Communalism is not a new subject to anyone of us. We’ve read about it in textbooks, watched it in movies and have even heard first-person accounts. Taking such a familiar topic to stage is a risk. But going a step ahead and doing it with all of its clichés and stereotypes, adding a twist of irony, subtle mockery and understated-but-intelligent humour is Mahesh Dattani’s award-winning play Final Solutions.
To translate Dattani’s message to an audience through acting is quite a daunting task and city-based theatre group MYT that recently staged the play, seemed to have no problems doing it.
A Hindu family is imposed by two Muslim boys, Javed and Bobby, who seek refuge from the communal riots on the streets. Conversation gets rolling and each character is unfolded beautifully. As the storyline shifts from the present and past and the characters begin to realise some of their flawed two-facedness, the fervour of the drama forces the audience to participate through introspection. Though it is the two Muslim boys who carry forward the play, Hardika, the grandmother who constantly relives the past, Ramnik, her son who grapples with the reality of his askew principles, and his overtly-religious wife Aruna, all equally shoulder the plot.
The mob chorus, which is an integral part of the play, not only metaphorically represented the many shades of communal riots, but also played the balancing act.
With confident and brilliant dialogue delivery, Abhinav Suresh as Javed, Murali Satagopan as Bobby and Krishna as Ramnik Gandhi, were undoubtedly the best actors of the evening, but extra brownie points to Suresh for efficiently donning the director’s hat as well.
Chandni Ananth as Daksha, despite a few minor fumbles, delivered a pleasing performance. Weena Pradhan as Aruna, and Juhi Sharma as Smita, the daughter, conveyed what was required of them. Though Prema Venkateswaran as Hardika, through whose perspective the story is narrated, fits the bill, her performance could have been a bit stronger for the vital role of the protagonist.
Special mention to Srutanjay Narayanan, Sriram Rajendran, Ragul Murali and Arvind R Vyaas (chorus), who timed their angry, sad and agony faces perfectly well with their imperative chants, which almost made one feel violated, but in a good sense. Well-thought-out lighting by Vaidhya M Sundar not only substantially accelerated the pace, but also provided the much-needed dramatic pauses, which were breathers more than once.
If the intention of theatre is to push audiences to places they’ve never been before in Dattani’s own words, Final Solutions did exactly that.
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