Raktbeej: Reality Bites
The play Raktbeej, which was put up in the city recently, was a directorial hit.
“Where it falls, new miseries arise”. This essence of Raktbeej, the malignant mythological seed, was captured in a play by Rangadhara in the form of a cocktail of bigamy, sycophancy and deception. The curtains went up on July 10 on this two-act play which portrays the lengths to which humans can go to get ahead in life. There is an inkling of “raktbeej” in all our souls which, for most parts, we manage to keep dormant. But for some, this mythical demon is untamable and when the going gets tough, it rears its ugly head.
Such was the case in the two stories depicted in the play written by the late Shankar Shesh. One story is about a middle class man pimping his wife to his boss for that coveted corner office, and the other is about a boss stealing his junior’s work and to become immortal in the world of science. Directed by Vinay Varma, the play bares the ugly reality of today’s “dog eats dog” world.
The direction of the play was nothing short of stellar. It takes a lot for a director to act and direct such an intense play, but the experience and confidence of Vinay made it seem easy. Letting another actor take the lead was a sign of how comfortable and secure he is as an actor. The story was hard-hitting and relevant even today, but could have been crisper. It was a bit surprising to not see an adults only policy for the play as the first act dealt with a subject which was inappropriate for the kids in the audience to watch.
The tech of the play, though sharp as attack, was a bit clichéd. The background score was too ’80s and tried to spoon feed every emotion playing on stage. Credit goes to all the three actors, Vinay Varma, Poonam Golecha and Shirish Ghosal for keeping their energy levels high throughout the two-hour-long play. Poonam however, stole the show. She had multiple characters to play, each with its own gamut of emotions. She melted into every character and every emotion with absolute fluidity and consistency. With the immense talent and the dedication of the team, the play is all set to go places, both literally and metaphorically.