Bharat’s dilemma and Ram’s exile: The Ramayana retold

Unicorn Actor’s Studio, Delhi, presented a play called Bloody Mumbai, directed by Happy Ranjit, the studio’s director-in-residence. The play is about Mumbai, which is the touchstone of all actors whether they are from theatre, TV or cinema. Many spend years waiting for a break to get into Bollywood — Nawazuddin Siddiqui spent eight years waiting for a Bollywood role. The most poignant anecdote in the play is about three people sharing a flat (where Nawazuddin lived for many years) in Mumbai, and each one has their eyes on Bollywood. The youngest, who dies, is perhaps the most pitiful. He wants to become become famous like Nawazuddin, even if it takes him 10 years of “struggling”. 

Another touching sequence was between a husband and wife. The wife is a homemaker and the husband is a photographer in Bollywood. Now, the wife is suspicious of the photographs that he brings home of a girl, and she attacks him on that score. They were played by Gauri Ranjeet and Teekam Joshi. The wife dances a seductive dance to lure a man into the flat. And lo and behold a secret admirer of her’s emerges. There is a fight between Teekam and Gauri (who were very efficient in their roles) on this score and she threatens to leave him to his devices, leaving him very sorry for the misunderstanding between them.

The second year students of the National School of Drama presented Bhasa’s Pratima Natakam in Sanskrit and Hindi. It is directed by K.S. Rajendran. It’s a drama based on the Ramayana, with the opening announcement that Rama is going to be consecrated by Dashrath. It is further revealed that when Kaikeyi, Dashrath’s third wife, has decided to take the two boons that he had given her for bravery some time ago in a battle. She says that Rama will not be king and should be exiled for 14 years and that Bharat, her own son, will become king. By repeating this news to the audience, Dashrath has a fit and he falls very ill and dies. And so, the people of Ayodhya mourn on two accounts. This was Act 2. 

In Act 3, which is called Pratima, Bharat the son of Kaikeyi, who has been staying with an uncle, returns to Ayodhya knowing nothing about the news. He is waiting for an auspicious moment to enter the town. Bharat goes into what looks like a temple, but proves to be a sculpture gallery, where he is impressed by the statues and learns that they belong to the Ikshavaku clan, with the last statue being that of his own grandfather. Looking at Dashrath’s statue, he is troubled, and guessing the truth he avoids it. The keeper insists on telling him, and that is when the three queens enter the gallery and find Bharat there.

Bharat upbraids his own mother and decides to go to the forest to be with Rama and Lakshmana. But, when he meets Rama, Rama refuses to return, and Bharat accepts the kingdom for 14 years. He asks for Rama’s sandals so he may set them up onto the thrown, which he does with great pomp and ceremony in Ayodhya.

In his director’s note, K.S. Rajendran writes that “the happenings in the name of Rama that we see today have nothing to do with the Rama in this play. Rama is giving up the kingdom, the power, his position and proceeding into the forest with his wife Vaidehi and brother Lakshmana in obedience to his father’s orders. In the name of Rama, what we witness today, Rama Senas and Rama Bhakts doing exactly the opposite of everything for which Rama stood for. We see them in violence and hatred and dividing people”.

The production was very efficiently handled by the cast and the teachers who guided them through the play. The choreography by Sujata Mohan, senior disciple of Dr Padma Subramnyam was simple and apt. Souti Chakraborthy’s lighting was also good. Music director Bhupati and Shyam Rastogi, both percussionists, created some interesting pieces. Rajesh Singh’s set design and Amba Sanyal’s costume designs were both competent. Rishiraj Pathak, who was the Sanskrit consultant, taught the cast Sanskrit shloka recitations and chanting. 

Teekam Joshi was in charge of the speech. The Karnataka Natak Academy Award winner, Chennu S. Matha, was in charge of masks and chatram. 

The most striking scenes were when the three leave for the forest and Bharat Milap, the meeting between Bharat and Rama. Bharat had a striking remblance to Dashrath and this was the first time I heard of it.