Considered to be the first modern Hindi play that debuted in 1958, ‘Ashadh Ka Ek Din’ was staged at Shaheed Bhavan auditorium on Wednesday. The play marked the closure of three-day theatre festival Rajat Parv.
Directed by Nazir Qureshi, the play was written by Mohan Rakesh. The three-act play is centred on Kalidas' life, sometime in the 100BCE-400CE period. The play was performed by the artists of Karwaan Theatre Troupe, Bhopal.
The play begins with showing that Kalidas is leading a peaceful life in a Himalayan village and is romantically involved with his sweetheart, Mallika. However, he is approached to appear at King Chandragupta II's court in far-off Ujjayini. Torn between his current idyllic existence and love on one hand, and the desire to achieve greatness on the other, he leaves for Ujjayini in a conflicted state of mind. Mallika wants the best for the man she loves, so she encourages him to go to Ujjayini.
Kalidas has achieved fame and is married to a sophisticated noblewoman, Priyangumanjari, while Mallika is heartbroken and alone. Kalidas visits his village with his wife and a small retinue. He avoids meeting Mallika, but Priyangumanjari does. Priyangumanjari demeaningly offers to help her by making her a royal companion and marrying her to one of the royal attendants, but Mallika declines.
Years later, Kalidas re-appears in the village. Mallika, who is now a prostitute with a small daughter learns that he has renounced his courtly life and the governorship of Kashmir that he had been granted.