What lies beneath: Of intrigue, love and hidden agendas

Susanto Bannerjee’s The Flame is a contemporary adaptation of one of renowned English author W Somerset Maugham’s best stories.  Adapted to suit local, modern tastes, the story revolves around six characters and their relationships with each other. Mrinmoy, the elder among two brothers, is left wheelchair bound after a fatal accident. Alongside being a victim of paralysis, he now suffers from neurological issues and physical burns. 

Ailing Mrinmoy needs to be tended to by a full time nurse, Ranjana. Still, he doesn’t allow his wife Urni to tend to his daily chores, a mark of the deep bond and unabiding love for each other. Mrinmoy’s mother is a highly-educated and unorthodox widow, a lady of sophistication whose strength is unabated even in her bleak state of affairs. She also has the support of Major Sanyal, an old friend who is their neighbour. Mrinmoy is also tended to by Dr. Tarafdar, a physician who visits him daily.

With Mrinmoy being tended to by so many people, it would seem that he’s in safe hands. Alas, tragedy strikes once more, embroiling this little group of people in a series of complications, proving that all is not what it seems. The nurse, Ranjani, stumbles upon a revelation, which appears as nothing more than a natural occurrence to the layman’s eye. Does it conceal something more sinister, however, or bear the foretelling of a conspiracy? 

Viewers are pulled down the rabbit hole, with the true colours and real intentions of the six characters revealed through the course of the play. The voice of Mrinmoy’s younger brother chimes in as narrator, as the audience is asked to pick up on the clues, bluffs and emotions of the characters, all which are vital to solving the mystery and understanding out the motivations of the tragedy that came before it.

 Susanto, a self-professed perfectionist, says his journey began with a hurdle: He was unable to procure the Maugham’s original tale. Instead, he had the Bengali version translated. Susanto’s first foray into theatre was in 2015 with the Bengali version of the same tale , titled  ‘Khub Khaccher’. Seeing the success and clamour the Bengali adaptation received, he decided to produce a version in English, too. 

Bearing in mind that the story of ‘The Flame’ must be Indianized for the local audience, Susanto changed the dynamic of a pivotal character to make the story seamless. By removing the appearance of the younger brother Tanmoy, and making him only an occasional voice backstage,  he strengthens the presence of a sixth character without an actual physical appearance. Lending credence to Susanto’s work and his capacity as a director, storyteller and scriptwriter, is the fact that he managed to obtain a copy of the book, long after the intricacies of the play had been worked out. He found, to his delight, that his play remained faithful to the original text, true homage, he believes, to the master writer.

The name of the original book, however is not mentioned. That much will remain a mystery, one we hope the audience will be able to answer!

What: The Flame
When: Oct 27-28, 8 pm. Oct 29, 3pm. Oct 30, 6.30 pm
Where: Jagriti Renaissance, Ramagondanahalli, Whitefield, Bengaluru,
Price: Rs 400