Theatre Review: Unravelling the maverick of Manto

Theatre

Review:
Ek Mulaqat Manto SeDirector and actor: Ashwath Bhatt
Language: Hindi/Urdu
Genre: Drama
Duration: 60 minutes
Rating: ****

Plot: Everyone is familiar with Saadat Hassan Manto – either through his own writings or news articles that highlight the controversies that he was tangled in before and after the

Partition

of India and Pakistan. If not these, the black-and-white portrait of a rather frazzled Manto has made the rounds of many literary collections over several decades, making him a known face for generations. In Ek Mulaqat Manto Se, however, the audiences get to meet Manto in person. Conceived and performed by acclaimed film-theatre personality Ashwath Bhatt, this one-man performance takes you way back to an era when this chronicler of time was making history himself by the bold words he used to describe the stark realities that the cleaving of the sub-continent on the basis of linguistic and religious identities had caused. Although Manto’s reputation was cemented by his short stories, this

play

concentrates on the articles that he wrote about how a hastily-marked border had created a divide in human psychology, the miseries brought about by the Partition in both the countries as well as the everyday sights and sounds that pained him deeply. The dramatic piece also focuses on the sketches that give a hint of his own personal shortcomings, as the struggling father of three daughters and his alcoholic delirium. And yet he managed to emerge as one of the greatest literary minds of the 20th Century, whose works are read and re-read even now. Presented by

Actors’ Cult

, in association with Theatre Garage Project, Ek Mulaqat Manto Se features the texts Manto, Main Afsana Kyun Kar Likhta Hoon, Khol Do, Kal Sawere Jo Meri Ankh Khuli and Deewaroon Pe Likhna, as well as a couplet by Daagh Dehlvi.

Review: You meet Manto in a dimly-lit room, dressed in a white kurta-pajama and a shawl wrapped around his shoulders. He is sitting crouched on a wooden chair, wrestling with his thoughts, trying to synchronise them with the words that he is penning. Contrary to the impact that his writings made, he wasn’t actually a connoisseur of Urdu literature. Hence his texts were fearless, and sans the flair. Although Manto was said to have a rather squeaky voice, Ashwath leaves a mark with his deep voice tones that he employs for every persona he essays on stage. The narratives come in a flow, each making you either a little more emotional or nudging you to rethink our 'glorious' past that, in reality, comprised deeper tragedies than we can ever imagine. The dialogues are an overwhelming mix of Hindi and Urdu, which the actor delivers without a flaw. The discourse is witty and humorous that help to break the otherwise serious undertone of the play. Begum Akhtar ghazals playing in the background create an aura of nostalgia and pathos, so do the antique furniture and the minimalist use of lighting. The script circles back with Manto’s passion for life, his keen eye for human desires and sentiments, which made a lot of people uncomfortable during that period and even landed him charges of obscenity in both India and Pakistan. The play is well researched and aptly structured, while the performer impresses with his nuanced acting skills.

Final word: Listening to Manto through his own words makes for an insightful experience for the audience. There is an honest attempt to pique people's interest in reading Manto, and understand why his perspectives of the unpleasant happenings that immediately followed the

Independence

of 1947 are still relevant. It is pertinent to have a comprehensive idea about the Partition to understand how it is still affecting us today.