Theatre Review: Samajdar Log, a spirited blend of satire & slapstick

Plot: Penned by Dr Surinder Sharma, Samajdaar Log is a story of three inmates of a mental asylum and their views on the country’s social, political and economic affairs. The three unnamed crazy men
kept themselves occupied by discussing everything there was under the sun and role-playing as different characters from the outside world. Things, however, take an interesting turn when the authorities dump a fourth inmate in their cell.Admittedly, an educated man, the new inmate starts interacting with the three, as a self-proclaimed triple Master of Arts. Soon their topics of discussion start meandering around a number of burning issues, such as, the role of religion in Indian politics, poverty, oppression of the working class in the hands of those in power, and lack of employment among others. What happens when they organise a mock election to choose a leader, forms the crux of this socio-political satire.

Review: Dr Sharma’s script is as arbitrary as the views and personalities of its characters, but it managed to grip the audience with its topicality. Taking the liberty of setting the
plot in a mental asylum, the playwright jumped from one issue to another without any
predefined pattern. Consequently, it gave director Ali Ahmed a free hand in deciding how he wanted to stage the play. He utilised that
freedom to the maximum.
From making his characters sing and dance to making them mouth monologues, Ali tried everything in his bag of theatrical tricks to make Samajdaar Log an amusing, and a somewhat worthwhile watch. Ali’s treatment of the play had a lot of running around and slapstick comedy and had he not had a young cast, it would have been a thoroughly draining experience. The energy of the cast however was infectious. Except a few must-dos in terms of stage direction, the cast scaled the length and breadth of the stage at will, and at times, went a little overboard.
The sound and light department didn’t do much to accentuate the scenes, though there was scope. especially during the monologues, light-play and sound could have been used to add intensity to the scenes.
Verdict: Samjadaar Log is a balanced mix of slapstick and satire. But in the cauldron of the mental asylum, the play lost its grip on the audience in terms of imparting the message — Indian socio-political scenario needs an essential facelift. Had Ali opted for a more subtle treatment for the play and a seasoned cast, it would have been a much better experience.