HIMANSHU GURU, OP
With 16 years of experience in theatre, both in the realms of acting and direction, Debabrata Pattanayak has artfully mastered the technique of creating a bridge with the audience
The good news is not only films but theatre also attracts the attention of youngsters in Orissa. The rich theatrical atmosphere of the state has ignited in many youngsters the urge to prove their mettle on stage. Debabrata Pattanayak, during his long stint of 16 years in theatre, has acted and directed many plays. A gold medalist in theatre, he got a national scholarship from the ministry of culture under the Young Artists Scholarship scheme. Orissa POST chats with the youngster about his stage experiences and the journey ahead.
Son of Gouribala and Gobinda Bandhaba Pattanayak of Makarpur village in Balasore district, Debabrata, aged 28, has done an MPhil in drama from Utkal University of Culture. Shibabrata is the elder brother of Debabrata, who passed HSC from Government High School, Jaleswarpur, and then completed BMus from Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya in Bhubaneswar.
Debabrata later did an MMus in drama from Utkal University of Culture and topped the drama category to claim the gold medal. Currently he is working as an art instructor at DIET, Puri. After establishing the theatre group Dynamic Platform in 2015, Debabrata started his directorial journey.
In 2004 Debabrata first started acting in plays. From 2007 onwards he started his directorial ventures. He said: “I have worked in theatre as a director, assistant director, actor, light designer and stage manager.”
The director has also participated in the music of his plays. Some of his plays are ‘Asha Ra Sapana’, ‘Tofan’, ‘Ekalabya’, ‘Doctor Dokeita Dompha’, ‘My Life in Frame’, ‘Apana Kuhantu’, ‘Samabedana’, ‘Jhimiti Khelaru’, ‘Ashadha Re Dine’, ‘Dhwansara Pathe’, ‘Glimmerings of Hope’ and ‘Durghatana Pare’. I have acted in plays like ‘A Naba Ghana Ra Ghara’, ‘Saguna’, ‘Ashoka’, ‘Janani Janma Bhumischa’, ‘Dine Ratire’, ‘Aparna, ‘Asa Ame Banaku Jiba’, ‘Randi Pua Ananta’, ‘Tathapi Chanakya’.
“I have also directed street plays to create awareness about AIDS and malaria. ‘Chouki’, ‘Charan Das Chor’ and ‘Bharatputra’ are the plays in which I have worked as a stage manager. In plays like ‘Bhinna eka Galpa’ and ‘Nian’, I was the light designer,” he said.
Asked about his favourite genre, Debabrata replied: “I want to try different genres so as to finally create my own signature style. However, realistic plays are my first choice as a director.”
Is theatre a viable option for young aspirants? Debabrata replied: “Of course. Earlier the scene was different, but now there are several opportunities for paid work in Orissa. However, one needs to be totally devoted and talented too. Young artistes have the opportunity to showcase their talents in the national and international arena.”
Debabrata has had the opportunity to learn under many veterans. He said: “As a student of theatre, I have participated in many productions and workshops and learned from stalwarts like Ajit Das, Dr Subodh Patnaik, Ananta Mohapatra, Sukes Panda, Nabin Parida, Choudhury Jayaprakash Das, Mihir Swain, Debananda Sony, Simanta Mohanty, CVL Srinivas, Bhaswati Bassu, Nalini Nihar Nayak, Satyabrata Rout and Rudraprasad Sengupta.”
Dwelling on the gulf between acting in film and on stage, Debabrata said: “It is true that film actors enjoy greater popularity and also stardom. However, it is also true that film actors with a background in theatre are more comfortable with performance. Technically the difference between stage and reel is that in theatre once you perform something you don’t have the option of pulling back unlike in films. In films you can improvise through retakes. However, both need aptitude and knowledge to generate a desired output.”
The theatre director was selected for the Young Director’s Theatre Festival 2015 orgainised by Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre, Kolkata. He directed the play ‘Jhimiti Khelaru’ for students of the department of drama at Utkal University of Culture as part of varsity’s monthly cultural programme ‘Sanskruti Bichitra’. He has also directed a play for the theatre group of OUAT, which was performed at the National Agri Unifest-2016 and 2017.
Asked if he believed that theatre could play an instrumental role in shaping society, the theatre personality said: “If we look into the origins of drama, the mythological sage Bharat Muni was once asked by Lord Brahma to organise a play as the latter felt that the people had developed an indisciplined lifestyle and had to be educated. Accordingly, Bharat Muni, along with his 100 sons, staged a drama and his prescriptions are available in the text ‘Natyasastra’ where the requirements of a true actor are described, apart from other pearls of wisdom relating to drama.”
Besides direction and acting, the youngster conducts theatre workshops. Asked what his focus was as regards grooming actors, Debabrata said: “We teach the medium of theatre, the basics of acting and the role of drama in society.”
Debabrata excels in symbolic plays in which actors and props are used to represent objects. “It becomes tough to explain through representation. But often the audience praises the technique. The secret is that if you are good in communication – in communicating a theme to the audience – you succeed as a director,” he said.
