Hamlet, The Clown Prince: Criticising Oneself, Celebrating the Insignificant,

My views on Hamlet, The Clown Prince [Dir: Rajat Kapoor] in response to Soma Basu's Post:



Your take on Hamlet, The Clown Prince arouses the desire to write something, perhaps (as) gibberish. Actually, as someone related hopelessly to the theatre practices of Kolkata, Rajat Kapoor’s play, after a v-e-r-y long time, offered me some hope to sit through the whole of it. It entertained my senses; but this enjoyment was disturbing, once I came out of the auditorium, or, the temple. Because I couldn’t explain, even to myself, what was in it that overwhelmed me. Was it the intelligent distortion of the story? Playing around with the well-known (at least, to the intended audience) text? Use of language, gibberish and gibber-English that made the audience pay more attention to the language of theatre? And, as a consequence of which, the audience grabbed the few opportunities to understand verbal language? Maybe all these; but there was something more to it. Perhaps it was not there, it was inside us, who formed the audience. I am not talking about the ‘interactive’ part; it was obviously superficial; it could not compel many of us to interact. Then what was it?
I agree with your interpretation of the performance as a series of misinterpretations of the original. But I won’t like to look at ‘the original play only to discover the plat [plot? Play?] in its modern context’. It is not contemporaneous to me, at least not spatially. Kapoor and his clowns harp on the mere existence of the original only as a pre-text to the performance. And does it really ‘see-saw between the reality and illusion’? Here comes the much-misunderstood notion of the absurd.
Absurd is not about illusion and unreal; it explores our realities for meanings through their incongruities. In that sense, this Hamlet may be called absurd. But not for the use of gibberish; spoken language can hamper the theatrical at times, and this play is simply trying to overcome that through this ‘stylization’. I am more for the insignificant, and the everyday in it. If chapliensque is what Kapoor is after, then it seems more appropriate. The tired comedians are trying to enact the tragic, and this attempt itself, being opaque, in a reversal, turns their enactment into a meta-comedy. I believe ‘nobody’ in the audience is identifying with anyone on the stage representing ‘everybody’. On the contrary, everybody shrinks away, looking at their aberrations, excesses. The performance being untranslatable, literally, in a verbal language, seeks mandatory seeing, not looking, at the stage. There being no coherent story, on top of it, makes it impossible for the audience to understand and reduce the performance to a climaxing plot; negates most of our attempts to discern meanings in languages we are accustomed to. Like an Old Comedy, it celebrates, and simultaneously incites a complete critique in us. About the play, and through it, about ourselves. I feel that is one of the reasons why I enjoyed it all, and got disturbed. And thanks to your post, tried to translate these elusive glimpses into a more non-theatrical tongue.

Bhut Puran - The Ghost Testament

The maiden production of Noutonki after it was registered as a group, performed in an arena, it connects at least three classic texts: Girish Ghosh’s translation of Macbeth and two short comic plays by Kamal Kumar Majumdar, Sultana Rizia and Bhut Puran, in an episodic manner. Bhut can mean both past and ghost in Bangla. Our performance tried to find out the links between the two through whatever came in handy. We were trying to introspect the internalization of the structures of fear surrounding us.

The play is all about power, the pervasiveness and omnipresence of it. The performance text comments on the politics of corruption and greed, of identity and community, which pervade our daily lives. Macbeth in a nineteenth century translation acts as a prism through which the intimate audience and the players themselves look at things and explores fantastic situations like the interactions between a Hindu Brahmin and the ghost of the person for whom he has just performed the last rites, and Sultna Rizia’s throne which is possessed. The three witches of Macbeth act as the sutradhar, connecting the episodes and commenting on their inner significance. However, the mode is comic, Noutonki believes in comedy, and the witty dialogues of the original texts were retained, which themselves are replete with inter-textual references to cultural habits, history and politics. The performance begins with two songs sung by the cast as a prelude to what is to follow. The theme song, which we still sing in our daily workshops, comments on the helplessness of the performer stuck in the labyrinth of power. Yet, s/he has to continue playing the role s/he has chosen.

