Artistes stage Odia play Ankurodhgam at Rabindra Mandap in Bhubaneswar. Pictures by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, May 8: Several sensitive social issues were raised in the play Ankurodhgam that was presented by Rourkela’s Rangamancha at the Rabindra Mandap here on Sunday.

The story of Ankurodhgam — which means germination — was about the plight of Karim Khan. Oppressed by the circumstances, Khan decides to bring about a revolution. But he is not quite sure of how to bring about the desired change.

Khan, who plays a government employee, soon learns that there is no place for honesty in this world. He has to pay a heavy price for speaking the truth and fighting for justice.

The higher authorities stop his promotion and circumstances even lead to separation of Khan from his family for 26 years. His only source of solace and contentment is Irfan, the little boy adopted by his landlord.

Irfan is differently-abled and Khan is worried about his future. He is anxious whether Irfan will be able to understand the complex issues such as minorities, religion and territorial boundaries.

Khan learns the hard way that there is no place for honesty in this world of greed and façade. He wonders whether it would help if he changes the name of the little boy from Irfan to Bharat. That’s the vital question that keeps on lingering in Khan’s mind throughout the play.

Khan poses this question to the audience at the end of the play. Kailash Panigrahi, who played Khan, gave a commendable performance. But the show stealer of the evening was Sorabh Samal, who with his innocent histrionic skills and a loving smile won the hearts of the audience.

Panigrahi, who is also the director of the play, could have been wiser with the script. Though the plot was strong enough to keep the audience glued to their seats, Pramod Tripathi, the writer of the play, could have done a better job.

Actor-producer Hara Patnaik, Haren Sahu, Dhirendra Mallick were present among the audience. The audience left with a mixed reaction.

“I wish the concept was shown more clearly. Though I loved every bit of the acting, the dialogues missed the essence,” said Rajib Mishra, a member of the audience.