The late thespian Usha Ganguli’s theatre group, Rangakarmee, turns 50 this year. To celebrate the golden jubilee, they are hosting a five-day festival starting today at various locations across Kolkata. Known for their socially engaging and human-centred productions, director Anirudh Sarkar of Rangakarmee says, “Usha ji created waves by being a woman theatre practitioner in a male-dominated society, sitting in Kolkata and writing Hindi plays voicing stories of people from different strata of life. She opened this black box studio theatre, Binodini Keya Mancha, but really wanted a gallery-style seating arrangement.” They made their mentor’s dream a reality and created Usha Ganguli Mancha after her passing. “The space isn’t fixed; it can be transformed as per the demands of a director. When it functions as the arena theatre, it is Binodini Keya Mancha; when it functions as the gallery, it is Usha Ganguli Mancha,” he adds.
The festival has kicked off with Usha’s play, Lok Katha, along with other popular plays like Chandaa Bedni, Abhi Raat Baaki Hai, Aadhe Adhure, and Pashmina. Rangakarmee is also working on another new production that will launch on August 20, on Usha’s birth anniversary.
Social oppression continues unabated well past our independence, and our politicians did little to stop it. With increasing incidents of rape and violence against the weaker sections of society, the common man has risen in protest time and again. No god or saint appears to change this repressive situation. It is in the hands of the common people to take up the cudgel against social wrongs. But how often do we bother to do so? Writer Ratnakar Matkari makes us question ourselves in this play.
Cast: Sayan Surya Bhattacharya, Om Tiwari, Subhas Biswas, Sirshendu Maity Pal and others.
A breathless tale of relationships between the enchantment in art and the traditions of religion, the power in authority and the shared purity, the lies of the world and the honesty in love unfolds in this play. Playwright Alakhnandan takes the audience to the grassroots of Bundelkhand’s colourful culture of life and the values of the Bedni tribe, where women are the sole bread earners. The play revolves around the life of Chanda, a courtesan ruling the hearts of all her admirers, the royal, and the common men alike. It is when a Brahmin boy showers unconditional love on her that she discovers a love she never knew existed.
Cast: Om Tiwari, Ranjini Ghosh, Anindita Pati, Ankit Sharma, Shubham, Srijan Sharma, and Manoseej Biswas.
The iconic Marathi play Adhantar is a woven interpretation of the critical conditions of the dwindling textile industry and the lives of people around it. Eminent Marathi playwright and critic Jayant Pawar has depicted contemporary times with great precision in his famous play, translated into Hindi by Kailash Sengar. It highlights the socioeconomic and political situation of Bombay during the last two decades of the 20th century, a time when globalisation engulfed the world, causing many industries to shut down and leading to changes in the varied philosophies of life.
Cast: Om Tiwari, Anindita Pati, Sayan Surya Bhattacharya, Ranjini Ghosh, Suchetna Dey, and Subhojiet Guha.
Mohan Rakesh’s Aadhe Adhure is a deeply introspective play that examines the breakdown of a middle-class urban family. Set within a cramped home, the story revolves around Savitri, a woman burdened with financial responsibility and emotional emptiness. Her husband, Mahendranath, is unemployed, and their three children reflect the instability of their environment, each struggling with their own confusion and resentment. Rangakarmee’s latest play explores themes of disillusionment, gender roles, and the false hope of fulfilment through external relationships. Every character appears incomplete, emotionally stunted, unable to communicate, and locked in cycles of blame.
Cast: Sirshendu Maity Pal, Prajwal Sinha, Neha Birari, Manoseej Biswas, Megha Guha Roy, and Anindita Pati.
Pashmina follows the story of Amar and Vibha Saxena, who habitually visit a new place every summer. However, a holiday in Kashmir turns out to be an eventful trip down memory lane. Memories that no parent would want to relive come flooding back. Enchanting Kashmir becomes the backdrop of an unfolding trauma they survived not so long ago. At the heart of the story is a pashmina shawl, which becomes a metaphor for healing and the beauty of human connections. The narrative delicately weaves together the intricate emotions of a sensitive relationship and reveals if Vibha will be able to discover the secret that Amar has been holding back. Cast: Anindita Pati, Om Tiwari, Shubham, Tushar Ray, Prajwal Sinha, and Leon David