Bhubaneswar: Under monthly Natyadhara series, ‘Chamatkar’ theatre group from Nayagarh staged a play titled ‘Daani’ (witch) at Bhanjakala Mandap in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday (September 3).
Penned by Bijaya Kumar Mohanty and directed by Natyabhushan Dr Bijay Kumar Choudhury, the play draws inspiration from a harrowing real-life incident that took place two decade ago at Tainser village in Sundargarh district.
By retaining the Tainser victim’s original name in the play, the playwright adds an extra layer of authenticity. At the same time, he tries to spotlight still-prevailing evils like labour trafficking, women trafficking, witch-branding and superstition.
Set in a tribal village, the play revolves around Nuni, a woman whose fight for justice leaves the audience hooked to their seats from the word go.
The play opens in her courtyard, waiting for her husband Bhagia’s return from the work. Taking the advantage, Chakradhar Nag, a contractor, stealthily enters her house and assaults her. As she keeps saying she wants the contractor’s blood, the villagers take no time in branding her as a witch.
The sarpanch and the contractor so create the situations that the villagers convene a kangaroo court where the village priest condemns her to death.
To save her life, Nuni seeks refuge with the sarpanch, only to discover his sinister intention of trafficking her outside the state. It is also revealed that the sarpanch, in cahoots with the contractor, forces village men to go outside as migrant labourers so that he can exploit their wives.
During her stay, she realizes her impending fate and escapes. She approaches the police but her pleas fall on deaf ears.
All the while, her husband Bhagia stands by her, till the arrival of IPS officer Swagat Mishra and arrest of the sarpanch and the contractor.
Just when the audience breathes a sigh of relief, the director throws in a twist-Nuni’s husband Bhagia is not her real husband. Who is Bhagia? Why did he come to the village? Does he leave the village or stay with Nuni?
To get answers to these questions, watch the full play. So enquire about the date of its next show.
As the curtain fell, the audience started praising the entire team. The theatre group’s president Laxmidhar Mahapatra and Natyabhushan Dr Choudhury were congratulated for such a riveting performance.
Sonali Suchismita shines in her role, portraying the rape victim’s character brilliantly. Supporting performances, especially from Umashankar Mishra as Dr Prayas Choudhury, Nishikanta Mahapatra as contractor, Rakesh Das as sarpanch and Birupaksha Swain as village priest (Disari) also breath life to their characters.
Other cast members like Laxmidhara Mahapatra, Jitendra Choudhury, Pradipta Dakua, Nilakantah Dash, Sudhanshu Sekhar Panda, Saswat Mishra, Balunkeswar Bisoi, Prashant Kumar Khatua, Debashish Mahapatra, Prahlad Pradhan, Dilip Pradhan, Somanath Sahu, Antimasha, Santoshini Mallick and Dibyajyoti Pattanayak help keep the narration flowing seamlessly.
The behind-the-scenes team deserves a round of applause. Shakti Mishra’s music, Bikash Pradhan’s light design, Prashant Swain’s stage craft and Dhabal’s makeup need special mention.
With ‘Daani’, ‘Chamatkar’ not only entertained but also held up a mirror to society, laying bare the ills that still continue to plague rural communities.
Notably, the play has so far been staged successfully for five times. It was first staged in 2006 when Lions Club staged it at Rabindra Mandap on March 27 and 28. The same year, ‘Sanskar Bharati’ brought the play to Town Hall in Aurangabad on September 24. Later, ‘Chamatkar’ theatre group staged it in Nayagarh on June 28, 2008 and again in in Cuttack during a theater festival in 2012.
