Journalism of Courage
“Don’t make fun of me. Don’t try to change me. I am a human being just like you. I have a right to live my way…” — this is the meaning of the soliloquy in Marathi by one of the protagonists, a gay, in the play Kalam 377. As the name suggests, the play deals with the issues of the LGBT community and the discrimination and apathy they face in society.
Originally, it was supposed to be a one-act play. In fact, its first performance — which was four years ago — was with a different name, Duniya Geli Tel Lavan. However, the maiden performance received such rave reviews that the theatre group decided to turn it into a full-length two-act play. Even the previous title, which the group felt sounded negative, was changed to Kalam 377.
The group will hold the maiden performance of the play’s revised version at Bharat Natya Mandir at 5 pm on January 20.
Narrating the storyline, director Vikram Patil said: “The play’s three protagonists are college students, who are close friends. While Manoj and Neeta are from lower and middle class background, Kiran hails from a rich family and is the son of an MLA. There is a love triangle — Manoj is in love with Neeta, who loves Kiran. And Kiran — who is gay — loves Manoj. When Kiran expresses his love to Manoj, Neeta overhears the conversation. It is followed by serious arguments and accusations between the three. A fellow college student, who is working as an intern with a television channel, slyly video records the incident. Since the news involves an MLA’s son, it spread quickly and becomes the headline of most newspapers and TV channels.”
“The incident becomes a part of the debates run on channels and representatives from various human rights organisations, gay rights associations and religious groups, with politicians giving their opinion on the matter,” said Patil, adding that the drama forces Kiran to attempt suicide.
The theatre group presenting the play is Nalinottam Paandav, which was established around 18 years ago. Some of the Marathi plays staged by the group so far include Jaao Tithe Paahu, Ghashiram Kotwal, Pati Sagade Usapati, Shukrachi Chandani and Chaufula.
Apart from directing Kalam 377, Patil also plays the character of Manoj. The other two characters are played by Amit Kalyankar and Devyani More. The play has been written by Narayan Gondal.
Talking about the message that the play aims to give, Patil said, “When it comes to the LGBT community, there are just a handful people in society who stand by it. The play aims to tell the audience that people from the LGBT community are human beings like you and me. They neither deserve hatred nor pity, they just need acceptance.”
Patil said the newer version of the play has retained the monologue, which was a part of the original one-act play. “The lines are addressed to the audience, who in a way represent the bigger world and society. If the play succeeds in bringing even a little change to the mindset of society, we will feel that our efforts haven’t gone wasted,” he added.
