Bhubaneswar: In a good sign for Odisha theatre, these days more and more directors are going for and scouting for novels and short stories of imminent Odia writers, including of the modern era, for their plays.
I had the opportunity of watching such a play on April 3, the third day of monthly theatre programme ‘Natyadhara’, at Bhanjakala Mandap in Bhubaneswar.
I would rather say I had a chance to read the novel ‘Samudra Snana’ (Sea Bath), written by Prof Biswaranjan. The novel was published in 2015 by Time Pass, one of the renowned publishers of Odisha.
Adapted for the stage by Dr Pramod Kumar Parida, the play was directed by Nabin Parida and staged by his theatre group Nabin Barnali.
At the end of the play, Prof Biswaranjan, who sat through the one and a half an hour long play, said the actors left him stunned. He said he had never imagined they would portray their respective characters with such a panache.
The play brought those dark and unexplored recesses of relationship between husband and wife that we as a society often like to push them under the carpet.
The play opens into the drawing room of Aniket (Nabin Parida), a professor, where he is seen busy at writing something. He keeps writing even if his wife Alibha(Sonika Sahu) reminds him that it is time to stop his work and go to sleep.
From the first scene, it is evident that Aniket is a kind of person who loves to live in his world. And Alibha has been sacrificing her wishes at the altar of family prestige.
But how long? Finally she draws a line and elops with Animesh, a student of Aniket, after eight years of their marriage.
As the audience we thought after retirement Aniket would live rest of his life all alone. But proving us wrong , the writer introduces a character Anima (Ankita Dey), a woman aged around 25 or 26 with all woman-like beauties, who proposes to Aniket. The climax scene is straight out of a Bollywood romantic movie. Aniket and Anima with holding each other’s hands walks towards the sea till they disappear in the crowd.
Pragyandutta Sahu created a right ambiance of a house of a professor with a minimal set using as less properties as possible. Sanjay Pradhan’s lighting effects and Shakti Prasad Mishra’s music need special mention.
Natyadhara is a monthly theatre programme, organised by the Odia Language, Literature and Culture department in association with Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi and Odisha Natya Sangha.
Under this, three plays are staged in Bhanjakala Mandap on the first three days of a month and one play in Rabindra Mandap on the second Sunday of the same month.
