Lalit Gupta
JAMMU, Apr 1: Arundhati Nag’s superlative solo performance in Hindi play Bikhre Bimb (Scattered Images) came out as a befitting finale to Jammu chapter of 8th Theatre Olympiad, which concluded at Abhinav Theatre, here today.
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Girish Karnad’s play is based on Padmavati Rao’s Hindi translation of the play from the Kannada original (Odakalu Bimba). Performed by Bangaluru based Ranga Shankara, directed by Girish Karnad, with co-director by M.M. Chaitanya who has put together the technological aspect of the play, Bikhre Bimb, is about a fifty plus author Manjula Nayak, who comes to a TV studio for an interview to get even with her critics.
After the interview is over, her alter ego comes alive on the TV screen and starts questioning her conscience about her writing in English and the origins of her famous novel’s the story. Alter ego’s searching questions makes the Manjula blurt out the truth of her bitter life which was overshadowed by the brilliance of by her paralytic sister Malani. So much so Manjula husband falls in Malani’s love. Upon Malani’s death, Manjula’s discovers Malani’s unpublished novel which she then gets published as her own creation. Manjula gets name and fame but her husband leaves her and moves to the USA. The play ends with scattered images of Manjula on a large screen.
Arundhati Nag gave a masterly display of acting in both shades of the real and the virtual TV image with ease and honesty. Her expressive body language remarkably conveyed the pettiness of the woman, her parental discrimination as well as the typical middle-class denial of discord between her and husband and the torture of being witness to their love, was brought by her in such a subtle manner.
The highlight of the play design was the use of technology in the form of multi-media on the stage. The alter-ego, integral to play’s script also offers a very imaginative perception of its character of writer’s self and emerges as a co-actor.
Today’s interactive session with play’s director was conducted by Balwant Thakur. Abdul Latif Khatana, senior faculty NSD, New Delhi, thanked J&K Cultural Academy, Rakesh Singh, local co-coordinator and, his team, and especially the Jammuites for making the Theatre Olympiad as success.
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