By Surajit Borkotokey, *Kashmiri folklore adorns classic* The Telegraph - Calcutta, IndiaFriday, December 4, 2009
Adapted from Shakespeare’s King Lear by renowned actor and director M.K. Raina, Badshah Pather was staged by a group of both young and veteran Kashmiri actors at the India Club in Dibrugarh recently.
The play was jointly organised by noted cultural organisations Akhara Ghar and India Club, Dibrugarh.
It revolves around the two elder and most loved sons of the king, who indulge in sycophancy, while the third, the youngest, speaks the truth.
The elder sons, when asked how much they loved their father, utter superlatives to impress the latter so as to gain access to his assets. On the contrary, the third son only says that he loves his father as much as a son ought to. This infuriates the king and he throws him out.
The badshah soon discerns the reality from illusion when his two older sons dethrone him while the youngest comes to his rescue and gives him refuge. However, by then it is too late to rebuild their destiny. Two wars are fought and the king loses all his kin. He breaks down on the death of his youngest son and finally succumbs to his sorrow.
The director explores the relevance of honesty, disbelief, love and hatred in present society against the backdrop of Kashmiri tradition and culture. He amalgamates local folklore with an equally interesting texture of Indian classical form.
A tasteful blend of Sufi music, chorus, choreography and body language, along with dialogues in Kashmiri lends impetus to the play.
The stagecraft was well thought out. The lighting, however, was inadequate. Use of music and body language could have been meaningfully incorporated.
Gulam Mahammad Bhagat in the role of the badshah was excellent, while Gul Mahammad Bhagat and Basir Ahmed Bhagat, as the two elder sons, deserve special mention.
Picture: A scene from Badshah Pather. Photo: Eastern Projections
Adapted from Shakespeare’s King Lear by renowned actor and director M.K. Raina, Badshah Pather was staged by a group of both young and veteran Kashmiri actors at the India Club in Dibrugarh recently.
The play was jointly organised by noted cultural organisations Akhara Ghar and India Club, Dibrugarh.
It revolves around the two elder and most loved sons of the king, who indulge in sycophancy, while the third, the youngest, speaks the truth.
The elder sons, when asked how much they loved their father, utter superlatives to impress the latter so as to gain access to his assets. On the contrary, the third son only says that he loves his father as much as a son ought to. This infuriates the king and he throws him out.
The badshah soon discerns the reality from illusion when his two older sons dethrone him while the youngest comes to his rescue and gives him refuge. However, by then it is too late to rebuild their destiny. Two wars are fought and the king loses all his kin. He breaks down on the death of his youngest son and finally succumbs to his sorrow.
The director explores the relevance of honesty, disbelief, love and hatred in present society against the backdrop of Kashmiri tradition and culture. He amalgamates local folklore with an equally interesting texture of Indian classical form.
A tasteful blend of Sufi music, chorus, choreography and body language, along with dialogues in Kashmiri lends impetus to the play.
The stagecraft was well thought out. The lighting, however, was inadequate. Use of music and body language could have been meaningfully incorporated.
Gulam Mahammad Bhagat in the role of the badshah was excellent, while Gul Mahammad Bhagat and Basir Ahmed Bhagat, as the two elder sons, deserve special mention.
Picture: A scene from Badshah Pather. Photo: Eastern Projections
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