation.
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