Rizia Sultana begins with the throne shaking as if it is haunted, and indeed, it is; it’s the ghost of public opinion which is against Rizia being the queen, as a woman. To ensure her sovereignty, Rizia sends out a spy to kill her stepmother and her son who are plotting against her, only to learn that the spy has spotted her somewhere else; therefore, she is either an imposter or a ghost. There is another very humorous episode when a nachnewali (dancer) comes to tell her that she has been killed. Just then, her stepmother appears and demands the throne; but Rizia, pretending to be a ghost, advances to kill her.

Bhut Puran focuses on the hierarchy in the domain of the ghosts. The Brahmin meets the old ghost on his way home, who wants to possess him so that he can taste all the delicious food cooked for his shraddha, which the Brahmin is carrying back, as is custom. His greed is compounded by the fact that he died of high blood pressure and had been prevented by his doctor to eat anything ‘rich’ (tasty) before he died. Just as he is about to possess the Brahmin, the young ghost enters; though he is young, he has been a ghost for a long time, and therefore he demands that he has a greater right to possess the Brahmin. Amid the crescendo of negotiation and insults, the old ghost realizes that he is being thoroughly insulted, and faints, thus closing the play.

Episodes from Sultana Rizia and Bhut Puran were interspersed with the three witches from Girish Ghosh’s translation of Macbeth, whose vigorous movements and songs greatly entertained the audience. With rigorous physical acting and no props, the performance was visually interesting as every actor became a human prop (trees, thrones, walls) blending it with their speaking parts. The live music, both instrumental and vocal, also played a critical part in moving the play towards its open-ended culmination.

Kata bhay ase jaygo
bhangane sashane bhay
seh bhaye dukhuram ghumay
bhay lal-o
bhay re kalo
nritya kare natabor
range range pala gay
se na jane bhayer bhasan

How many fears come and pass –
Fear of turmoil – revolt, fear of power;
Dukhuram the perennial loser slumbers in that fear.
Red fears,
Dark fears,
Natabar the actor dances,
Recites plays in colour –
Not knowing how to wash it away.

Sambhu Mitra

Born in August 22nd 1915, Dover Road, Kolkata. Completed his schooling form Ballygaunge Government High School. He did not have much faith in institutional learning and discontinued his education in St. Xavier’s College. In 1939 he came in contact with the celebrated actor Bhumen Roy, who initiated his entrance in Rangmahal Theatre. His first performance in the theatre was in Matir Ghar directed by Bidhayok Bhattacharjee. In 1940 he acted in a documentary named “A Tiny Thing Brings Death”. Same year saw his act in Ghurni directed by Ahindra Choudhury. In 1941 he left Rangmahal and went in to join Minerva Theatre. But after a few months he withdrew himself from the theatre as his colleague and good friend Monoranjan Bhattacharjee was insulted by the officials of the theatre. This led to his participation in Natyaniketan Mancha, once again instigated by Bhumen Roy. This initiative did not continue for long, and was closed. Natyaniketan was revived by Sisir Kumar Bhaduri , in the year 1941, as Srirangam, presently called Biswarupa. This is where Shumbhu Mitra acted in many plays directed by Sisir Bhaduri some of which are Jibonrang, Uro Chiti, Sita, Alamgir, Ritimoto Natok.
