Talented actors win hearts
SHILLONG: The 21st Bharat Rang Mahotsav commenced in the city on Tuesday but with an embarrassment and some disappointment.
The first day started with an Assamese play, Jona Gabhoru, which followed the inaugural ceremony. However, the generator developed a glitch 10 minutes into the play and the actor on stage had to stop. Though the play resumed after about five minutes, the lights went off again.
The actor had to replay the scene. By that time, the event’s chief guest, Conrad Sangma, who was late for the programme had already come in. The commendable acting that followed made up for the embarrassing few minutes.
The play, which had a duration of 1 hour 20 minutes, was again stopped to felicitate the chief minister who had to leave.
The almost empty U Soso Tham auditorium was disappointing and Suresh Sharma, director in-charge of National School of Drama, the organiser, hinted at it during his inaugural speech.
“Artistes come from so far, not only from different parts of India but also from outside. It feels sad to see the empty auditorium. Lekin hum chhorenge nahi (but we will not give up). We will come again and again so that people love us and one day the auditorium is full,” Sharma said.
The festival will present a bouquet of plays in languages like Bengali, English and Hindi. The first play, presented by Guwahati-based troupe Panchasur and written and directed by Probin Kumar Saikia, is the tale of a young hero who goes out in quest of fortune and wins a princess.
Jona Gabhuru is a woman ruler of the kingdom Garuchar. She is powerful, fearless, intelligent and indomitable. She has imprisoned 900 princes and winning over her is not an easy task. Kalidhan of Kamrup heard of Jona and wants to marry her but he fails. Miserable Kalidhan then seeks help from his friend, Gopichan of Nagaon, and the duo set out on the quest for Jona. The drama portrays the conflict between femininity and masculinity and shows how these are two sides of the same coin.
The festival will conclude on February 10.