It was the third day of Navagat Theatre Festival 2017, where the students of Madhya Pradesh School of Drama (MPSD) gave scintillating drama performance before the theatre buffs.
Two Hindi plays - Badshah Ka Khatma and A Respectful Prostitute - were splendidly staged at Shaheed Bhavan Auditorium on Sunday.
The event began with the play Badshah Ka Khatma. Directed by Rakesh Warwade from Betul, it was performed by the students of MPSD.
Badshah Ka Khatma follows the story of a young boy who is honest and kind at heart. But thus young boy struggles with life’s situations. He has no place to live and nothing to eat.
But, he makes various friends on his journey. He spends nights at footpath and eats whatever his friends offer him. One day, he spends a night at his friend’s office. The entire story takes a turn when a disguised call he receives.
A girl on the other side of the call speaks to him and they both had a talk the whole night. Slowly and gradually the talks on phone begin to get regular and this boy falls in love with the voice of the girl. What happened next was worthwhile watching.
Next, the Bhopalites witnessed a racially tense period of American history through the eyes of a prostitute in a play ‘A Respectful Prostitute’.
Originally written by Jean Paul Sartre, ‘A Respectful Prostitute’ is a French play which observes a woman prostitute, caught up racial riots of America. The play was directed by Anjali Dhaka, New Delhi.
The play is set in America, 1947, a period when the white man openly shows his hatred for the ‘nigger’. The play unfolds when lizzie Mackay realizes that in racially discriminating times, it is in her hands to save the nigger and her decision will probably save him from being lynched. lizzie has a desire to ‘belong’ somewhere, and nothing will deter her from it, even if she is a prostitute.
Cleverly manipulated by the Senator, lizzie unknowingly signs a document, which states that the Negro is guilty of a crime he never committed.
The audience relates very well to their scenes because of the way they are portrayed.