Lalit Gupta
JAMMU, Mar 24: The performance of the Hindustani adaptation of Nicolai Gogol’s Russian drama ‘The Government Inspector’ by Natraj Natya Kunj in ongoing annual drama festival being organized by Jammu & Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages, here today, not only highly entertained the audience but also successfully exposed the level to which corruption has seeped into our social life.
Adapted by Kumar A Bharti, directed, designed by Abhishek Bharti, the play revolves around a corrupt local coterie of a politician—the mayor, magistrate, surgeon, CEO, postmaster and two sycophants, who after get panicky about the visit of a government inspector to check their affairs, mistake one ‘Mr Bhatt’, a young man fond of high style life as inspector.
Mr Bhatt exploits the misunderstanding to his benefit. He not only accepts hospitality offered to him but also makes false promise to marry Mayor’s daughter along with bribe in cash before vanishing from the scene. The news of the arrival of the true inspector leaves all the so-called cleaver characters high and dry.
Marked by a smattering of Hindi\ Dogri script full of local references and colloquial expressions, the play designed as a collage of music, dance and visual effects of body theatre, left the young brigade amongst the spectator ecstatic, who immensely enjoyed the fast pace of unfolding events supported with effective delivery of dialogs, excellent timing of punch lines. Well choreographed dance and musical sequences composed to the tune of popular filmy songs lent an overall popular appeal to the production.
The acting of Manoj Dhamir Shammi as Mr Bhatt, Aaditya Bharti as Mayor won every body’s hearts. They were supported by equally talented Kannav Sharma as CEO, Akshay Razdan as Magistrate, Rakesh Dogra as Postmaster, Rahul Sharma as Ujaaru, Mukesh Bakshi as Bigaru, Rishi Kumar as Shahrukh, Manik Sharma as Waiter, Priyanka Thakur as Champa and Surbhi Balgotra as Pooja.
The backstage team included choreography by Rohit Sawhney, make-up by Manoj Shammi Dhamir, music by Abhishek Bharti assisted by Niharika Sakshi, lights by Amandeep Bharti, sets by Raman Bakshi and costumes by Kamal Mohni.
Tomorrow ‘Do Kori Ka Khel’, the Hindustani adaptation of Bertolt Brecht’s Three Penny Operas will be presented under Ifra Kak’s direction by Amateur Theatre Group.
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