Bhubaneswar: The capital’s theatre aficionados were in for a treat on Tuesday evening as Jeevan Rekha, one of the most celebrated theatre groups in Odisha, staged the hauntingly evocative play ‘Samudrare Rajahansi’.
Penned jointly by Prashant Prakash and Kalki Koechlin, transcreated by Chinmayee Sarangi and directed by Abhinna Routray, the performance left the audience visibly moved—caught in a whirlwind of surreal visuals and emotional undercurrents.
At the heart of ‘Samudrare Rajahansi’ lies the story of a young, reclusive writer, once a fisherman, now entangled in a world of his own making. As he writes the story that lends the play its title, he slowly begins to lose his grip on reality. Talking goose, lurking sharks, and a menacing skeleton haunt his imagination, while his only anchor to reality—his devoted wife—struggles to bring him back to solid ground.
The audience watched spellbound as the couple’s daily tensions escalated—from bickering over fish to a shocking moment of violence that leaves the wife dead and the writer adrift. With her death, the writer abandons his original story and begins crafting a new one: The Skeleton Woman—a chilling pivot that leaves the audience reeling with unanswered questions and emotional turmoil.
What truly hit home was how the play—loosely inspired by the Inuit folk tale The Skeleton Woman—deftly walked the line between metaphor and madness. With an ending that pulls the rug from under your feet, the production packed an emotional wallop.
Rohan Yadav delivered a layered performance as the tormented writer, while Samarpita Dash, as the self-sacrificing wife, portrayed a subtle but powerful mix of love, frustration, and resilience. Mama Samal Parida, in the role of a probing journalist, added yet another layer to the unfolding drama.
Technical brilliance elevated the narrative further—Sanjay Saha’s evocative lighting design painted moods without a word spoken, while Pratap Rout’s music worked like an emotional undercurrent. The stagecraft by Biswajit Rout was minimal yet haunting, allowing the story to breathe while subtly reinforcing its surreal elements.
One thing that stands out loud and clear is this: at a time when most theatre groups are complaining about poor financial conditions, Jeevan Rekha has managed to pull off successful ticketed shows—not just in Odisha, but beyond state borders too. I’ve attended quite a few of the ticketed shows organized by some theatre groups myself, and to be honest, some had more empty seats than filled ones. But ‘Samudrare Rajahansi’ was a game-changer. Despite being a ticketed event, the auditorium was bursting at the seams, with young people making up the lion’s share of the audience.
What this clearly shows is that theatre lovers are willing to shell out money—but only if the performance is worth every penny. It’s also worth noting that Jeevan Rekha is believed to be the first theatre group in the state to bring ticketed shows into the mainstream by partnering with BookMyShow.
Notably, since inception, it has been a moto of Jeevan Rekha theatre group to involve more and more youths as its members and audience.
Founded in 2002, Jeevan Rekha has carved out a niche for itself by marrying social commentary with artistic finesse. Under Abhinna Routray’s direction, the group continues to push the envelope—this time delivering a play that doesn’t just entertain but lingers in your mind long after the final bow.
Verdict: ‘Samudrare Rajahansi’ is a poetic, poignant, and powerfully performed piece of theatre that dives deep into the murky waters of creativity, love, and loss. It’s a must-watch for anyone who appreciates theatre that dares to ask uncomfortable questions and doesn’t serve easy answers.
