Marriage is the new protagonist on the Marathi stage It could be something as debatable as the pros and cons of a live-in relationship as compared to marriage,or even the increasing focus on individualism in a marriage. The topics are varied yet the issue is the same. And lately,more and more Marathi plays are focussing on the issues related to marriage. Be it Sandesh Kulkarni's award winning play Punasacha Honeymoon or Anant Mhasvekar's Katha or Nava Gadi Nava Raja - they deal with marital issues against the backdrop of the fast-changing urban cityscape. Plays related to marriages are not new. But they did not focus on the wide range of topics as they do now. The concept of 'married and lived happily ever after' is more of a myth than reality,because a marriage involves a lot of maturity and understanding. A lot of fine print often goes missing under the 'happily ever after' headline, says Praveen Bhole whose play Jatratela Giantwheel was staged in the city in March this year. It threw light on how the middle class is caught between holding on to its values and becoming modern. Anant Mhasvekar's Katha,which has actors like Vikram Gokhale and Suhas Joshi in the lead roles,has completed 135 shows since releasing in December last year. There is a very intelligent young audience that is ready for plays like this, he says. Katha details the story of a couple who have been together for almost 40 years. Despite both the husband and wife having contrasting habits that lead to petty quarrels,they have stayed together and not divorced each other. It is a play that speaks about the importance of tolerance and acceptance in a relationship that goes a long way in making a marriage work. More than that,it also reiterates the important point that both the partners need to work very hard on a relationship to nurture,sustain and see it grow, Mhasvekar says. Madhura Velankar's debut Marathi play Lagna Bambal,which was staged a few weeks back in the city,deals with the issue of live-in relationships. Velankar says,It is a reality. In the play,my character wants to get married to the person she loves,but Subodh Bhave's character wants a live-in relationship. This is how it is in big cities today so it is now normal to showcase this on stage. Nava Gadi Nava Raja explores the topic of marital discord due to suspicion and misunderstanding. Katkone Trikone,that has actors Ketaki Thatte,Dr Mohan Agashe and Dr Vijay Bele in lead roles,shows a married couple refusing to care for their aging parents thereby throwing light on the concepts of nuclear families and individualism. All these plays have come into the limelight in the last one year. Bhole says,Most of the plays are focussed on the middle class. The new urban society is at a crossroad of sorts. A lot of married youngsters have disposable incomes and are very particular about their individuality and privacy. In such cases,if the relationship runs into roadblocks,they choose to take the easy way out with a divorce rather than work on the problem together." Such issues are rampant in cities so it is but natural that they will turn into subjects for plays,he feels. " Jatratela Giantwheel has received a good response since its release. It just shows how people are coming out in the open and are more willing to talk and deal with such topics, he adds.
