Two plays ‘Gathanien’ and ‘Arey Bhai Manto’ were beautifully staged at Shaheed Bhavan auditorium here on Monday. Theplays were performed under the six-day tehatre festival Navagath Theatre Fest 2018.
The evening began with the play ‘Gathanien’. Directed by Jai Panjwani from Indore, the play was a collage of two solo acts. Both the solo acts were different from each other, but narrated the same story on stage.
The first solo act was ‘Weekend’ written by Nirmal Verma. The short play told about a girl and her illicit relationship with a married man. It is said that nothing is right or wrong in love. The entire story showcased the problems, ups and downs and other aspects of relationships.
Another solo act was ‘Pukar’. Written by Nivedita Jena, the play focused on the crime against women. The solo act was all about ‘rape’. It is just not an incident, but a crime that changes life forever. It was a story about Uma who was raped at the age of 17. She asks questions on stage about why it happened to her and how the crime can be stopped.
Next play was a visual treat for the Bhopalites. Based on the stories of the prominent Urdu writer Saadat Hasan Manto, the play 'Arey Bhai Manto' was recently staged at Shaheed Bhavan. Directed by Garima Mishra, the play, a collection of three stories, Peeran, Shaida and Mehmooda by Saadat Hasan Manto, emphasises on the simple mentality of people fallen in love. The play was brilliantly staged before the audience leaving them totally enthralled.