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PHOTO: K. RAMESH BABU
Laughter unlimited The cast of ‘Butter and Mashed Banana’
Dramatic experience
Playwright Ajay Krishnan tries to make a significant statement about the hypocrisy of the conundrum of freedom of speech and the forces out to gag it, and does it in no uncertain terms in the flawlessly-choreographed play Butter and Mashed Banana.
In the satirically symbolical child delivered out of the coitus rendezvous of a right wing fundamentalist father and a left ideologue mother, the play and the very taut screenplay proceed effortlessly to establish the essential dilemma of whether to first put the right foot forward or the left foot forward, but ends up jump walking with both the legs.
Vivek Madan, as the confused child who then grows up to be a world famous writer, was outstanding in his artistry. Other protagonists played by Gulshan and Vinod were vigorous.
Choreography and stylisation of movement were graceful and blended well with the undertone of ludicrous satire.
Except for the last song sequence that breaks the impact of the beautiful end composition, the production, direction, composition, choreography and the music were flawless. It was a joy to be part of the dramatic experience.
Lingaraj Mahapatra
State Bank Staff College
Impressive handling of theme
This was my first visit to a play. I am sure that if young men like Ajay Krishnan are going to be present in this art, theatre will never be a dying art. The hilarious method of presenting a delicate subject that talks about ideologies, dogmas, polit
ical opportunism, and communalism was impressive.
The methodology of choosing a human being’s growth and imbibing in it the limited choices that he has, the stifling feeling he experiences, the redefinition of success every time he changes his communal grouping is quite a good tactic as we can relate ourselves to the character.
On a superficial scale, I find similarities between George Orwell’s 1984 and the play’s script, specially the areas about the chastity of women, political ideologies, and the banning of dictionary as part of censorship drive.
If the audience’s reaction is anything to go by, the play is going to be staged successfully for a long to come. .
T. Sunil Goutam
Himayat Nagar
For freedom of speech
The play has been acclaimed so very often and deserves every bit of it. It sends out a crisp and clear message and yet does not point fingers at any particular person or group. It’s a very difficult task to walk the thin, razor-sharp edge of be
ing politically correct and boy, this group walks it with such élan.
The setting is plain and unadorned. And the actors are, to put it politely, minimally clad. The props used are unusual and at first sight, the pink tub, the white sheet and the assortment of musical instruments raise a few questions. Beware! That’s the last thought you’ll have for the next one hour.
The lead actor reminisces of how is his parents ‘made’ him with the supporting cast enacting the tale and taking you deeper and deeper into the gruesome muddle of the political ideologies and its effects. The correlation of the title with the theme is very apt. The concoction of butter and mashed bananas are used to grease the noose by the hangman, and here the group demonstrates the process of killing the freedom of speech. All in all, the play leaves you feeling pensive, but relaxed.
Aditi Agarwal
Synopsys India Pvt Ltd.
Devoid of preachy trappings
Harami Theatre’s Butter and Mashed Banana, written and directed by Ajay Krishnan, largely dealt with the ‘demons’ in democracy (so to speak) but was mercifully without the pedantic and preachy trappings. With gay
abandon we journey along with the protagonist, right from his reluctant entry into this world (born out of an ‘ill-advised’ relationship between a Leftist and a Rightist) to his becoming a writer, celebrity, politician, confused politician and finally, a lost politician.
Apparently our dhoti-clad desi boys can stir things quite a bit too! Four men, a pair of ghungrus, a metre of white cloth, a guitar, and well, a remarkably ingenious script make great ingredients of a recipe to entertainment. You enjoyed every minute of it and then spent the ride home thinking of the many deeper meanings.
Padmini Raghavendra
Mettuguda
Independent without freedom
The play is par excellence considering the way freedom of expression and restrictions on expressing thoughts, words and beliefs are described. Certain individuals leave no stone unturned to hit back at the ‘rebel’, whether it is a baby, a
student, an artist or a writer. It articulated the control on freedom of expression right from initial days to until a person is left to fight for his freedom.
The random shift from one character to another and facial expressions of all the three artists were outstanding. Music and dance at the right time further added to the play. It can be said that the play is about India which is independent but without any freedom to express. In a country like ours that boast of its rich cultural heritage and diversity, expressing oneself is really heroic. The play makes us realise that no one is spared; expressing individual thoughts are considered defamatory by every group that talks about ‘protecting Indian culture’. Kudos to Harami Theatre.
