The fifth edition of the annual theatre festival, Hriday Manch, focusses on social hypocrisy. Ila Sankrityayan reports
Radhekrishna, fondly called Radhe, is a young, handsome boy who firmly believes that he belongs to the opposite sex since his mother, keen on a daughter, dressed him up like one. But in a cruel stroke of fate, she dies and Radhe is taken in by his uncle and aunt. “They try to change his attitude and take him to psychiatrists to cure him, but all in vain. Then enters Satish Kumar, a psychiatrist returned from a foreign counrty. After two sessions with the doctor, Radhe falls in love with him and wishes to marry him. Radhe’s uncle, on the other hand, searches for a bride for him so that he can pay off his debt from the money Radhe’s father left for his son. But Radhe marries Satish. The play, Radhe Radhe Hum Sab Aadhe, is about this crazy marriage”, says Hriday Manch festival director Ajit Chowdhury.
Organised by Sparsh Natya Rang at Sri Ram Centre, the family play kicked off a series that will take a look at social issues and hypocrisies. “The play tries to convey that it is not just the differently abled, but us who are incomplete. The play also focusses on gay marriages and how, sometimes, parents create problems in their children’s lives with a wrong guidance”, he adds.
Doosra Admi Doosri Aurat, directed by Ravi Mohan, is all about drifting families. Says the director, “In today’s world, families are breaking up due to the lack of time. When frustrated, the husband and wife start searching for a new relationship. Bholaram Ka Jeev by Rajeev Ayachi, on the other hand, is all about corruption that is rampant in society — be it reservation of a train ticket, admission to colleges or pension.
The festival concludes with the play Canada De Nazare directed by Anita Devgan from Amritsar. Says Chowdhury, “It is written by Palli Bhupinder Singh. In this play there are only four characters on the stage, husband, wife, an agent and an NRI. The plot is on the ambitious youth who want to settle down in foreign countries without realising the pitfalls in a comic and humorous manner.”
Hriday Manch aims to give an opportunity to those artists, who otherwise don’t have access to a venue in the capital. “Many theatre groups are unable to perform in Delhi due to paucity of funds. So we started organising this four-day theatre festival,” says Chowdhury.
The director, who loves folk tales, happy endings and sometimes mystery, has selected stories with different messages and ideas. He concluded, “In all these years that I have been directing different plays, I have not adhered to any particular writer. I have done plays written by different people. They all have their own distinct way of looking at the world. It gives me immense pleasure in reading such varied views and putting it in the form of plays. I like stories which leave an impact on the audience and let them think on a positive note. I am personally fond of comedy and stories which make you rethink and stress on good values and positivity.”