Lalit Gupta
Jammu, Mar 3: Mohan Rakesh’s ‘Ashadh Ka Ek Din’, considered to be the first modern Hindi play, was staged on the concluding day of ‘Festival of Plays, organized by Jammu & Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and languages, at the Abhinav Theatre, here today.
Presented by ‘The Performers’ under the direction of Vijay Goswami, the Hindi drama revolves around Kalidas and the muse Malika whom he abandons in his quest to find fame and recognition which leads to his disillusionment.
The play is divided into three acts. The first act dwells upon the pleasant union of Mallika and Kalidasa. Out of sheer joy, she is totally merging her identity with him and craves to settle down with her family. In the second act of the play, Kalidasa leaves his Himalayan village and is going to Ujjaini to attain the status of a good poet and be completely involved in stately affairs. In the concluding act, he comes back to Mallika and realizes his mistakes. At the end of the drama, he wanted to marry Mallika but could not fulfill his desire.
Considered an actor’s paradise as well as his/her litmus test, today’s performance saw competent performances by amateur actors, who despite any pedagogical support, only driven by a passion for theatre have been the backbone of the drama movement in Jammu.
Nisha as Malika impressed with her portrayal of a love-smitten damsel who encourages her lover to leave in search of greater things only to put herself in hardship for the rest of her life. Neha Lahotra exhibited her acting skills in enacting the role of Ambika, Malika’s aging mother as the one on a journey from maturity to a state of withering.
Manoj Bhat as Kalidas with steady dialogue delivery and measured movements was striking in the role of a genius who ultimately comes to realize his folly of being self-centered. Vijay Goswami as Vilom, who later sires a daughter with Malika, did bring out the feud between the two poets. In the concluding scene, he seemed to steal the show upon the off-keyed Kalidas.
Other members of the cast who also gave good performances were Tapeshwar Dutta as Matul, Ravinder Manhas as Dantul, Ashish Sharma as Nikshep, Karishma as Rangini, Saugandhi as Sangini, Ridhim ac Priyangumanjari, Pradeep Sharma as Anuswar and Gaurav Sharma as Anunasik.
The special effect of the cry of the infant was perfectly timed. But the background score, especially the rendition of the raga could have been more effective in the ‘jor’ rather than in ‘drut’.
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