This evening, I had the pleasure of watching "A Terrorist Hanged", a thought-provoking play, at Jagriti Theatre, Whitefield, Bengaluru. Written by Arun Mukherjee and directed by Ranjon Ghoshal, the play was brilliantly performed by Forum-Three (in collaboration with National School of Drama, Bengaluru).
As the name suggests, the play is about a prosecution in the British period. But the person who is hanged as a "terrorist" is not really a terrorist or a revolutionary - far from it, he, Jagannath, is a dim-witted victim of circumstances and of an oppressive society. Dim witted he may be, but his mind functions in a curious manner, interpreted by many as cowardly; which is why it is not easy to fathom why he gladly accepts the noose in the end.
The story may appear bizarre to some, but to the Bengali mind nurtured by Sarat Chandra, Bibhuti Bhusan and Rabindranath, the social structure of the colonial era is not entirely unfamiliar. The plight of young widows, the whiplashing and wily landlords, the overzealous extremists, and the poor, daily labourers are all too familiar. A character like Jagannath's fits perfectly into this picture.
It is amazing what the actors achieved with a simple set on a small and intimate stage, with nothing but the spotlight to take you into each scene. Jagannath's home, for example, is marked by the spotlight on a small area of the stage, with a just a box to depict his meagre possessions.
Rajeev Gupta, as Jagannath Das, or Jaga, was exemplary in his gestures and body language. While he enacted the role of a dimwit to perfection, other actors were no less believable in their roles. Prithesh Bhandary as Nando, Kishore Kumar as Janardan, and young Antarleena as the brash Bijli, deserve special mention.
In short, the director put together an excellent show, with laudable performances and seamless change of scenes with a perfect play of the spotlight. So immersed was the audience in the play that when the electricity went off for a few seconds, no one felt the interruption as the actors resumed from the exact point at which they had frozen.
This being the first play I watched at Jagriti (I hope to watch many more in the days to come), I was taken in by the cozy and comfortable ambience of the theatre. The general atmosphere of the establishment is friendly and informal and the audience gets a chance to mingle with the cast and crew of the play. There are also delicious sandwiches, cupcakes, and juice to keep you going :-)