Sachin Shastri
Ramanthapur
Thought-provoking satire
Ajay Krishnan’s play, Butter and Mashed Banana, was a thought-provoking satire on contemporary issues of fundamentalism and misplaced political affiliations. While it is good to see a hilarious comedy that brings out such iss
ues, a line - may be a thin one - has to be drawn between sensibility and crudeness. In the part where the political ideologies of the parents are presented, this thin line appears to have been crossed to the realm of crudeness The part on censorship is beautifully done exposing the eccentric and misplaced moral values of the self-appointed moral policemen in the establishment. Ajay Krishnan deserves all credit for this exposure of the betrayal of the authorities on Freedom of Expression. The three actors - Gulshan Devaiah, Vinod Ravindran and Vivek Madan - played their parts admirably. It’s only because of their flawless performances that the audience sat glued to their seats. Well done.
Parse V R Rao
Jubilee Hills
A spoof on current issues
Though written in the genre of a spoof, the play touched on a number of current issues and dealt with them quite deftly, using rhythmic movement, song, chant and some witty dialogue in the form of repartee. Especially creative was the use of the two
props: a plastic tub and a white sheet which served as an item of costume, a wall and sundry other things. Unfortunately wit by its very nature scintillates but rarely provides deeper insight. There is the danger for instance that in equating fascism and all other ideologies, in today’s conservative apolitical environment some people might leave with the message that all activism is best eschewed. Political satire needs a clearer focus.
The social satire on the other hand was sharper: though caste and class were left out, other middle class concerns of censorship and freedom of speech/art in the obsession with questions of obscenity were enlarged on.
However, both the title (despite the compere’s explanation) and the use of bare chested actors were puzzling. When performers are not in the best physical shape this distracts from their other talents! Unfortunate.
Angela Koreth
Madhapur
Riveting Indian play
Three half-dressed men taking on roles of women, politicians, singers, dancers, actors, acrobats and props, the playwright filling up for a guitarist, four generic and multi-faceted props and one hell of a play. There probably could not be a better s
etting for freedom of speech, as the play was really free of all constraints. Breaking the convention that a serious issue needs to be told solemnly, the play was even free to form.
Ajay Kishnan’s play was truly his in every aspect. It was violent, satirical and captivating. With props like laughter, dance and music, what the playwright achieved was getting an enthralled and speechless audience, who were gasping for more at the end of 60 minutes.
It does not have to be said that the acting was brilliant. Because it didn’t seem like the actors were acting, they were just expressing what they truly felt. Their dance and music had the effect of a trance and sedated the audience.
Today, when theatre is all about acting out foreign plays, with foreign concepts relevant only to their times, it was a great relief to see an original Indian play, as it was a fusion of Indian and Western Theatre forms which in ways truly represents the country we live in today. In conclusion, it was a work of the mind and heart as it had the intelligence and passion of creating a thought in all those who saw it.
Pooja Darolia
Husseini Alam
No ray of hope
The play is an excellent satire on the present day political scene in the country. The play uses the life of a young man, who becomes a world famous writer, but finds himself gagged in his own country, to bring home the point that in politics even op
posite ends of the political spectrum can get together if it meets their political ends.
Like all satires, the use of humour to drive home the message of the play is excellent. At no point is it humour for the sake of humour. While the play itself is in English, it uses a folk/street play format. It has the potential to be transformed into a regional language play and reach a much wider audience. The acting and direction are superb and the overall experience very good.
Satires are meant to awaken the audience but in this one area the play is found wanting.
To awaken people a ray of hope must be offered; unfortunately the play fails to offer any. It ends with the main protagonist completely gagged – is that the message the writer/director Ajay Krishnan hopes to convey, that there is no future for democracy in the country?
A.M. Kannan
Karol Bagh Colony
Appetising and special
The title Butter and Mashed Banana sounded very appetising. And the play? Well, it turned out to be both appetising to the eyes and ears and proved to be special.
Appetising because all the three hunks – two of whom had wonderful vocal cords and enunciations - as well as the ability to carry off ghungroos on their feet as gracefully as any danseuse, but also their acting skills (the latter of course, was hugely loved by the male half of the audience, too, judging by the applause that brought down the house.)
And special – because the play touched upon the very relevant topic of Freedom of Speech and without hurting any of our sentiments - quite a feat in a country that doesn’t tolerate certain movies, artists, actors, remarks but can tolerate politicians!
The topic is close to the hearts of all us democratic-minded citizens, and yet also irks us at times.
Because a topic on which reams can be written (at the risk of whipping popular sentiments into frenzy, of course!) was touched upon with such a minimal, but brilliant, cast and props.
Get this - a bedspread which became a table, a screen, a curtain and a bedspread too!
Pooja Joshi
Bharti Airtel Limited
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