In need of a Mast

The Marathi theatre scene needs to energise its marketability potential if it has to match up to the region's cinema.

The Marathi theatre scene needs to energise its marketability potential if it has to match up to the region’s cinema

Marathi cinema,especially in the last couple of years,has been much praised. The sensitive story of Shwaas teteered on global fame when it picked up an entry to the Oscars. Multiplexes rolled out welcoming carpets to Valu,the much-acclaimed Natarang ,Jogwa and many more films that dared to dip into unconventional waters. But trying to keep its ship afloat amongst turbulent storms of disinterest is the Marathi theatre scene. Plays are few and far between,and even the ones that do come up struggle to fill seats. A comparison with its celluloid cousin is but inevitable. It’s a difficult comparison. Both are starkly different mediums. The film fraternity is a more cohesive one,while theatre is a more reclusive process,especially when it comes to the writing. But it is wrong to say that the thoughts are not emerging,there is a lot of inspiring work happening. Writers like Mokashi and Elkunchwar are still being adapted,but there is also a lot of new thought, says playwright Irawati Karnik.

Theatre,in all its spontaneous glory,has presented some of the most searing representations of societies around the world. In India,Marathi theatre has kept the creative flag flying high through the decades. The Aryoddharaka Company in Pune was one of the pioneers of experimental theatre in the state. Since then,natak companies and path-breaking playwrights like Vijay Tendulkar have revolutionised the ideas that play off the stage. Experimental theatre director Mohit Takalkar was a participant at the recently concluded Vinod Doshi Memorial Theatre Festival. He gets livid at all the doomsday talk. There is a need to shift beyond this talk of theatre being dead. It is not dead,but it needs more support. It is pointless to keep harping on about low attendance; let’s rather applaud every effort at showcasing more talent.

The Aasakta Theatre Group,to which Takalkar belongs,has been upping the ante with wide publicity entailing their every release. Their recent play Necropolis was much talked about and they also featured plays at the recently concluded Prithvi Theatre Festival. See,that is where theatre needs to make the cut. Marketability and distribution is where we need to buck up. Aasakta has quite shown the way on how to promote plays, continues Karnik.

And this is the critical dividing line between Marathi cinema and theatre today – the knowledge of how to make unconventional ideas sell. The evolution of Marathi cinema owes a lot to theatre,as some of the most important thinkers in the industry today have been or are still associated with plays. The rich tradition has also helped break rules. Directors like Sumitra Bhave,Arun Khopkar and Amol Palekar led the way in inspiring new strands of thought. I feel the entire atmosphere became more conducive for all the bubbling talent to come out and experiment. When the first efforts succeeded,there was an infusion of energy. FTII played a key role in building up a knowledge base and as the nuances were better understood,the vision got clearer. It can only grow more from now on, says film actor and director Girish Kulkarni.

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Marathi cinema