Since the beginning of the year, several theatre productions from the districts have been drawing significant attention. Short-length plays, in particular, are making a strong impact. From the choice of subject to direction and performance, district artistes are earning appreciation.
At theatre festivals across Bengal, productions from outside Kolkata are now setting high standards of excellence. One such example is Gobardanga’s ‘Babupara Atmaja Natya Sangstha’, which staged Manoj Mitra’s play ‘Mahavidya’ at the Third Year Atmajan Theatre Festival. The festival, directed by Tapas Das, was organised at the Shilpayan Theatre’s Dipa Brahma stage.
ALSO READ | Who is Rishab Rikhiram Sharma? The ‘Shiv Kailash’ sitarist facing questions over his Ravi Shankar connection
According to Tapas Das, “The story of a play should be simple and straightforward. Audiences now seem unwilling to get into any complexity.” Many directors today share this belief, and over the past few years there has been a noticeable rise in the popularity of short-duration plays.
‘Mahavidya’, written by Manoj Mitra, is an allegorical and humorous tale set in a kingdom where government employees do not receive regular salaries. A guard cannot even get shoes that fit him. Yet, from the king to the ministers, everyone is busy looting public wealth. Theft takes place at night, while committees sit during the day to investigate. Ironically, the king’s drunken mason is framed for the crime. On one particular night, even government employees tasked with protecting public property get involved in stealing. Meanwhile, the king secretly enters a goldsmith’s house, only to discover that the minister, guard, kotwal and others have arrived there with the same intent.
ALSO READ | Why is Dhanush facing a Rs 20 crore legal heat from Thenandal Films?
As the plot unfolds, waves of collective laughter echo through the auditorium. The cast delivered commendable performances, including Tapas Das, Jayanta Mukhopadhyay, Apurba Chattopadhyay, Tilak Mukhopadhyay, Tapas Pal and Basudev Mukhopadhyay. Stage design was handled by Shantanu Das.
