Action Replay

To the masses for whom religion is an opiate,the play Bechara Bhagwaan poses a seemingly innocuous question – “What would you do if God were to appear before you in person?” In the play,Lord Krishna comes to life in a small Indian village and discovers that his devout followers aren’t ready to believe him. “The story weaves a message through humour. Prayers have become a part of our daily time-table,” says Ajit Chowdhury,director of the play. The hour-long play,enacted by Sparsh Natya Rang,will be premiered at a four-day festival titled Hriday Manch.

The festival,which begins on August 8,will feature the plays Urgent Meeting,Mote Ram Ka Satyagraha and Koi Baat Chale. These are popular productions of the Indian stage and range from satire to socio-cultural commentary. The group Rangbhoomi’s Urgent Meeting revolves around a fictional Indian festival in Japan for which a play has to be selected. Even as a panel of directors,actors,critics,academics and other notables debate the merits of various plays,a messenger brings news that will overturn their plans. Munshi Premchand’s story,adapted by Habib Tanvir and Safdar Hashmi,Mote Ram ka Satyagrah is at a basic level about a Brahmin from Varanasi. The curtains fall on the festival with Koi Baat Chale,in which protagonist Kanhiya Lal Bansi Prasad goes to a marriage bureau to find a life partner for himself. How he meets the “One” makes up the crux of the story.

The festival will be held at Shri Ram Centre from August 8-11 Contact: 23714307

Dipanita Nath