Curtain Call

META,an initiative of the Mahindra Group,is considered to be the only major national-level theatre contest in India,and the shortlist this year included plays in languages ranging from Hindi and English to Manipuri and Garo. The 10 chosen plays were staged in Mandi House theatres from March 2 to 6 and the jury included actor Dhritiman Chaterji,theatreperson MS Sathyu,writer Nayantara Sahgal and actor Seema Biswas.

The evening clearly belonged to Deepan Sivaraman from Kerala-based Oxygen Theatre Company. Apart from sharing the best director award with Phukan for his play Spinal Cord,an adaptation of Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s Chronicle of a Death Foretold,he went on to pick up as many as seven awards,including those for best stage design,best choreography,best play,best lighting design,best actor in a leading role and best actor in a supporting role. Sivaraman was on the stage so frequently that once he deadpanned into the mike,“It’s me again,” much to the amusement of the audience. Pity,most of his team,who had already left for Kerala was not there to celebrate his big evening.

In contrast,the troupe of the Manipuri play Mirel Masingkha was present in full force and picked up the awards for best original script and best sound design. Guti Phulor Gamusa shared the best costume design prize with Bharatkatha,a play revolving around the Mahabharata.

Sima Ghosh’s intense act in Bharatkatha,and Shernaz Patel’s powerful portrayal of a girl who had been abused as a 12-year-old and now confronts the culprit in the play Blackbird,got equal points from the jury. They shared the prize for best actor in a leading role (female). Delhi actor Happy Ranajit picked up the award for best actor (male) in a leading role for Roop Aroop,in which he plays a man enacting the role of a woman in a nautanki. The lifetime achievement in theatre award was initiated this year,and went to Zohra Sehgal.

Actor Boman Irani,who anchored the event,kept the spirits high — flirting with Lilette Dubey,mimicking Shiamak Davar and Alyque Padamsee and even risking a dig at Om Puri,who was present at the event with wife Nandita. He ensured that the audience was in good spirits,even when technical glitches played spoilsport. No wonder then,that when the evening finally wrapped up,Anand Mahindra ,MD of the Mahindra Group,quoted Phukan and said,“I’m full.”