Almost 32 years ago, on this day, it was a dream come true for a bunch of youngsters from Calcutta as they took their theatre journey to new heights by establishing a group called Swapnasandhani. Among them were founding members Koushik Sen and Reshmi Sen, who are still tirelessly, fearlessly, indomitably and passionately traversing the dream. Maintaining traditions, the group is celebrating their 33rd anniversary tonight by staging a new play at G.D. Birla Sabhaghar. The group’s first play ever in the English language, titled Marx in Kolkata, an adaptation of Howard Zinn’s play Marx in Soho. Directed by Koushik Sen, the play stars actor Jayant Kripalani as Marx and filmmaker Srijit Mukherji as Mephistopheles, apart from other actors of Swapnasandhani, and is being produced by Centrestage United Ventures and presented by Sanskriti Sagar.
t2 had a unique opportunity to visit one of the rehearsals of the group at G.D. Birla Sabhaghar, recently, and witnessed a glimpse of the power-packed performances and direction that awaits for the theatre lovers of the city this evening. Despite being caught up in last-minute revisions with the team, checking sound and light, and suggesting improvisations to the actors, director Koushik Sen shared his thoughts with us about staging the play.
“We have spoken about this publicly before of how we have been deprived of grants to do theatre since 2014. Since then we are surviving on ticket sales and sponsorship of private producers, like films and OTT. It is actually very interesting, too. I felt this is the right time for Marx to come to Calcutta,” said Sen on why he chose to stage a play on this subject.
Jayant Kripalani, who will be seen back on stage after a hiatus since 2019, will portray the character of Marx in the play. When questioned about how this character will add to his stage legacy as an actor, he said: “I don’t know about the legacy or whether I will win an award after this performance or whether I will be offered more characters on stage, but what I know is performing this character will surely add to my repertoire of understanding characters. It is also giving me a certain intellectual satisfaction. Moreover, I think it’s very important to do this play because the guy’s been around for 250 years now. And as he says in the play, he is not dead yet. So, why do people need to kill him every now and then? I have hope. This play doesn’t give that hope, at least that’s my interpretation of it. For me, it’s not doing anything for Marxism. There’s an instance of a defeat on stage.”
Differing from Kripalani’s thought, Sen shared his directorial perspective: “Hope or hopelessness, I will let the audience decide that. For me, there’s possibilities. I believe in possibilities. Maybe Marx is not right about many things. He didn’t know anything about technology, he never imagined that technological advancement can be this huge and that is what Mephistopheles is cornering him with. But that doesn’t mean that Marx is not relevant. In Zinn’s play, Marx has been critiqued a lot. He digs deep into his selfishness, personal life…here Marx is not a hero and that is why I wanted to do the play even more.”
Srijit, who initially started his career with acting on stage, writing plays and directing plays before venturing into filmmaking, is making a comeback on stage as an actor after 16 years. He told t2 that he had initially quit his job to do theatre and not films, it was only when he got stuck in narrating some stories in the proscenium space did he think of cinema. “I’m having a blast! It’s like coming back to your first love. After Autograph happened, obviously, I kind of shifted but throughout I’ve watched plays and kept in touch with theatre and the theatre circuit. In fact, Koushikda offered me another role before this but I couldn’t do it because of the pressure of rehearsals. But this time I couldn’t say no because it’s English professional theatre, the role is fantastic, and the play itself is very stimulating.” On playing Mephistopheles, he said: “I think Paradise Lost is something which fascinates me till today. And I think Satan in Paradise Lost is more of a misunderstood anti-hero. And, Satan’s character, obviously, is fascinating. As one can make out from my films, I have an affinity for dark characters, dark stories and narratives. So, I think it is a very, very natural fit.”
'Marx in Kolkata' play
Other than the stellar casting and a thought-provoking interpretation, the audience can expect great stagecraft too, as is usually seen in plays of the group. The director will be using the advantage of the revolving stage at the venue and the audience will also see a display of artwork through props and play of light and sound. Though the original play is a monologue, the adaptation will be presented with a twist. Talking about the physical strength involved in stage acting, Kripalani, 76, said: “I have worked for years with directors and I have never had a better time. Koushik is very kind, generous and caring and makes us fall in love with the character. I have immense love and admiration for his works. Plus, he is imaginative and articulate, and the kind of creativity he brings not just to the stage can stir up the creativity in the heart of the actor, too. When I started acting in 1971, I was full of beans. Now, I’m not full of beans, but I still have enough energy to do something like this. I do get exhausted but I’ll be sleeping very well tonight.” As we chat, a young actor of the group walks up to Kripalani and offers him a portrait of him that he drew. Kripalani, overwhelmed, appreciates the effort and admiration. “I thought it was gonna be a monologue. And then suddenly, I saw myself surrounded by people of all ages, sizes, sexes, cultures. That’s good because I had withdrawn a lot from the public eye and here I got to meet all these bright young things, it’s very exciting. It made me feel years younger,” he added.
The group publicly announced the play at an event in Presidency University a few days back in the presence of economist Prabhat Patnaik, and Samik Bandyopadhyay, critic and researcher of film, literature and theatre, along with the cast and crew. Recalling the evening and sharing his hopes for the play, Kripalani said: “It was one of the most hopeful evenings. What a mind Patnaik has got… he explained the whole movement and neo-fascism and its position now in society, everything became so clear. In fact, I’ve sneaked in a few of his lines from the lecture in the play. This play will unveil certain home truths. I was actually telling Koushik, I hope we have good lawyers on our sides! People are still exploited. People are still being treated in despicable, disgusting ways. (The) caste system is prevalent, exploitation by capitalist system is prevalent, no labour union… but one just has to adjust and carry on living with them. I can’t fight any more at this age. I hope the play inspires more younger people to continue the fight.”
Srijit, who was a student of Patnaik in Jawharlal Nehru University, recalled the evening and shared: “He’s actually taken three courses of ours at masters and M.Phil level. I was very fortunate that I could study under him. We used to never miss his classes because he was so lucid and engaging. I think, Marx, whether you like him or hate him or are at loggerheads with him ideologically, he’s one of the most influential people of all time. So, he will be forever relevant. I think, this play is incredibly critical, especially in today’s day and age and in our country. And any play or any narrative which kind of explores a person like Karl Marx from various angles and various aspects is absolutely necessary for critical thinking and analysis. The various new prisms through which Marx is explored and critically dissected here is fascinating. It’s a huge honour and delight for me to work with Jayant Kripalani in this play. Theatre has relatively less reach than films and that is actually an advantage in this case because the protests and the dissenting voices can be louder. It doesn’t need to go through censorship. In cinema, it is far more difficult.”
While tickets for the the show today are already sold out, the group has announced its second performance to be staged on June 8 at the same venue from 6.30pm.
