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Bhubaneswar, July 2: That persons who till the fields can also excel in histrionics came as a revelation before an audience at Bhanja Kala Mandap Saturday. A troupe of farmers from Badakarle in Subarnapur drew attention through the play ‘Jamapura ra Kathani’, they enacted as part of a three-day theatre festival being organised by State culture department.
The festival named ‘Natyadhara’ in being held in association with Sangeet Natak Akademi and Orissa Natak Sangha.
‘Jamapura ra Kathani’ is a tale of greed and repentance. The protagonist Satbadi exploits the poor and earns money through illegal means. He turns a rich man in a few years. One day he is attacked and killed for money by a group of muggers.
Satbadi’s soul reaches the netherworld ‘Jamapura’ where the angel of death finds him guilty and orders him to be tortured. Satbadi requests Jama for one last chance to repent for his misdeeds and is granted the wish. Life returns to his body just as people are about the light his pyre.
Then on, Satbadi leads a righteous life and distributes his wealth among the poor. The message the play conveys is one of doing things that make one immortal before death overtakes.
Written by Pramod Kumar Panda, the play was directed by Purushattam Mishra. About 14 artistes formed the cast and the dialogues were in a local dialect.
According to the director, he chose regular villagers for the play as he was fascinated by the lifestyle of villagers. “They are born artistes and simple and honest by nature. Besides, most directors are always looking for modern artists for their drama. Nobody is worried about acting skills of villagers, so I thought of giving them a platform in this play. And they have surprised me by their performances.”
Dhanapati Pradhan, who played Satbadi, said: “I love acting. Performing arts is a secondary income for my family.” Many farmers such as Dhanapati are similarly talented and they were brought together on one platform by the theatre group Trendy Academy from Subarnapur. The farmers worked with the academy for a year after which they were given them the platform to showcase skills.
Purushattam has been assisting renowned director-writer Sabyasachi Mohapatra. He is also associated with Sabyasachi’s film ‘Sala Budha ra Badla’ (A sequel of sala Budha).
Mishra has directed more than 150 plays and has also written 12 dramas. His play ‘Kuanri’ had received acclaim across the state.
The play was telecast several times on Doordarshan and has been translated into Hindi, English and Koshli.
His upcoming play is ‘Abatara’. “The play is about a village lad and his passion for playing role of Krishna in his village. He works as a lecturer and has to return to his village to be part of the play. The interesting situations that come in his life following his return to the village forms the plot,” Purushattam said.
The director himself is an Oriya lecturer at a college in Sonepur.
