A five-day festival, Pratibimb, presents hand-picked socially relevant Marathi plays from the rich theatre tradition of the state
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In their bid to harvest grapes for wine-making, what cultural cost are the villages around Nashik bearing? Does the theatre audience always like formula-based productions? Why is a social reformer's fight for women's liberalisation in the 1930s still far from victory? These and many more intriguing questions will be explored at Pratibimb, the NCPA's annual Marathi theatre festival.
In its eighth year, Pratibimb, or reflection, aims to promote Marathi theatre, and expose new audiences to the rich tradition in the language. "We select both commercial and experimental plays that have been creating ripples on the stage. This year, too, we have productions that run to a packed house, as well as critically acclaimed plays," says Rajeshri Shinde of the organising team. "But content remains the hero," she adds. After the curtain call, the cast and crew of each play will be available for a Q and A session. Here are the Guide's top picks.
FROM: August 5 to 9, 4 pm and 7 pm
AT: NCPA, Nariman Point.
CALL: 66223724
COST: Rs 270 onwards
Samajswasthya
The final day of the festival will see the staging of the acclaimed two-act play that premiered at Pune's famous Vinod Doshi theatre festival in February this year.
Written by eminent playwright Ajit Dalvi, it is set in the period between 1930 and 1942, and is based on the cause of women's liberalisation and sexual freedom undertaken by well-known social reformer Raghu Dhondo Karve, who also played a significant role in initiating birth control in India. He brought out the progressive magazine Samajswasthya on the mental and physical health of society for 27 years.
"Prof Karve challenged religious dogma and social beliefs that caged women, and he had to bear the cost of asking such fearless questions. He fought four legal battles in his lifetime, and one of the cases was fought for him by none other than Dr BR Ambedkar," shares director Atul Pethe. "What's ironic is that more than 70 years later, we still think women can be told what to wear and how they should conduct themselves."
Mumbaiche Kawale
Written 40 years ago by noted playwright and director Shafaat Khan, the satire was revived last year. "The poor condition of roads, water supply, malnutrition and the environment remain critical issues today. Our chase of meaningless pursuits like money and security hasn't changed either," says director Priydarshan Jadhav, adding that the play was re-written in bits and pieces. "Decades ago, it was the Congress and communists who dominated the political scene. Though we don't refer to any party, the communist has been replaced by an RSS-minded politician."
The play, whose title translates to the crows of Mumbai, unfolds through a plot that surrounds finding crows to perform rituals of the dead in a village devastated by a flood.
MH12J16
The award-winning play addresses the chicken-and-egg question of whether media content is determined by the audience's tastes or the viewer's choice is shaped by what he sees. Written by Dr Vivek Bele, this directorial venture of Subodh Pande takes the humorous route to explore a serious topic.
"The play begins with a meeting between a young playwright, who hasn't written a commercial play, and an established director with many hit productions under his belt," shares Pande. "An audience representative is roped in and the director asks the playwright to read her script to the woman. While the first half is determined by the woman's response to the script, later, the playwright manages to pique the woman's interest and convince her to accept an unconventional climax."
Hey Ram
A story of the intangible loss that modernity brings with it, the play revolves around the folk theatre tradition of the Bohada festival held in and around Nashik. Inspired by Patra, a story that appears in Sadanand Deshmukh's famous novel Gabhulgabha, the production addresses the reluctance of the youth from farming families to play the once-coveted roles of gods and demons during the festival.
"Bohada used to be celebrated with gusto in my village. In fact, the fight over playing Ram once led to a murder in a village, which called for Justice Mahadev Govind Ranade to step in. Today, as seasonal farming gives way to round the year cultivation, and grape farming promises better financial prospects, these cultural traditions are fading away," explains writer-director Ram Daund.
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