Jagriti Theatre reopens with a Girish Karnad masterpiece
Directed by Arundhati Raja, ‘Bali: The Sacrifice’ is premiering on September 3
By Reema Gowalla
A show conceived as a piece of tribute to legendary playwright Girish Karnad in 2019 is finally opening at Jagriti Theatre this week, marking one of Bengaluru’s first live theatrical performances in the aftermath of the Covid-19 second wave. ‘Bali: The Sacrifice’ is the English adaptation of Karnad’s 1980 Kannada play ‘Hittina Hunja’.
The 90-minute drama chronicles the events of one night — characterised by pathos, anger and laughter — that unravel the barriers of caste and religious beliefs. The storyline narrates the plight of a king, who is torn between his Jain queen who refuses to harm a life and his mother who believes in sacrificial rites.
Speaking about bringing a live performance to the stage after months, director Arundhati Raja says, “It’s great to once again feel the energy and nervousness of a new play at Jagriti — the set being made ready, sorting the tickets, etc. — in a week to opening! During the pandemic, we did online workshops and sessions, but not a digital play. It’s good to be back on stage with a Karnad classic.”
‘Bali: The Sacrifice’ comes after Jagriti’s two critically acclaimed adaptations of Karnad’s well-loved Kannada plays — ‘Yayati’ and ‘The Dreams of Tipu Sultan’. “Directing his plays has always been a uniquely creative experience. It goes beyond the retelling of dramatic texts. His scripts make you question the construct and be artistic at the same time. Karnad employs a curious method to weave female characters into the story and placing their male counterparts in sort of a situation. The twists he gives to the narrative make his plays ever so memorable. It’s sad that while working on ‘Bali: The Sacrifice’, I didn’t have him around to call on for help or clear my doubts. I missed him very much,” she adds.
Mayura Baweja, who has previously worked in Karnad’s popular play ‘Hayavadana’, thinks that his scripts demand something of the actor, and ‘Bali: The Sacrifice’ is not bereft of that. “It’s like a puzzle that absorbs you while you are trying to solve it. My character in the play is that of the queen mother who, despite being the senior most member of the royal household, is constantly worried about her declining importance under the present circumstances. She grapples with the fear of losing to a different value system that her son, the king, and his wife follows. The sense of inadequacy and powerlessness is so strong that she even blames herself for the death of her own husband,” the actor explains.
Although the story is set in the 17th century, the theatrical language used by the playwright resonates a lot with the contemporary world. Mayura adds, “There is a deliberate attempt to juxtapose the past, present and future in his scripts, as if they are in conversation with one another. It’s sheer pleasure to work is this mesh of time and language.”
Vivek Vijayakumaran, who came onboard about four weeks ago, describes rehearsing on stage with co-actors after such a long gap as a thrilling experience in itself. “There’s nothing like performing in front of a live audience. Of course with their masks on, we can barely see people’s facial expressions while watching the play. Still, it’s a major shift from the online world that the pandemic had forced us into,” says the actor.
Elaborating on his character, Vivek says, “I play the role of the mahout, who remains under the influence of alcohol almost through the narrative. He’s someone who is not particularly proud of his physical appearance and even lacks basic skills, like counting. Arriving at the mannerisms of the character — the way he speaks and moves — took me some time. Overall, I feel fortunate to be part of a project that is probably the first full-fledged play after the second wave.”
‘Bali: The Sacrifice’ also features actors Varun Kainth (the king) and Leenaz Samad Bicha (the queen). Set design is created by Rebecca Spurgeon, light design is done by Arghya Lahiri, music is composed by Ananth Menon and Vedanth Bharadwaj, while Urvashi HV is the stage manager.
Shows are scheduled to take place on September 3 at 6.30 pm and on September 4 and 5 at 3 pm and 6.30 pm. Book your tickets here.
