Theatre Review: Gates To India Song

Play : Gates To India Song
Directed by : Eric Vigner
Duration : 90 minutes
Cast :Nandita Das, Suhaas Ahuja, Subodh Maskara, Jim Sarbh & Neeraj Kabi
Language : English
Rating : 2 stars
Review: If a dawdling stage performance, with lengthy dialogues and an ambiguous story line aren’t elements that you’re looking for in a weekend drama with your family, it’s best you steer clear of Gates To India Song, result of a cultural alliance between India and France.
Written by Marguerite Duras, one of France’s most influential authors (and also a film director), the play draws inspiration from two of her texts —India Song and The Vice-Consul. Surprisingly, Duras never stepped foot in India, yet wrote about the country in her works.
The play is a romance set in early 20th century Calcutta and delves into the world of French diplomats in colonial India. A man with a dark past, the Vice-Consul of Lahore, Jean Marc H (Suhaas Ahuja) falls in love with Anne-Marie Stretter (Nandita Das), the wife of another French ambassador (Subodh Maskara). It is at the French Embassy reception, where Marc literally ‘screams’ (a rather deafening screech at that!) his love for Anne-Marie, along with mouthing his disdain for all the violence against lepers in Calcutta.
Never mind the slightly unsettling fact that Indian actors assume French characters, you are in the hope of the play getting interesting at some point, but that just doesn’t happen. Nandita Das tries to do justice to the character of the bored and dazed housewife but considering that Anne-Marie is the ultimate feminist Durasian protagonist, you don’t feel much for her character. This is the first time that Indian actors are staging Duras’ work. What’s commendable is the willingness of the actors of this production, to step outside their comfort zones and explore new territories in theatre. That’s probably the only highlight.
The director has tried to make this a unique, artistic, theatrical experience for the audience, which unfortunately, is almost stupor-inducing. While we love everything French, this is surely not one of those French imports we will lap up.