A Review of the Performance of the Play Yayati
By Dr. Paritosh Chandra Dugar
The staging of Yayati by the Hum Theatre Group of Bhopal on October 4, 2024, in the Darpan auditorium of Shilpgram, marked the opening of a three-day theatre festival organized by West Zone Cultural Centre, Udaipur.
Written by a legendary playwright, Girish Karnad, the play presents a slightly modified mythological tale of king Yayati of the Bharat dynasty whose illegitimate relationship with Sharmishtha and infidelity to his wife, Devyani, incites Shukracharya (Devyani’s father) to curse him that he will lose his youth and suffer from premature senility. Later, Sukracharya amends that Yayati will be able to get rid of the curse if someone exchanges his youth with him. Here Yayati’s newly-married son, Puru, makes an exemplary sacrifice for his father. Consequently, Puru turns into an old and sickly person. His young wife, Chitrarekha, reproaches Yayati for his selfish conduct and commits suicide. Chitrarekha’s death makes Yayati realize the futility of his obsession with worldly life and sensual pleasures. He gives back to Puru his youth and renounces his kingdom to live in the forest. The play undoubtedly has a strong message against the ills of inordinate attachment to material life and hedonistic pleasures.
Directed by Balendra Singh, the play was an admirable attempt to portray the diverse conflicts and traumas caused by Yayati’s unbridled appetite for sensual gratification.
Yogesh Tiwari, playing Yayati, convincingly expressed the character’s torridity and impatience but lacked the characteristic sophistication of a king. His manner of speaking and shouting depicted him more as a common man than a royal being.
Surekha Sarankar, in Devyani’s role, portrayed effectively the exasperation and frustration of a woman who is betrayed by her husband. As Devyani, in her exchange with Sharmishtha and Yayati, she appeared to be adequately charged. However, like Yogesh Tiwari, she didn’t seem to have properly practised the typical mannerisms of a royal personage.
Julipriya seemed to have accurately grasped the character of Sharmishtha. The emotional force of her dialogues, her attractive costume, and her coquettish gestures made her performance commendable. The modulations in her voice seemed consistent with her changing moods.
Aditya Tiwari didn’t seem so forceful in playing the character of Puru. Many a time, he seemed unable to portray Puru’s anguish and conflict through adequate tonal intensity.
Though Simran Bahal’s role as Chitrarekha was short, she undoubtedly made an impact on the audience by standing against Yayati with her thin yet firm and charged voice.
Off stage, Ashmi Singh and Sonu Saha designed costumes and props. Sonu Saha took care of makeup and stage management. Kanchan Biswas, Parth Singh Rajawat, Yash Sarankar, and Akash Rai worked as assistants. Music, music play, light design, light effects, and co-direction were carried out remarkably by Morris Lazrus, Ansh Dwivedi, Kamal Jain, Balendra Singh, and Ashmi Singh respectively. The play was translated into Hindi by B.R. Narayan.
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