A Review of the Performance of Abhishapt
By Dr. Paritosh Chandra Dugar
Written by a veteran theatre-artist and playwright, Sartaj Narayan Mathur, and directed by multitalented Bollywood artist, Kaviraj Laique, the play Abhishapt was performed by Lok Kala Mandal in collaboration with the Performers' Cultural Society, Udaipur, on September 22, 2024, the occasion of the birth anniversary of the late Riaz Tehseen, the former Honorary Secretary and Vice President of Lok Kala Mandal.
The play concerns the life and character of Karna, a tragic, accursed hero of the Mahabharata, who, despite his nobility, courage, sacrifice, and selflessness, lives an unfortunate life and meets a disgraceful end. The play highlights how Karna’s tragic journey begins with his birth itself and how his fate and a flaw in his character together lead him to a pathetic fall on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. At his birth, his biological mother, Kunti, who begets him divinely from Surya (the Sun God), abandons him adrift on the river Ganges, fearing disgrace from society on account of being an unmarried mother. Radha and Adhiratha become his foster parents from whom he gets love and, ironically, the status of a sutputra (a charioteer’s son) which makes him an object of ridicule and humiliation throughout his life. Later, curses from a Brahmin, Bhudevi (Mother Earth), and sage Parshuram seal his fate. Besides, his impulsiveness in decision-making and his compulsive urge to rise above the stigma of being a sutputra by proving his worth as a warrior and his magnanimity in charity and loyalty constitute his tragic flaw. He doesn’t heed the wise warnings of his wife against giving his enchanted armour and earrings in charity to Lord Indra, nor does he accept Lord Krishna’s pleas for siding with the righteous Pandavas, his own brothers. It is, in fact, both Karna’s circumstances and the flaw in his character that compels him to go with the unjust rather than the righteous and finally be doomed. The play conveys a strong message against caste discrimination and birth-based social hierarchies.
Theatrically, it is difficult to reconstruct the mythological milieu of the Mahabharat and project the complexity and depth of a character like that of Karna. But the ingenuity of the director and the spellbinding performance of artists made the play a great success in both these aspects.
Sundashu Ada commendably portrayed the inner conflicts and moral dilemmas of Karna through his well balanced tonal intensity and variations. His delivery and expressions marked his dramatic excellence. He seemed to have captured well the subtle nuances of Karna’s predicament.
Payal Menaria clearly reflected, through her expressions and voice, the angst of a woman who correctly understands her husband’s strengths and weaknesses and is deeply concerned about his future. She appeared to leave a strong impression of her role as Vrishali, Karna’s wife.
Bhupendra Singh Chauhan consistently displayed the impatience and pugnacity that was so characteristic of Duryodhan. His brusque tone matched the aggressive deportment of the character.
Dheeraj Jeengar, playing Lord Krishna, earned applause more because of his costumes and countenance than his mannerisms as a divine counselor. He appeared to be slightly deficient in learning the subtleties of Krishna’s character, especially his bewitching and enigmatic smile.
The character of Ashwathama was well played by Divyanshu Nagda, who succeeded in revealing the anxiety and concern of a true friend to Karna through his high-pitched dialogues and agitated gesticulations.
The comic interlude was enacted by Sneha Sharma as Chandramukhi and Prakhar Bhatt as Sevak. Here, while Sneha produced simple humour through her controlled body language, Prakhar’s actions, going out of proportion, tended to be somewhat grotesque.
Others, including Hussain R.C. as Durvasa and Parshuram, Bhavdeep Jain as Kardam rishi and Bheem, Pragnesh Pandya as Chitrasen, Prakhar Bhatt as Sanjay, Vishal Chittora as Sanjay, Jyoti Mali as Kunti, and Manad Joshi as Shona, acted out their parts well.
Costumes, expertly designed by Anukamppa Laique, contributed greatly to creating mythological atmosphere. Stage, props, light, music, and make up were all ably managed by Prabuddh Pandey, Saiyad Arif, Anuj Tiwari, Khushi Parwani, and Pragnesh Pandya respectively. Back stage work was carried out smoothly by Rakesh Devra, Jujar Nathdwara, and Reena Bagdi.
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