Review: "Tu Ladje Anamika": Gujarati Play

Tu ladje Anamika…The name itself
sets the tone of the play. I presumed it to be full of anguish and anger with
reflection of what we have been watching over news channels since more than a
month now. Of course, the words were going after the verdict of INT and Gujarat
Samachar competition a week ago. Tu ladje garnered three awards in the competition and thus, the excitement was palpable. However,
competition results are just reflection of being best among few and they are not a real test
of commercial and critical acceptance. To me, screening of this play at Third Bell at Natrani during 1-3 February 2013 was its first
litmus test in real life theatre market. A full house in Natrani amphitheatre
is not a common scene and I was thrilled on 1st itself. My expectations were huge and what an
experience, I was not only satisfied but delighted beyond words. While I am writing this, I am happy to report that all three shows were houseful!!

Tu ladje anamika is path breaker
as far as the artistic discourse around rape is concerned. First let me discuss
the script. It offers phenomenal insights into the issue of violence against women. It utilizes the Delhi incidence as a background to raise other
similar but not so much talked about issues of sexual violence. This indeed is
not a story of Anamika but stories of various Anamika (literally translates as someone
who doesn’t have a name) through the character of a protagonist i.e. Anamika, a
girl who was gang raped in Vastrapur, Ahmedabad. While it depicts the relevance
of protests and anger over Delhi rape case and connects Ahmedabadis to it, it
also very rudely but with die-hard honesty reminds us of similar incidence that
happened ten years ago right here in our own Ahmedabad. ‘apna mathi ketlane
yaad chhe ke jyoti mehta e das varsh pehla aavi j rite balatkarno bhog bani ne
aatmhatya kari lidhi hati’, asks Anamika. There comes a plea for mercy killing from
the protagonist arguing that "mercy killing is only fitting response to the society
that victimizes the victim over and over again". Here, the script seems to
fumble a bit in explaining how suicide is different to mercy killing.
However, the turn of events is very stark and engulfing thereafter, in the form
of arguments of various stakeholders that supports her fight but suggests
better ways to keep the fight alive. The forty five minute play ends with
heart-touching poem, passionately written – by one of the actors - to explain
the core message fo the script and so nicely recited by the director
himself. 

The closely knit scenes are appropriately
and adequately supported by melodious music that sets the tone of various
emotions being depicted in various scenes with subtlety. There are moments
without words that get nicely conveyed only through sounds of flute or guitar!
Lighting was another feather in the cap. The play of light starts with sharp
movements in conveying background events of public furor and court room
actions. Thereafter, having played through wings and general profiles, it gets subtler
in expressing various letter characters. Near the end, the sequence of dream
and metaphor of rising in the early morning could not have been conveyed without beautiful play
of light. Only light designer knows where the light was getting filtered from!!
Dhrunad Kamle, who also acted in the play created this magic of light along with Abhishek. This music-light combo added to the aesthetics of the play and piggybacked the
script to create the feel of the play. 

My final kudos goes to Abhishek Shah, the writer director of the play. What a sensibility in which he has
written the play and how beautifully it is being conveyed through the use of Anamika
while not getting into the trap of pain of the Anamika -the victim. Tu ladje,
Anamika is focused on ‘Tu ladje’ and not  on ‘Anamika’.
It takes courage to question the popular sentiment in today’s time of intolerance.
When thousands of us are doing candle light marches, it takes guts to remind, ‘aa
j loko ke je aaje candle light laine nikle chhe kale panna galle evu kehta hashe
ke balatkariono jetlo vaank chhe etlo j vannk e chhokrino y kharo’. I indeed
salute the writer to take courage to show the society a mirror while accepting
all the good that is also happening. I found the script very balanced in terms
of presenting all possible facets of a girl who has been violated; brother’s
anguish, mother’s plight, father’ sense of loss, friend’s support and a lover’s
proud. The story scores very high in ensuring that it doesn’t end up as just another
story of rape victim, who is seeking justice. It brings to the fore untold
stories of pathos and joy, despair and hope, and underscores importance of life
beyond accidental events. It emphasis the messages of a) not becoming victim of
the circumstances, and b) rising above them so as to influence others who are
in similar circumstances.   

The director
Abhishek has simpler job once the writer Abhishek has handed over him an
excellent script. The first few scenes were directed to take the audience into
familiar area of rape, popular anger and demand for justice. In the next few
scenes, the director ensures the fact of her protagonist being different is
conveyed effectively. The director succeeds in doing so in just two scenes so
subtly and appropriately. What makes the direction enriching is the fact that
the seven stories were told to Anamika while her story was being told to us. The
director makes Anamika also one of the audiences, who are watching the play in
a pin-drop silence. The dream sequence and the scene in which the protagonist
becomes the voice of six other victims are very well crafted scenes. It is easy
to convey such things in cinema; however, to do it in theater indicates
creativity of the director. 

I, like most of us in the
audience over three shows i.e. around 800+ people, was crying while watching
the play. However, the play did not end with tears. Neither Anamika nor her
admirers in the audience were sobbing in the end. That is where the play is a
class apart!

Candles can be of many types as
far as the protest and resistance are concerned. This play is one such candle
that kindles many candles of sensibilities in form of its audience. Congratulations
to the entire team of Anamika and thank you for making a sensitive as well as
sensible play on current social issue.

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 Photo courtesy: Dushyant Raval and Ankit Gor