What could being Bangali actually mean? Is it Durga pujo’r bhashan or rosogolla-gobbling with friends? Could it be talking politics over a cup of cha in your para? Mad About Drama, a Calcutta-based youth theatre group, explored the idea of “being Bangali” in their 130-minute play Babai Weds Mamon, in association with t2, at Gyan Manch on August 5.
The audience was invited to the wedding ceremony of Mamon, a bubbly girl-next-door, to her “tortaja teddy bear” and “kochi kakatua” Babai. The ceremony saw the coming together of not just the love birds but also two dysfunctional and uniquely distinct families — one matriarchal and the other following patriarchal traditions.
“Babai Weds Mamon brings out the dark comedy that is present in all Bengali lives. I’m really influenced by Wes Anderson’s quirks, so the first half of the play had a red-and-yellow colour scheme and the second half was black-and-white,” said Soham Majumdar, who co-directed this M.A.D production with Sharmistha Pandey.
t2 had a rip-roaring time at this song-and-dance-filled play that later took an unexpected turn, leaving a bittersweet aftertaste...
The play begins with the happy wedding of a young couple who are in love, but do things remain the same? As you sit in the gallery witnessing the beauty and the mess of marriage, your heart dances in joy as Mamon gives birth to their son Raja, you laugh out loud at the antics of “Uncle C” (Chiranjeet, Mamon’s youngest brother) and you shed a few tears as the once-in-love move on with their lives after their divorce.
There was never a dull moment with Ujaan Ganguly providing comic relief as Chiranjeet, the energetic, overly dramatic and tragically misunderstood youngest sibling of Mamon. “It’s difficult to pull off a character like Chiranjeet who has so many different shades and quirks. His mind is free from societal conditions and he is very emotional about both his siblings, which is why his character is so easy to love,” said Ujaan, a second-year student of English of Jadavpur University.
It was an exceptional endeavour which was both comical and entertaining but serious as well. I’ve been involved in theatre and the concept of this play was what made it different. I especially liked Ujaan’s hyperbole. — Filmmaker Ashoke Viswanathan, who dropped in with wife Madhumanti Maitra.
