If men named as Rama behave like Ravana, why Ravana named men can’t behave like RamaIJ With this question, the audience left the Bhanja Kala Mandap here where a play titled Ravana was staged on Thursday.
Sidharthababu, a professor shuttles from Bhubaneswar to Puri every day. One day in the railway station, a boy named Ravana polishes his shoes. Sidharthababu gives him Rs 30 in turn. Ravana appears next day too and polishes Sidharthababu’s shoes.
This time he thinks the greed for money has attracted Ravana. But to his utter surprise, Ravana refuses to take any money. He rather tells he owes Rs 20 to him. One day Sidharthababu comes across an old couple crying for help. They come all way from Jabalpur to Odisha on pilgrimage. A person impersonating as a tourist guide gets familiar with them. At the railway station, the couple goes to the urinal leaving all their belongings with the false guide.
On their return what they find is both the person and the chattels are missing. Sidharthababu wants to help them with Rs 300 that they need. But he has only Rs 170. He goes asking for the rest. But nobody listens. Finally, who puts in an appearance is none other than Ravana. He unhesitatingly gives Rs 180 he has saved for his mother’s treatment.
The protagonist of the play Ravana stands for humanity which becomes rare in our society.
There was no stagecraft except a permanent railway platform type sitting bench and a moveable tiffin kiosk in the first half of the play. Use of property was also next to nothing. But what hooked the audience to sit through one and a half hours was the lively acting and impeccable direction.
The play was staged by Anwesana, one of the oldest theatre institutions in Bhubaneswar. While the story is written by Niranjan Padhi, the script, concept and direction was done by Narayan Pati, an NSDian.
Veteran theatre and opera director lala Biren Ray was given credit for stagecraft. Sumanta Mahanty and Kailash gave good support as light designer and music director respectively. When asked how a play is ascertained as a successful one, Narayan Pati observes a play is said to be a success when the audience in the auditorium has no scope to distract himself/herself away from what going on over the stage.