1943, he joined Antifascist association for Writers and Artists. The first congress of Communist Party of India was organized in Bombay on May 25th 1943. Simultaneously IPTA (Indian Peoples Theatre Association) and All India Progressive Writers’ Association held a conference, which was represented by Mitra from Bengal. In the month of July, 1943 he was nominated as the director in charge for IPTA’s Bengal zone theatre squad, along with Sudhi Pradhan as the secretary, and Hemanta Mukhopadhaya in charge of the song squad. In 1944 Nabanna was staged under the banner of IPTA, in Srirangam Mancha, jointly administered by Mitra and Bijon Bhattacharjee. Shambhu Mitra not only acted as Dayal Mondol in the play but was the director, set director, and music director of Nabanna.
Year 1947, he distanced himself from IPTA , a year before which he had produced for the association Muktodhara a play by Rabindranath Tagore. By this time Mitra had felt the need to work independently based on his theatrical aesthetics. He went on to form a theatre group named “Ashok Majumder O Somprodaye” with the help of Manoranjan Bhattacharjee, the members included, Ashok Majumder, Amar Ganguly, Mohammad Zakaria, Jalad Chattopadhaya, Rabin Bhattacharjee, Ritwik Ghatak and others. In 1948 this group staged Nabanna at Rangmahal but not under the banner of IPTA.
Bohurupee the theatre group was born in 1950, having Manoranjan Bhattacharjee as its President and Mitra as the director. The group’s first staged production was Ulukhagara and Cherataar . Bohurupee’s second production Bibhah (1951) was adopted from a Kabuki Play. Rabindranath’s Char Adhay staged at Srirangam in the same, by Bohurupee. Henrik Ibsen’s Enemy of the People was translated by Shanti Basu as Dasachakra, was Bohurupee’s next production directed by Mitra. In the year 1954 Mitra directed Rabindranath Thakur’s Raktakorobi (Red Orleanders) first staged at Railway Mansion Institute. Tripti Mitra directed Rabindranath Thakur’s Dakghar (Post Office) staged at New Empire in 1957, where Shambhu Mitra played the character of either Thakurda (grandfather) or Raj Kobirej (Medicine Man). Same year he was awarded with Grand Pix Award from Carlovy Film Festival for Jaagte Raho (1956). Honoured with Sangeet Natak Academy Award (1959), in the same year he was invited as an eminent thespian from India to U.S.S, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, and Poland.
Bohurupee produced Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, Putul Khela, 1958, at Mahajati Sadan. Rabindranath Thakur’s Biswarjaan (Sacrifice), 1961, was first staged at Delhi’s IFAX Hall, under Bohurupee’s banner, directed by Mitra. Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, translated, directed and acted by Mitra as Raja Oedipus (1964) was produced by Bohurupee at New Empire. He was invited to attend the Theatre Convention, America in the year 1965. Year next he was selected as the fellow of Sangeet Natak Academy. Bohurupee’s next production was Badal Sarkar’s Baki Itihaas (1967), directed by Mitra. Mitra resigned from Bohurupee in 1968 due to organizational squabble. He had the prophetic idea of establishing a National Theatre Auditorium; with the vision in mind he crafted an association “Bangla Natmancho Protistha Somiti”. The then government was unable to provide a construction site and enough land suitable for a theatre auditorium. He was honoured with PadmaBhushan on behalf of Government of India in the year 1970.

