Bhubaneswar, Feb. 26: The 16th edition of Kalinga Natya Mahotsav came to a befitting end on Monday evening with a Bengali play Sanju Sanhita at the Rabindra Mandap here.

The weeklong festival by Satabdira Kalakar staged plays on the works of playwright Ratiranjan Mishra.

Translated in Bengali by Rakesh Ghosh, the Calcutta-based group Dumdum Sabdomugdha Natya Kendra narrated the story of trials and tribulations in the life of Madhabilata. In the play, a rickshaw puller Sidhu comes to Madhabilata’s rescue when a rich brat Ranadeep rapes her and she gets pregnant.

Later on, Ranadeep attacks her husband Sidhu and breaks his spinal cord. In the need for money Madhabilata becomes a surrogate mother and lends her womb to a rich couple Rachana and Surya, but they ill-treat her after the delivery. As destiny would have it, Ranadeep and his wife also need a surrogate mother and only person they know who has done it is Madhabilata.

The intertwined play had many subplots that unfold gradually. The play strongly brought forth the role of women in creating and destroying worlds of men. There are several anecdotes quoted from Ramayan and Mahabharat where women comparatively enjoyed more freedom and respect.

Though the stagecraft was average, the brilliant lighting by Bablu Sarkar made the play worth remembering. All actors did a good job, especially the portrayals by female leads was power-packed. The use of Rabindra Sangeet was apt, with the scenes leaving the audience in awe.

“The climax was predictable, but the production overall was beautiful. The theatre festival concluded on a promising note,” said Sanjay Routray, a theatre enthusiast.