Bhubaneswar: How a spark of misunderstanding between a husband ans wife can snowball into a ragging inferno capable enough to burn down a family was depicted in play ‘Bhinna Pathe’, staged by the artistes of Karund Kala Mancha, a theatre group from Bhawanipatna, on the concluding day of the five-day state-level theatre festival ‘Natya Lahari’ at Bhanjakala Mandap in Bhubaneswar on Friday.
The plot revolves around Rakesh (a private job holder) and Jyoti (a government employee). Their conjugal bliss goes haywire when suspicion raises its ugly head. Jyoti mistakes Rakesh’s friendly chat with her friend Deepa, while Rakesh doubts his wife’s bond with her colleague Sumit.
What begins as a molehill soon turns into a mountain, giving rise to frequent quarrels between them. Eventually, they decided to part ways and Jyoti ends up in a spiral of misfortunes.
From Jyoti’s ill-fated companionship with Sumit to her attempted suicide thwarted by fisherman Gunja, the narrative veers dramatically, throwing her from frying pan into fire.
Then she decides to go anywhere where her life leads her to. All the while, she has a myna in a cage with her. She opens the door of the cage and asks the bird to fly away. But it doesn’t.
The metaphor finds in the climax scene where Rakesh tells Jyoti that the bird doesn’t fly away even though the door is open because it assumes the cage as its world. Similarly, a couple should choose captivity over the open sky, he says.
Then all the characters join them and it transpires that they were part of a plan to reconcile the estranged pair, giving the play a happy ending.
Earlier in the evening, esteemed guests including senior theatre personality and president of Odisha Natya Sangha Manoj Pattanayak, theatre personalities Bhaskar Chandra Mohapatra, Alok Ranjan Bose, Kailash Panigrahi and Bijay Patra inaugurated the evening by lighting the auspicious lamp. The host institution’s secretary Subhakant Padhi also shared the dais.
Message: The play’s message is loud and clear; sometimes a bending little can mend a lot.
Reviewer’s Opinion: The story of the play has all ingredients to make it for a worth watching one. Yet, the execution left room for polish.
While Majhi, doubling as Rakesh, and Diptimayee Mishra as Jyoti delivered performances that kept the ship afloat, the portrayal of other characters found wanting.
At times, the storytelling too lacked the required pace, a cause for loosening the grip of an otherwise watch-worthy play.
Regarding the flaws, Majhi announced at the time of curtain call that this was their first staging. But by that time, much of the audience had already left, without knowing that the fact.
The festival’s concluding play ‘Bhinna Pathe’ was a play with heart in the right place but in need of sharper strokes. With some refinement, it holds the promise to bloom into a fine production that speaks to many households where egos and doubts still cast long shadows over love.
On the stage:
Rakesh: Pradeep D Majhi
Jyoti: Diptimayee Mishra
Sumit: K Gopidhar Nayar
Gunja: Artatrana Sahoo
Deepa: Bijyeta Bag
Manu Mallick: Kanhucharan Rout
Off the stage:
Writer & Director: Pradeep D Majhi
Music: Debendra Bag & Ajay Gopal
Light & stage design: Debananda Nayak Soni
Notably, since its inception in 2015, ‘Bidyakanak Srujjananusthan’ has established a distinct place in Odisha’s cultural calendar. It has been active in art and cultural activities since its inception. Besides its theatre festival-like event in September every year, it hosts a National Theatre Festival in May and musical soirees on January 1 and July 4.
