Santanu Bose’s theatrical performance Macbeth (Mcbike Tech Run) explores the tragedy from a contemporary angle. The director talks to Kritika Dua about the difference between the original play and his adaptation and how the social evils depicted in the story make it relevant today
All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players”, said Shakespeare once. When we imagine Shakespeare’s play we envisage it to be like, “Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice”. But what if it can be enjoyed in Hindi and a poignant adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth (Mcbike Tech Run) by Santanu Bose does this. It was a play directed with much finesse. The actor Ayaan Rathi playing the character of Macbeth called it a modern adaptation by the director. Rathi shared, “This Macbeth is performed by modern actors for the modern Delhi audience. It’s not a representation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The play is loyal to its time.” Right from the setting of the play to its costume everything has a modern touch to it. This is a way through which the director can connect with the youth in today’s time.
The Shakespearean Macbeth is translated into Hindi by Harivansh Rai Bachchan and Raghuvir Sahay. “Both of it helped in creating the script of this play and is partly translated by us”, said Bose.
But why this particular play of Shakespeare and the director replied, “It’s a story about uncontrolled ambition which is in me and in everybody around me. It’s the biggest instability which makes me unsettled on daily basis.” Thus it’s the self-destroying nature in Macbeth and in many more around us due to our emotions and ambitious being out of control which lead the director to work on this play.
The original play though written in 18th Century is still relevant is present time as if we look around people are driven by the force of uncontrolled ambition to achieve success. They don’t have control over emotions. Bose said, “Macbeth is a story of not being able to control the desire of ambition. Thus creating a monster and getting killed by it.”
Bose’s Macbeth is different from Shakespearean Macbeth in a way that Macbeth kills lady Macbeth himself by trampling her using a bike. But the similarity lies in the tone of the play being fierce, cruel yet straight.
One can’t really translate Shakespearean English. Thus the director has not merely translated but recreated it to give it a local flavour. The dialogues are very well written and performed which makes one forget that Macbeth was actually written in English. Shakespeare has a deep understanding of criminal psyche of people be it character Macbeth in the ply Macbeth or Iago in Othello.
Bike is used as an important prop in the play. The bike in the play represents uncontrollable speed of desire. As the director shared, “It’s not me who is driving this bike but the bike is driving me. I am not controlling my emotions rather the emotions are controlling me. Bike represents my actors, it’s an extension of them, an extension of youth”.
It represents energy, zeal, carefree attitude. But when this very same bike is driven with controllable speed it can lead to death and destruction. This ambition is not a dangerous thing in itself but excess of anything is harmful.