"Theatre Review: Katha Collage - II "

Amit

30 July 2007, 15:17

I had seen Katha Collage-I a couple of years back in Delhi, and goes without saying that I was mighty impressed with the play (directed by Naseeruddin Shah, and performed by Naseer himself, Jameel Khan, and Naseer’s son, Imaad Shah).
Katha Collage-I was based on a set of three stories (two written by Premchand – “Shatranj ke Khiladi” and “Bade Bhai Saheb”, and one written by Kamta Prasad – “Sankraman”- about the peculiarities of a an aging father, and his fetish with switching off lights.

So it was with of great expectations, I went to see Katha Collage-II (at Prithvi Theatre, Mumbai), expecting Naseer to weave his directorial magic there as well. This one, was a set of seven relatively smaller stories (adaptation of satirical articles written by Harishankar Parsai, who is known for his wit and humor in Hindi literature), pretty much carried out as one act plays. The star cast was recognizable, appropriate, but not the greatest: Rakesh Chaturvedi, Arvind Pandey, Heeba Shah, Vishwajeet Pradhan, and Ankur Vikal.

It’s a great play (maybe not in the same league as “KC-I”, but great nevertheless). However, the reason I am writing this post is not really to critique what I saw. I just want to encourage all the readers of this article to definitely watch KC-I as well as KC-II

The first story – “Telephone” (about the all pervasive telephone) is a disappointment, and the only disappointment. A little too loud, a little too vague, and the actors a little out of sorts. While the sarcasm was alive, its impact wasn’t.

Second – “Bechara Bhala Aadmi “ (Pitiable nice men) is about how people take advantage of simpletons by calling them nice over and over again! This one was good both in terms of performance as well as adaptation. However, it could be shortened a bit.

As we move towards the intermission, the tempo, the ease and the quality of performance improved refreshingly.

Third – “Private College ka Ghoshna Patra” , a story around a Private College’s manifesto has some very subtle humor around the quality of education and the ulterior motives behind the sprouting good-for-nothing private educational institutions. Not that I am against private educational institutions per se, but don’t we have a plethora of them that talk more than they deliver. Gaurav Sabnis became a big name in the blogosphere when he attacked one of them (wink, wink!)

Fourth (last before interval), which was about the whole fuss around taking a bath “Snan”, is the pick of the lot. The funniest of the plays, it features some of the most comical moments of KC-II, especially the comments about the vitality and energy shown by some people while taking bath in winters being utilized for some higher motives and national benefit!

After the interval, the fifth act is around the insecurities people have about their wives being exposed to other men, “Vo Zara Wife Hain Na”. Quite subtle and a good dig at Indian men who are always caught in the dilemma of women’s equality and their own insecurity. Its a nicely done play where the protagonist is a blind man (I could see this highest form of pun getting lost on many– you need to close your eyes to see what the world really is!). I must acknowledge the strong performance by Ankur in this play.

Sixth act – “Samay Pe Milne Wale” about the demerits of being on time is again a timely piece on the importance many people attach to the timing of their actions.

The finale – “Prem Prasang mein Father” (the role of a quintessential Indian dad in a love story) is a hilarious take on the double edged sword that impressing your girlfriend’s father can become!

The biggest drawback of the play, as I see it, in the metro circuits is the pure hindi language used (Klisht Hindi Bhasha), which I am sure goes over the head of many, who would like to look and feel intellectual, but have adopted Hin-glish as their mother tongue. That probably explains why “Vagina Monologues” has more sell-out than plays like “Katha Collage”, “Jinne Lahore Ni Vekhya”, “Anaamdas Ka Potha”, et al.

The best thing about the play is that its a great writer’s work directed by one of the best in the industry (Naseer’s other works such as Waiting for Godot, The Prophet, Ismat Aapa Ke Naam, etc. are all acclaimed plays). It surely belongs to the “cannot be missed” list of plays!

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