The Kolis are one of the oldest inhabitants of Mumbai. Dating back almost 500 years, the fishing community has seen it all: the days of Bombay Presidency, the growth of Mumbai's economy, and the birth of its cinema -- albeit mostly from the sidelines.
However, there's been little representation of the community in Mumbai's Hindi language theatre circuit. Their joie de vivre is merely an add-on to stories - they are seldom the protagonists -- mirroring the way they are sidelined in Mumbai's contemporary self identity as well.
In that context, SAMANDAR KA RAJA is a brilliant theatrical endeavour.
Written and directed by distinguished theatrician Nadira Zaheer Babbar, SAMANDAR KA RAJA takes a look at the life of an ailing octogenarian fisherman, Kaseram, who lives in Versova village all by himself.
Age has not been able to hamper Kaseram's zest for the sea. Although he's not able to catch as many fish as he used to in his heydays, he is looked upon with utmost admiration by a young mentee.
However, Kaseram feels uneasy being out of the sea too long. The sea, after all, makes him come alive.
And so, Kaseram doesn't pay any heed to the advice that he should stop going on his fishing boat all alone in this age. And ventures out to catch fish all by himself.
The play then moves into the sea and we get to witness the psychology of Kaseram, who is all alone by himself in the blue and vast sea where he's spent most of his life catching fish -- but is now assumed to be incapable of doing so because of his advanced age.
The conflict between decades of experience and the dismissive practice of ageism which tends to render people as unproductive after they age, is expressed poignantly in SAMANDAR KA RAJA.
On a sociocultural level, the play is also a deep and intimate look into the lives of Mumbai's scrambling fishing community and the trials and tribulations faced by them.
Its writing is nuanced and beautifully layered, and as the play progresses, it exposes layer upon layer of the problems faced by the community. From the personal to political, the writing features all. It is deeply heart-rending with elegant punctuations of humour in between.
Actor Mukul Nag plays Kaseram with a humanistic spirit. His realistic portrayal of the ailing fisherman is all throughout lovely, and straight up brilliant in parts. But where Nag really shines is in making Kaseram's everyday life so palpable.
The costume design by Gul Bano Hanif stays true to the ethos of the play and gets every little sartorial nuance of the play's setting right. Even the set design by Shivaji Sengupta is noteworthy. For instance, Kaseram's boat has little quirks which add to the texture of his characterisation. The execution by Pravin Bansode is top notch.
All in all, SAMANDAR KA RAJA is an excellent watch. An hour and 20 minutes of drama with the highest intentions: mirroring the contemporary reality of a community that is not often included in commercial narratives.
The narrative of SAMANDAR KA RAJA has a lovely build up right from the start to finish. Although a slight criticism would be that in some places, the pace of the play becomes too slow. But that's overshadowed by the intention of the play - which is to humanise the fishing community that's historically and culturally been so important to the Mumbai story.
*Divyani has worked as a journalist for The Quint, where she was also among the Founding Team members. While there, she also hosted and produced a podcast and fronted several standups. She's also worked for The Times of India group. She's now a theatre and film actor.
