The epic play ‘Ghasiram Kotwal’ was staged here on Friday marking the grand closure of a four-day theatre fest Aadranjali.
The theatre fest was organised in the memory of one of the celebrated theatre artists BV Karanth at Antarang Hall, Bharat Bhavan. Directed by Rajindra Nath, the play was performed by the artists of National School of Drama Repertory Company, New Delhi.
Ghasiram Kotwal is a very popular Marathi play in the history of theatres. Originally the play was written by Vijay Tendulkar in the year 1978.
The story defines the early political scenario in Maharastra. Based on the life of Nana Phadnavis one of the court ministers in the kingdom of Peshwas, Pune, it portrays the corrupt political scenario during the British time. It displays the exploitation of humanitarian morals demonstrating the crucial phase of life.
The play is written in two acts. In act one, after Ganesh Vandana, the narrator and the chorus dressed as Brahmins describe the degenerate condition of the society during the rule of the Peshwa chieftain Nana Phadnavis.
The Brahmins arrive at the brothel of Gulabi Bai where Nana sprains his foot while dancing with Gulabi Bai. Gulabi Bai’s Kanauji Brahmin servant Ghasiram saves him from falling on the ground. Nana is highly pleased and presents him with a necklace. However, Gulabi Bai and the gangsters forcibly snatch the necklace from Ghasiram, and the Pune Brahmins conspire to declare Ghasiram a thief. He is publicly humiliated and beaten up by the police, with the result that he is angered and lusts for revenge. Ghasiram uses his beautiful daughter, who is forced to submit to Nana’s desire in order to secure the office of Kotwal of Pune. Finally, Ghasiram becomes the Kotwal. For Nana, it is nothing but a cold political move.
In act two, some Brahmins were imprisoned in a small room, where a few of them die of suffocation. The Brahmins raise the banner of revolt against the Kotwal. Nana orders that Ghasiram be paraded through the city and hanged. After the cold-blooded killing of Ghasiram, Nana delivers a highly charged speech, thus remaining at the centre of affairs in the play.
The play wonderfully showed the time of Peshwas on stage. The audiences were spell-bound with the performances of the actors and were highly appreciated in terms of a musical play.