Jaat Hi Pucho Sadhu Ki: A comic take on our society’s predicaments

Plot: Jaat Hi Pucho Sadhu Ki, the Hindi translation of acclaimed playwright Vijay Tendulkar's Marathi play Pahije Jatiche by Vasant Dev, is a comedy that harmoniously blends slapstick and satire to highlight several ills of the Indian society — casteism, patriarchy, nepotism and the snags in our educational system. The play begins with protagonist, Mahipat Babrubahan — a lower caste man from a small village — giving a monologue apprising the audience about his innate desire to complete his MA degree. He narrates how, despite numerous obstacles, he finally clears the exam but gets fired from his job when requests a raise. After months of trying and countless rejections, Mahipat somehow manages to land a professor's job in an obscure college in an unnamed village. There too he encounters a new set of challenges — unruly students, nosy colleagues, nepotism and so on. What happens when Mahipat falls in love with Nalini — the college committee chairman’s niece and an upper caste girl — and what all he does to save his job, pushes this amusing tale to an even comical climax.Review: First published in the early 80s, Jaat Hi Pucho Sadhu Ki by is one of the most staged plays by the ace playwright. And the production’s director, Subhash Gupta, having been part of the play’s numerous stagings over the years, knew the script inside out and his authority over it was visible from the word go. He not only took the liberty to shrink the cast from the original 23 to 12 (making actors play multiple characters), but also mobilised them acutely, putting well-chalked out character blockings, prudent entries and exits and subtle use of freeze frame — the technique when the actor ‘steps out’ of the scene and reveals something to the audience, while the rest of the action freezes — to decent use. One good thing all of these did is it added a lot of dramatic variants to the narration and consequently elevated the intensity of an already splendid script.In the acting department, Niteesh Pandey as Mahipat was good, but in parts. While his prologue managed to grip the audience (partly thanks to some excellent writing), his fluctuating breathing cycles during lengthy dialogue delivery at times, created a rhythmic imbalance that robbed some dialogues off their desired effect. Otherwise, his smooth and timely transitions from a confident professor to a meek employee and a flirtatious man to a committed lover, were noteworthy. However, it was the rest of the cast — namely, Sanjay Ratha as Ishwar dada, Nikhil Madhekar and Yogesh Pandey in multiple roles, Subhangi Pandey as Nalini, Ved Upadhyay as student Babna and Rajiv and Upasanna as chairman and Putna mausi, respectively — who were the true stars of the show. With their acute comic timing and antics they not only held the play’s intensity, but at times, also dictated its flow. Ved in particular was on song. From maintaining the body language of a spoilt brat, a loyal apprentice to a drunk with subtle expressions and an apt accent, Ved’s hard work in the rehearsal room was there for all to see. In light play, Krishna Shukla made the most out of the limited resources available to him. Except an occasional folksy instrumental piece filling in between scenes, there wasn’t much to talk about the sound design.Verdict: Jaat Hi Pucho Sadhu Ki is an intense play that offers a social commentary on the ills of Indian society gift-wrapped in humour. And before you delve deep into the issues it has touched upon and think, it’s over. Such is the beauty of this play. This was the play’s third staging on the trot in two weeks. Hence, understandably, the ensemble cast has had enough time to perfect their flaws and hone their characters outside of the director’s diktat, and it has paid off. It’s an entertaining watch and highlights a witty side to Vijay Tendulkar’s writing — a divergent from his dark classics such as Sakharam Binder, Kamala and the likes.