Ramu Ramanathan and Jaimini Pathak go a long way. Having acted in various plays written and directed by Ramu, the most famous of them being MAHADEVBHAI (1892-1942), Jaimini yet again acts in, and also directs Ramu's new play POSTCARDS FROM BARDOLI. Will the collaboration weave the same magic as it did for MAHADEVBHAI? At least Jaimini seems to think so, and we do wish him our very best. After all, few such collaborations in Indian English theatre have delivered performances that have been original and inspiring.
By Deepa Punjani
Deepa Punjani (DP): You are rekindling an old connection with Ramu Ramanathan by staging his new play POSTCARDS FROM BARDOLI. How does it feel?
Jaimini Pathak (JP): Feels wonderful, of course. We have worked together so many times. And now again. I deeply cherish him as a playwright, director, activist and friend. And, not many people know he is a fantastic actor and dancer too.
DP: What do like best about the play?
JP: In 1928, the drought-stricken farmers of Bardoli, Gujarat, embarked on a Satyagraha against the increase of land tax rates imposed on them by the British India government. This successful agitation, led by Vallabhbhai Patel, earned him the title 'Sardar'. It is ironical that the very words used by Sardar exposing the government's injustice 85 years ago, hold true until today.
POSTCARDS FROM BARDOLI is a timely reminder that the goals of Swaraj are yet to be attained. The play is a fantastic blend of recorded history, contemporary events, wit, humour, poignancy and pain. It states hard facts and asks tough questions. It is nuanced and subtle in its craft, which makes it all the more exciting to stage.
DP: Unlike in MAHADEVBHAI (1892-1942), where you performed solo, this time you are collaborating with Amol Parasher. How was it working with Amol?
JP: As India enters the post liberalisation era, Amol's chatacter in the play, Mihir is born at the cusp of transition. He grows up in a world full of promises. To his father the ebullient Mihir is a pioneer-free to be himself, a football fan and...infinitely more fun. But young Mihir has other things on his mind, as he takes inspiration from the Bardoli Satyagraha and embarks on a perilous journey.
Amol is one of the finest younger actors around, and I feel this is one of his best roles to date. He has been a regular with our group Working Title for a few years now (DIRTY TALK, THE KACHRA TALES, ONCE UPON A TIGER). There are many past points of reference work-wise. At the same time, we are all evolving as artistes and as individuals. So it is very interesting and fulfilling to take things forward.
DP: How do you think the play will be received? Do you think it has the potential to be another success like MAHADEVBHAI...?
JP: POSTCARDS FROM BARDOLI is about the Bardoli Satyagraha, a young Mihir's journey through India's agrarian crisis, and the troubled existence of Mihir's father. It is about the 300,000 farmer suicides in India (the worst-ever recorded wave of suicides in modern human history).
I feel the play will be very well-received. And that it will reach out to diverse audiences across the city and country. It has a great connect and relevance to our lives. As Sardar Patel said in Bardoli, India needs the farmer, India needs food.
MAHADEVBHAI...in the meanwhile continues its parallel journey, having completed close to 300 shows.
DP: You have been kind of lying low. Where is your group Working Title headed?
JP: We have been very active with schools, designing and executing theatre curricula for them. And also performing plays for and with them. We did a new play for children last year (Nayantara Roy's THE KACHRA TALES). We continue our JUNOON with Sanjna Kapoor. In addition, we have been regularly performing our previous plays - Nayantara's DIRTY TALK and Ramu's MAHADEVBHAI, at venues conventional and unconventional. Working Title has always done work at an assured pace over the years.
DP: In spite of experimenting with movement in some of your productions, you belong to the old school when it comes to the basics in theatre. Solid, intelligent scripts inspire you. Do you feel thwarted by the lack of good, original scripts in Indian English?
JP: I'm not too sure about which school I belong to. But yes, solid, intelligent scripts do inspire us, irrespective of the form they eventually take. CURFEW (1999), our first play with Ramu had a lot of movement in it. There is no question of feeling thwarted - playwriting is the most difficult of all forms of writing, and I have the deepest respect for it. Great plays are hard to come by, always.
Deepa Punjani (DP): You are rekindling an old connection with Ramu Ramanathan by staging his new play POSTCARDS FROM BARDOLI. How does it feel?
