Dysfunctional family drama

Falah Faisal | NT
Bengaluru:

Watching Kathputliyan’s latest production Aadhe Adhure one almost begs to question: Is there such a thing as a functional family that exists?

Written by the late Mohan Rakesh, almost five decades ago, the play is just as relevant today as it was when it was written. It tells the story of a family which feels just like any other where the mother constantly complains about being overworked, the son is jobless, an abusive father and the daughters want nothing more than to escape the clutches of their bonds.

“I wanted to do this play for a very long time. I’d read it long ago but have never seen it staged,” says Zafer Mohiuddin who has been a playwright and director for decades now. “When I want to do a play, I don’t want to see any other adaptation, be completely uninfluenced, and give it my touches. It was a play that ran more than two hours, but I have shortened it to 90 minutes and added a sutradhar (threadholder) to connect the scenes and I have done this without distorting the content of the original play,” he explains.

The play delves into hard topics like domestic abuse and adultery. So what role does theater play in spreading awareness? Zafer answers, “A film has a lot of commercial angels, the most important of which is recovering the money invested. Theater reaches people. Here we talk directly to the audience. Theater also played a very important role during Independence.

There was a group in Mumbai called the Indian People’s Theater Association (IPTA), after which Safdar Hashmi raised worker’s issues and was so powerful that he was assassinated. The theater isn’t just entertainment, it is a channel for social change.”

The play’s climactic scene runs on for nearly half an hour and is powerfully anchored by Dr Kavita. It questions what it means to be a man and asks pertinent questions about what it means to be a liberated woman in today’s society and the judgment it draws.

The play also stars Ashish Athawle, Divya Bajpai, Ganesh Pai, Sachit Murthy, Abhisjeet Sahay, Bhavani, and Tarani Jindal.

Where: Alliance Francaise, Vasanth Nagar

When: June 26, 4:30 and 7 pm

Entry: Rs 200