Assam’s mobile theatre travels to Bengaluru

One of Assam’s leading

mobile theatre

companies, Awahan, is travelling out of the state for the first time. And this 150-member troupe is coming all the way to Bengaluru with three popular Assamese plays —

Mokorajal

(cobweb),

Madhuri Mur Naam

(my name is Madhuri) and

Moi Mar Suwali

(I am my mother’s daughter). Prominent film and theatre actor Prastuti Porasor, who is at the helm of the theatre group, considers this an honour and a major milestone to be able to perform for the audience in Bengaluru.

“In Assam, theatre is a big wave, particularly mobile theatre, which is locally referred to as ‘

bhramyamaan

’. We travel for days together from one corner of the state to the other, catering to nearly 3,500 audiences from different age groups. From the elite to a commoner, mobile theatre fosters a cultural connect for the people of the state. With regional cinema becoming increasingly niche and most often in financial doldrums, mobile theatre is a significant source of entertainment in the state. There are times when we have as many as four plays in a day, with shows running from 2 pm to 2 am. Unlike in other parts of the country, a mobile theatre artist typically gets to do a role multiple times on stage, meaning there is tremendous growth for both the cast and crew of these plays, including the musicians and technicians,” says Prastuti, who first performed in a play at the age of five, adding, “It’s an opportunity to rediscover a character every time you are on stage.”

The three dramas primarily deal with socially-driven subjects. While Madhuri Mur Naam and Moi Mar Suwali are based on the lives of an autistic individual and a lady cop, respectively, Mokorajal is a suspense thriller. The plays are co-directed by Prastuti and she also features in them. The performances are taking place at a venue on Sarjapur Road on April 26, 27 and 28. “We are very excited to be in Bengaluru. There is the thrill of exploring the theatre scene here, while we also want people to get a flavour of the mobile theatre tradition, which has so far been an art form exclusive to Assam,” she sums up.

Among the lead actors of the plays are Jaffy Bakshi, Prayashi Porasor, Jayanta Das and Bipul Bora, while the plays written and co-directed by Abhijeet Bhattacharya. It’s a joint initiative of the Awahan theatre fraternity, East Bangalore Bihu Committee, Assam Association Bangalore, Assam Society of Bangalore and Sreemanta Sankardeva Cultural Society of Bangalore.