ARJUN KA BETA Play Review

The Film and Theatre Society, a theatre group form Delhi was in Mumbai on September 21 2013 with their play ARJUN KA BETA. The show in Mumbai at the Mysore Association auditorium was supported by Nadira Zaheer Babbar's theatre group Ekjute.

ARJUN KA BETA is a poetic rendition of a conversation between King Yudhisthira and the great warrior Bheeshma from the Hindu epic Mahabharata. This play describes the bravado of the sixteen year old Abhimanyu (Arjun's son) on the thirteenth day of the Great War in the Mahabharata. In the opening sequence of the play Abhimanyu is seen preparing himself for entering the chakravyuh created by the Kauravas. The music in the background, smoke and light effects, a well choreographed war sequence makes one think that this is going to be a powerful and promising play but it turns out to be disappointing.

Though the play is well written and borrows from the traditional form of storytelling, repetitions in dialogues as well as the scenes, mediocre performances and delayed transitions make it look very amateurish. The play written and directed by Atul Satya Kaushik had Sahil Chabbra essaying the role of Abhimanyu. Though his body language during the war sequences is appropriately aggressive, he fails to showcase the same intensity in his dialogues and is often seen losing his connection with the audience. He also doubles up as Yudhisthira and one can't see any difference in his portrayal of the two characters. It would have been much better if another actor had been roped in to play the part of Yudhisthira. Sachin Joshi (Bheeshma) on the other hand doesn't suit the character at all. In the immortal saga of the Mahabharata, Bheeshma is a pivotal figure- strong and powerful, yet calm and serene. Sachin is unable to reflect any of these characteristics.

The repetition in dialogues and scenes naturally leads to monotony. Another drawback of this production is that it has too many blackouts and it takes them forever to begin the next scene. Hence they are unable to sustain the attention of the spectators. Some scenes are over dramatised and they look artificial. Uttara (Ankita Juneja) breaks her bangles upon hearing the news of her husband Abhimanyu's demise and Draupadi (Kanika Sood) moans as none of her sons were sent to break the chakravyuh. It's all very stereotypical.

The last scene of the play has Yudhisthira and Bheeshma having a discussion over Abhimanyu's death. Yudhisthira's inability to face his brother Arjun is a moment that has been rendered well. Lord Krishna (Rahul Singh) intervenes in their altercation and elaborates on the fact that life itself is a chakravyuh and it is easy for any person to enter it but at the same time it's impossible to get out of it. The play may have something to offer through this message but the treatment of its subject is simply not up to the mark.

*Astha Arora is an actor. She has a graduate degree in Mass Media and is now pursuing her Masters in Journalism.