Vijay Tendulkar’s classic play adapted on Bareilly stage

Bareilly

’s

theatre

group Rangvinayak Rangmandal recently showcased an adaptation of playwright Vijay Tendulkar’s play 'Shantata! Court Chalu Hai.' Titled 'Khamosh! Adalat Jaari Hai,' the play was translated into Hindi by Sarojini Verma and directed by Rakesh Sriwastava. The play showcased grim realities of the contemporary times, where women are still oppressed, no matter how educated or progressive they are.

The script tries to touch upon a lot of topics including unfulfilled desires of women and the harassment that they face, gender biases, grim situations that women face as homemakers and working professionals. Various complex emotions that women feel like love, prejudice, anticipation of motherhood, sadism were well-portrayed. The court room scenes showcased interesting discussions, interpretations and exchanges between the perceptions of the two sexes. Supriya Arora, a resident of

Civil Lines

, said, “The play was hard-hitting and engaging. Being a woman, I was moved by a few scenes in the play as they were quite relatable. The play showcased the status of women in modern times, and I think it is high time that men become supportive of women liberation, equality and empowerment.”

Caught in action!

Anu Agarwal, a resident of Rampur Garden, said, “This drama portrayed women at the mercy of social prejudices – a situation that’s still prevalent in our society.” Rakesh Sriwastava, the director of the play, said, “It took us more than two months with six to eight hours of rehearsals everyday to adapt this play and get the real feel of the drama, the way it was written by Vijay Tendulkar in 1960s. Iss play ko aaj ke manch ke layak banane ka safar thoda mushkil tha. The selection of the cast was a major challenge, especially for the character of Miss Benare, which is a serious character in the drama, charged with the crime of female foeticide and even accused of having an illicit affair with a married man.”

An engrossed audience