Stills from Nagor Kotoal staged at Rabindra Sadan, Kolkata in 2004
'Nagor Kotwal', the play originally in Hindi has been staged time and again by innumerable artists with their own personal touch. The story is relevant to every era of humankind and maybe till time immemorial its relevance will never fade.
The day the king or any head of a State exists with a single subject and a woman to throw in a third angle to the story the play will be staged. However, Nandinik wanted to stage this particular play at Kolkatta in Bengali so that the flavour of Hindi can be felt and appreciated by the traditional as well as the open minded Bengalees.
The format of the play was designed specially for the Bengalee stage by introducing the role of 'Bachika' which was loosely modeled on the Chhatisgarhi style of storytelling. Since Bachika was somewhat close to the Jatra characters, which are loud, melodramatic, touch the very soul with their emotional monologues but also has the power to make the audience transfixed by transporting them into a different world. The world looks alien superficially but on a closer look if one changes their dress, manners, speech, etc. they will resemble the characters of today, maybe even the elite corporate world.
Over and above, the story is about power play and today man and woman alike only want to assert their ambitions and selfish motive.
The format of the play was designed specially for the Bengalee stage by introducing the role of 'Bachika' which was loosely modeled on the Chhatisgarhi style of storytelling. Since Bachika was somewhat close to the Jatra characters, which are loud, melodramatic, touch the very soul with their emotional monologues but also has the power to make the audience transfixed by transporting them into a different world. The world looks alien superficially but on a closer look if one changes their dress, manners, speech, etc. they will resemble the characters of today, maybe even the elite corporate world.
Over and above, the story is about power play and today man and woman alike only want to assert their ambitions and selfish motive.
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Nurturing thoughts within………
ReplyDeleteGreat “e” start. I want to thank the blog initiators of NANDINIK, Bhopal for the wonderful job through which the thoughts and thrills of its actors will definitely augment electronically. I do hope that the group will continue focusing its creativity on the basics of what drew audiences in the first place the telling of a great story on the stage and with this vibrancy, theatre NANDINIK will continue to add variety and differences to the explorations and subsequent interpretations of life and soul around us.
Very Beat of everything.
Sarthak Theaterwala
Bhopal
4th.February 2010
W-a-a-o-o !!!! Great Theatrical Reflextions, Indeed! We expect best of your views every time you get-in this blog.
ReplyDeleteHave a break. Fight. Urgue. Suggest. For the shake of this unique human desire.
Thanks for your post, once again!
good start...there should more details of Nandinik,photographs of plays,details of number of productions of nandinik,up coming productions, stage on which they have performed,critics view,press clippings,few scripts,copy of brochures,copy of posters,individual profile of artists with photographs....I will come on your blog time to time all the best........ah well wisher
ReplyDeleteThanks for your sugesstions. Very good start, indeed. From you also.
ReplyDeleteDetails of NANDINIK is written under the Main Heading. Photographs along with synopsis, etc. are being posted gradually. Individual profile of artists are yet to come. As far as press clippings and critic's views are concern, let us wait this blog. This blog would be more purposefull in this way... isn't it ???
ALL IS WELL !!
Though, we can see stills from kolkata but i remember the performance this group had in BHEL hall, bhopal. Mrs.Swastika Chakraborty as the pandawani, the singers, the compositions, the script, the direction (hats off to Mr.Deepu Das), Mr.Parimal Bhattacharjee and Mrs.Mahua Chatterjee (if i remember correctly), the whole group just made the public speechless for sometime (apology for not mentioning the name of various artists). i remember the audience in the hall behaved in a similar fashion if some "goopi gayen bagha bayen" would have performed....we were speechless and still for that hour. i seriously dont remember how long the play was because i was so much into it....god bless Nandinik
ReplyDeleteIt was gr88 experience....intially wen d drama was started dere was no scene of any "vachika" in d play ....bt deepu da created such a wonderful role for m..which is one of the most favourite role i hv ever played in my lyf...the processin of NAGOR KOTWAL is one of d sweet memories in my lyf....!!!!
ReplyDeleteREALLY NAGOR KOTWAL IS A GR8888 SHOW!!!