In fond memory
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Remembering Utpal Dutt on his 17th death anniversary that falls this Sunday.
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We began by doing plays in English. The first one we did was ‘Richard III. It was horrible.
ACT ONE Utpal Dutt began his theatre career doing English plays.
It was August 1, 1993. We were discussing Utpal Dutt’s new production “Neel Sada Lal” (blue, white and red — the symbolic colours of the French Revolution) in the greenroom of Rabindra Sadan, Kolkata, just after the show.
He spoke of art and life. “What happens, irrespective of theories, is a great performance,” said the man considered one of the pioneers of the Indian People’s Theatre Association — IPTA. “The actor’s art relates closely to the world where it grows…. I dare say I have been honest with my politics.”.
Last days
A few days later, on August 19, he breathed his last at the age of 74. In his last days Utpal da, as he was lovingly addressed by one and all, used to do more plays, though his own dialogues used to be few. He would often remember his old theatre days. Once he recounted, “I remember the first stone that hit me. It was during the infamous attempt by the ruling class to merge Bengal and Bihar into one State, and we were doing a street-corner agitprop play called “The New Mad Tyrant” (Naya Tughlaq). But now I wantto sleep for I am tired of this hectic journey and the productions. But I am not tired of propagating revolutionary theatre.”
Utpal da was one of the Bengali theatre stalwarts after Sisir Kumar Bhaduri who modernised the traditional Bengali theatre and who gave it a different kind of sensibility as Shombhu Mitra did.
He started with English. He recalled once, “We began by doing plays in English. The first one we did was ‘Richard III’. It was horrible. All the boys and girls were from different places. We first felt and then interpreted Shakespeare and his comedy properly. His English is a tough proposition.” To explore new ideas and vistas was his passion.
His last words to me were, “You belong to Varanasi and have come here from Lucknow to go see this play (‘Neel Sada Lal’) and have a chat with me. It is an enchanting experience. After ‘Amanush’ I went to Banaras for a Satyajit Ray film shooting and got disturbed by the local nuisance. I am fed up with the nuisance now rampant. Therefore, I want to withdraw. From what... I don’t know.”
And he withdrew from life, leaving a vacuum that was never filled.
GAUTAM CHATTERJEE
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