Bohurupee’s first theatre periodical in 1955 published Mitra’s “Raktakorobi Prosonge”. Other articles by Mitra published in the periodical were:
Bhejaler Aeitijhya 1957
Abhinoy O Konthoswaar 1958.
Manchosaajyar Bhumika (in pseudo name Atanu Lahiri), 1958.
Bhongir Sabolilota (adopted from Stanislavsky, written in pseudo name Nayanaranjan Roy), 1958.
Amader Akangsha O Amra, 1958.
Natya Sanskriti O Naboporjayer Proyojon, 1960.
Koekti Prosno, 1962.
Promiti Proshokto (in pseudo name Suranjan Chattopadhaya), 1962.
Moholar Proyojon Ki (in pseudo name Khanesh Prasad Dutta), 1962.
Nabo Natya Andalaan (in pseudo name Suranjan Chattopadhaya), 1962.
Popularity, 1963.
Kichu Purono Kotha, 1963.
Ekti Alochona, 1963.
Sophocleser Raja Oedipus, 1965.
Rajar Kothaye, 1965.
Brecht Prosonge, 1965.
Chaand Baniker Pala (First Part, in pseudo name Batuk), 1965.
Chaand Baniker Pala (Secon Part, in pseudo name Batuk), 1966.


Mitra’s active contribution as an actor, playwright, assistant director and director in the films commenced from the year 1945, some of which are:
Dharti Ke Lal (1945) directed by Kwaja Ahmad Abbas, playwright and assistant director Shambhu Mitra.
Acted in Abhinetri (1947) directed by Hemen Gupta.
Acted in Dhatri Debota (1949) directed by Kaliprasad Ghosh.
Acted in Aaborto (1950) directed by Biswakarma.
Acted in the English film Our India (1950) directed by Paul Jills.
Acted in Bodhoday (1951), along with wife Tripti Mitra directed by Niranjan Pal.
Acted in Bialliash-42 (1951) directed by Hemen Gupta.
Acted in Maharaj Nadakumar (1953), along with Tulsi Lahiri, Utpal Dutta and Bhanu Bandyopadhyay, directed by Biren Das.
Acted in Pathik (1953) along with Tripti Mitra, Tusi Lahiri, Kumar Roy, directed by Debaki Kumar Basu.
Acted in Bouthakuranir Haat (1953) directed by Naresh Mitra.
Acted in Maroner Pore (1954) directed by Satish Dasgupta.
Acted in Shibshakti (1954) directed by Ardhendu Chattopadhaya.
Ekdin Raatre storywriter, playwright and co director with Amit Moitra. This was the first and the last bangle film ever produced under the Raj Kapoor (R.K) Banner. The much appreciated Hindi version was Jaagte Raho (1956), Raj Kapoor as the protagonist.
Acted in Durlobh Jonom (1955) directed by Prafulla Chakraborty.
Directed along with Amit Mitra Shubho Bibhaho (1959), actors in the film were Tripti Mitra, Chobi Biswas, Kuruna Bandyopadhaya.
Acted in Manik (1961), along with Tripti Mitra, Amar Ganguly, Chobi Biswas, Pahari Sanyal, Gangapada Basu, Kumar Roy, based on a novel by Charles Dickens, directed by Bijlibaran Sen.
Acted in Surjasnan (1962), directed by Ajay Kumar.

Nijaswa Chitkar_performance

In the distinct style that Noutonki follows, the only object in the arena was a ‘dholak’, a drum, played by the madari’s assistant. All the situations and transitions were portrayed more through physical movements than dialogues, and some members of our audience who did not understand Bangla, later said that they had no difficulty in grasping the message. Interesting moments were created when we used the ‘open t bioscope’ (a children’s ditty) and when the protagonist is lifted bodily and carried like a corpse through the whole arena, accompanied by ‘”aao baccho tumhe dikhayein ladki hindusthan ki/ is mitti se tilak karo yeh dharti hai balidaan ki”. With numerous rhymes and songs, the play was much appreciated by our audience, and they interacted very enthusiastically over the possible solutions to this daily hazard.

Cast
Amrita
Anwesha
Arati
Gargi
Kamalika
Kamonashish
Ranu
Soumya
Soumya (Batabyal)
Suchismita
Tanushree

Percussion
Rajat


Script, Music & Direction
Abhishek

Space
UG Arts Lawn, Jadavpur University

Nijaswa Chitkar (Our Screams)

Performed in a Forum Theatre form, it explores the problems faced by the urban woman, both at home and outside, in an episodic style. First performed at the JU campus on Womens’ day 2005 at the behest of the School of Women’s Studies, Jadavpur University.

The Play

Introduced by a madari and his assistant, who show the audience the situations an urban woman faces when she steps out into the road. The first sequence is in a crowded bus, (emulated by the actors standing in two lines and swaying, as if on a moving vehicle) where a middle aged man and a young college-going student try to tease and molest a young woman. Unexpectedly for them, she protests, but the other passengers just stand around and watch the fun, without coming to her aid.
The madari’s witty comments along with the dialogues, take the play to the next sequence, which shows the middle-aged man at his home. He is watching the infamous ‘ babauji zara dheere chalo’ item song (sung by the actors impersonating a home theatre) when his wife tells him that their daughter has to attend a friend’s birthday party in the evening. The man is scandalized: how can such a young girl go into the streets at night? The madari comments on the inherent hypocrisy of the situation and moves the play to the young student, who has gone to his college canteen. There, the students of both sexes, are singing some very misogynist /derogatory songs. When the madari is puzzled, a female student tells him that the song is by a famous Bangla band or maybe even Rabindranath, illustrating a herd mentality and a internalization of such attitudes, so that the lyrics do not seem offensive but ‘hip’ or ‘fun’ to the female students; they have accepted it as part of their repertoire.
The madari then poses 3 probable solutions: the first, that the woman would not retort and ignore the comments, as she is afraid of what the society would think of her. The second, that she would retaliate, and be harassed some more, both by her co-passengers and the police, who instead of dealing with the miscreants, make it further embarrassing for her; the final verdict of the court is that the eve teasers are free to go. It is continued when the woman returns home, only to be chastised by her mother for not being decent and therefore inviting harassment. Thus, she is at a dead end.The madari and chela are very disappointed so see that there is no justice, and opens the play to audience comments.

[to be contd.]