For a Hindi–Urdu theatre group in Kolkata to sustain continuous activity for three decades signifies dedication and resilience against all odds. I felicitate Little Thespian on reaching the milestone of its 30th Foundation Day. Its creator, S. M. Azhar Alam, would have been proud that on this occasion, the group has not only staged the last play that he wrote, Chāk, but done so successfully despite his deeply-felt absence.
The text itself was deeply felt and highly relevant today in the context of the Citizenship Amendment Act. Set against the backdrop of 1971, it presents a Muslim family in Bengal questioned about their Indian identity, simply because the patriarch had gone to Bangladesh for a long period. Labelled as Bangladeshi, he faces court proceedings over his ancestral property here, which locals of their own community eye to possess. Regardless of creed, we can all sympathize with the enormous stress and harassment he goes through because he cannot find his legal papers.
Uma Jhunjhunwala directs the scenes tightly, without luxuriating in emotions. Sagar Sengupta (photo) fits the character of the harried father perfectly. Azhar composed a realistic scenario of the conflicted children, to which the cast does justice: the devout elder son (Tarique Ali Nayyar) only takes refuge in praying, in contrast to the younger son (Md. Asif Ansari), an angry young man who feels he must do something actionable; he chastises the daughter (Priyanka Singh) for striking up a friendship with a youth. Jhunjhunwala picturizes the domestic dynamics within their small home accurately.
She also scripted and directed the group’s previous production this year, Bhigi Auraten, based on Amrita Pritam’s stories and poems. A version of it had been directed by Mushtaq Kak of Kashmir last year, before his untimely death. It reflects the trauma and vicissitudes experienced by women, young or old, and their journey from trust to disillusionment to forgiveness to upliftment. In many ways it reiterates the thematic concerns in Little Thespian’s other recent productions like Koi Aur Rāstā, Visarjan and even Balkan ki Auraten. The trio of actors, Parvati Kumari Shaw, Eni Das and Md. Asif Ansari, form a close bonding onstage, joined later by Jhunjhunwala herself.
20 September 2024