Compelling Love

“Ashadh Ka Ek Din,considered one of the milestones in Hindi drama,is one of my favourite plays. It has transcended time and has been appealing audience since it was first written and staged. The play talks of eternal human values that are part of any creative person’s life or,for that matter,a part of any loving heart. Each one of us can easily relate to it,” says Pethe. He adds that it was his dream to stage the play for the Marathi audience. “Now it has been fulfilled,” he says.

His task was made much simpler by veteran actor Jyoti Subhash,who translated the work to Marathi more than two decades ago. Subhash,who also acts in the play as Mallika’s mother,says that she worked on the translation during mid-80s while on a sabbatical to look after her children. “Though I was mostly confined to home during those days,I decided to make the most of the break and do something useful. That idea sort of compelled me to translate Mohan Rakesh’s play to Marathi,” says Subhash.

“My time with National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC) and association with artistes from the Hindi theatre world helped greatly to understand the nuances of the language that Rakesh’s original employs,” adds Subhash. She explains how eager she was to present a flawless and pertinent translation. “While seemingly telling the story of Kalidasa,Ashadh Ka Ek Diwas delves into the internal struggle of any creative person. The artiste has the urge to manifest creativity,but at the same time,is drawn towards leading a life in the shadows,” says Subhash,adding that the language Rakesh used in the drama to express this turmoil is very effective and captures it excellently. “The challenge for me was to bring that same impact in the translation. I wanted to do no harm to the effect of language itself,” she says. Produced by Shekhar Lohakare,in association with cultural organisations Natakghar and Siddhivinayak,Ashadhatil Ek Diwas has performances by a young brigade of actors. While Parna Pethe plays Mallika,Alok Rajawade essays the role of Kalidasa and Vilom is played by Om Bhutkar.

The long and insightful monologues of Mallika and the equally absorbing dialogues throughout the play are set in harmony to the background music — primarily pieces rendered on the veena and violin. The play of lights and sounds also ensures that the audience is bound by a spell for the entire two hours and forty five minutes. Pethe shares that besides Pune,Ashadhatil Ek Diwas has been evoking excellent response from several districts from western Maharashtra since it was released recently.

The play will be staged in Mumbai

on November 1 and 2; and in Pune on

November 14 and 15