The play Anamika Tara takes place at the theatre festival in Bhubaneswar. Pictures by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, May 4: A captivating story of love and despair was staged on the second evening of Uttar Purusha’s theatre festival Natak Parikrama. The drama, presented at the festival on at Rabindra Mandap, received rave response of the audience.

The story, ‘Anamika Tara’, revolves around the relationship of a young student Anup and Anjana, who was earlier the mistress of a rich businessman. Upset with herself and her life as a mistress, Anjana moves out of the house of the wealthy man and by the twist of fate she meets Anup, a polite and chivalrous youngster who offers her shelter. As they spend hours together, discussing various aspects of life, both find a strong liking for each other and a bond of love evolves between them.

But one fateful day, Anup, who is obsessed with Anjana and believes she is a bright star of luck in his life, finds that the wealthy person has taken her away by force. Her last words, that she will visit him every night, rekindles hope in Anup of a reunion. His wait, however, never ends.

The play dealt with various facets of a woman — her insecurities and her inclination towards genuine emotions of love. Impressive dialogues and a brilliant stage designing set the mood for the intricately crafted plot. In contrast to the comedy staged on the opening evening, ‘Anamika Tara’ was a sombre tale of love and yet the viewers were glued to their seats throughout the show. The play is written by Panchanan Patra and directed by Abhinna Routray.

“The different relationships shown in the play proved how true love can bring happiness while despair can shatter a person,” said Shantipriya Biswal, a viewer.

“The different shades of a woman were brought out wonderfully by the director. The sensitive topic was well-presented by the actors,” said Manoranjan Padhy, another viewer.

“The mind always calculates, estimates and adheres to benefit and loss. But the heart longs for genuine emotions. The play was all about the victory of love over materialistic pleasure,” said Routray.