Bengali theatre’s fascination with past heroes is producing some exciting results of late. Some less-exalted names are being brought back into public scrutiny, thereby refreshing public memory.
Sudipta Bhawmik has been consistent in this genre. In Meghnad, produced by Ashokenagar Natyaanan, he charts the rise of Meghnad Saha (1893-1956) from a nondescript Dhaka village, where the lower-caste Hindus were ostracised, to the rank of India’s leading astrophysicist and parliamentarian. But, unlike his recent biodrama on Jagadish Chandra Bose (Ami Jagadish), Bhawmik scripts it straight, focusing on the crucial moments in Saha’s career, without compromising on the play's scientific temperament. Saha’s association with leading scientists of his time, such as Prafulla Chandra Ray, is highlighted while his preoccupation with the indigenously-developed cyclotron and his tussles with Jawaharlal Nehru, whose choice of Homi J. Bhabha to spearhead the Atomic Energy Commission of India disappointed Saha, are treated meticulously.
Chandan Sen, who directs Meghnad and also plays the older Saha, utilises the group’s experience in producing effective drama out of moments of conflict. Nehru’s surprise visit to the laboratory of Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics is the centrepiece of this 135-minute-long drama. This climactic scene is enacted brilliantly, with Sen and Shantilal Mukherjee, who plays the patient prime minister, coming off with an engaging performance. Saha’s aversion to Rightist tendencies is duly demonstrated. At a time when science education is facing a crisis and the State’s interest in research does not look promising, Meghnad succeeds in raising the banner for scientific inquiry.
Spandan People’s Theatre’s Ritwik Ek Nakshatrer Nam raised expectations, not just because the subject is Ritwik Ghatak but also the credentials of Samudra Guha as the playwright-director. Although it follows the pattern of the group’s recent take on Mrinal Sen, the production fails on two counts: a loose script that lacks direction and incompetent acting. Except for Santanu Bandyopadhyay, who portrays Ghatak with an eye for detail, there is hardly any takeaway from this over-indulgent work.
