Raw appeal

Jadavpur Manthan’s recent double bill at the Academy of Fine Arts explored fresh possibilities in narrating an idea on stage. Domer Chita, designed and directed by Rajib Bardhan, saw his penchant for unearthing the rawness of rural Bengal — he has caught the viewers’ attention with this in recent times — reach new heights.

The play is based on a short story by Ramesh Chandra Sen (1894-1962), whose profound understanding of the people on the margins — in this case, two lower-caste men living in a rural burning ghat — surfaced in Domer Chita. The production rode strongly on a riveting scenography and arresting performances by the lead cast. Bardhan used multiple narrators to connect the audience with the silent action unfolding on the stage, using little background score. What emerged was 50 minutes of poetry in motion.

The evening also featured The Wall, an adaptation of Jean-Paul Sartre’s text, that Bardhan directed with caution and in which Sucharita Barua Chatterjee acted
with verve.