Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 13: Amateur Theatre Group’s 10-day Theatre Festival titled ‘Abhinavagupta Natyotsav’, being held as part of the year-long Abhinavagupta Millennial Celebrations, opened with Sadat Hassan Manto’s Urdu translation of Anton Chekhov’s famous play Reechh, at Abhinav Theatre, here today.
Directed by Mushtaq Kak, Chekhov’s play, written, published, and performed in 1888, reflects on and pokes fun of liberal discourses in mid- to late-nineteenth-century Russia, in particular those concerned with ‘The Woman Question’.
Conceived as a farce, the plot full of many absurd situations and remarks revolves around three main characters who with absurd behavior and comments reveal human behavior and complex thought pattern in the sub consciousness. The outer soft image tries to crush the inner ‘bear’, emotions, while the fire and heat of passions cannot be contained.
The three characters: the widow in mourning Popova was played by Arpana Kapoor, while roles of Luka, the footman, and Smirnov, were enacted by Sandeep Verma and Mohit Mehra respectively.
Today’s production marked with fast tempo of dialogues from the outset prepared the audience for swift progression of the story. Artistically designed set was successful in creating the interior of the house of the widow in mourning. The light design as well as the background musical score also highlighted the emotional mood of the scenes. The thoughtful costume of Popova did help in establishing her social status.
Earlier, Ravinder Kaul, well known theatre personality, in his introductory remarks about Abhinavagupta, the 10th -11th century, Kashmiri philosopher, ascetic, and aesthetician, said that he was an outstanding representative of the Kashmiri Shaivite monism. His Abhinava-bharati, a commentary on ancient Indian author Bharata Muni’s work of dramatic theory, the Natyashastra, is one of the oldest commentaries available on the treatise, he said.
Mushtaq Kak, informed that Amateur Theatre Group has decided to hold four such festivals, including one at Srinagar, during the year as part of Abhinavagupta Millennial Celebrations.
Tomorrow, on second day of ‘Abhinavagupta Natyotsav’, Vasant Dev’s Hindi translation of Mahesh Elkunchwar’s original Marathi play ‘Pratibhimb’ will be staged.
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