A saga of love lacking in intensity

CHANDIGARH, July 13: It is supposed to be an intense love story, that always pointed an accusing finger at the woman. But when it unfolded on the stage this evening, it lacked in intensity immensely. So "Mirza Sahiban’, directed by Sunil Babbar and presented by Castle Films, became one of the many lacklustre productions that inundate the city stages.

One went to the Tagore Theatre with great expectations as Sunil’s earlier ventures were of national standard, though they were in the form of documentaries. His documentary on the City Beautiful had a record 50 shows in the city and his film on the Rock Garden was telecast on the national network. But his venture into theatre did not match his calibre for the production dragged on, creating monotony in the viewer.

The play needed tightening; a more taut script and a more involved acting would have saved the play from falling into the drab affair.

The play was based on Balwant Gargi’s script which looked into the psyche of Sahiban from a different angle. There was no dearth of talent; Rimpy and Sachin Sharma, products of the Department of Indian Theatre, in lead roles accompanied by Sanjay Kanda as the Sutradhar and Amit Dhawan as Sahiban’s father among others. But they just did not produce results; and that was intensity and stirring of the viewer’s emotions. There was only one person who was convincing in her portrayal; Anita as Sahiban’s mother. The music provided by sarangi-player Vinod Pawar and sung by Meher Chand tended to be melodramatic.