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ISSN: 0974-892X

VOL. VI
ISSUE II

July, 2012

 

 

Beena Agarwal

Theatre is a Passion: Mahesh Dattani

 

Mahesh Dattani, a dramatist of world stature has given a new and unconventional direction to Indian English drama by exploring the possibilities of reconstructing inner life of the characters on the stage. The synthesis of socio-psychological realism presented through his plays has inaugurated a new era of Indian English drama that is more authentic and closer to real life experiences. Present interview is a part of informal talk with Mahesh Dattani during a Seminar organized by G.D. Modi College of Arts, Palanpur (Gujarat) on 5th and 6th Feb. 2012. 

 

B.A.           :     What inspired you to turn to theatre?

M.D.          :     For me theatre is no longer a formally chosen career. Since my childhood I had been passionate to feel the irresistible force of theatre. It is innate in my blood and each experience of everyday life inspired the dramatist within me.

B.A.           :     It is seen that just in few years you have achieved world recognition for your unconventional approach to theatre. How do you feel about it?

M.D.          :     It is wonderful. It is good. It inspires me to make experiments with new experiences to expose the sickness of the social order.

B.A.           :     Sir you have an innate love for local and regional theatres also. Gujarati plays also exercised an imperishable impression on your sensibility. In your opinion how regional theatres can contribute to enrich the tradition of theatre in India?

M.D.          :     I feel that in order to make theatre a universal experience, it is essential to synthesize local traditions with global demands. Theatre can’t be operated in isolation. Local has a perennial impact on the consciousness of a dramatist.

B.A.           :     It is seen that the writers of shorter plays have a different perception of theatre in comparison to the structure, strategy or mechanism of full length plays. How would you view these two different types of plays?

M.D.          :     I feel that both long and short plays are equally good and they are dependent on each other. In Indian context, it is not the question of long or short play because language is the chief barrier. Both of them can contribute to enrich theatrical tradition.

B.A.           :     I find that in most of your plays the real strength lies in spontaneous emotional intensity. In your opinion how do emotions contribute to dramatic situations inside the theatre?

M.D.          :     Theatre is impossible without the intensity of emotions. Dramatist’s dexterity in constructing emotions in dramatic plots helps him to bring out the inner life of the characters. The universal and eternal appeal of Shakespeare’s plays like that of Hamlet lies in the pent up emotions. It is only in the presentation of the reality of emotions, audiences are taken out of themselves to seek an identification with the characters. It establishes a strong chemistry between audience and actors in which external variables of stage are suspended. Emotions can reveal what is called “Real man”.

B.A.           :     Sir, it is seen that youths of today are wandering in wilderness of insecurity and uncertainty often taking recourse to violence and depression? But they have not got sufficient spaces in your plays. What do you say in this regard?

M.D.          :     I feel youths must be encouraged. There must be ample spaces for youths in theatre, society and in the process of the construction of national creed. Youths in themselves are not rude and wayward. The real sickness lies in the attitude of elders. Adults have to reorient themselves to ensure more emancipated spaces to youths to safeguard their interest against the looming hostile forces.

B.A.           :     I have gone through most of your plays and I noticed they are set in the background of the conflict of metropolitans. It is my curiosity why have you neglected the representation of rural life in your plays?

M.D.          :     Artist must do justice with the situations and experiences that are close to his real life. I never thought of making a dramatic representation of rural life because I have no familiarity with it. I saw only the life at metropolitans but I like to enjoy the performances of local playwrights. There is a lot of sickness and depression among the metropolitans.        

B.A.           :     In your opinion what is the responsibility of theatre artists to society?

M.D.          :     Theatre can play a significant role in the process of the improvement of society. Each dramatic situation is a reflection of the reality of society. I accept that theatre must be more and more truthful to society and it can provide an innate vigour to dramatic action.

B.A.           :     It is seen that you present characters in context of society and you have tried to explore and to justify that social conventions play essential role in the formation of the psyche of characters? How do you feel about it?

M.D.          :     In dramatic milieu, inner life of characters is more significant and it is almost mandatory to the theatre artist to evolve dramatic performances and to organize the performance to explore the inner life of the characters. However in this process of the exploration of the inner life of characters, the spot light must be on specific issue. It involves intensity and uniqueness; it can better expose the internal crisis of the characters in the social set up.    

B.A.           :     Sir, it is radical on your part that in your plays you dramatize and defend the cause and crisis of homosexuals. What will happen to existing social order if their identity is accepted in the mainstream?

M.D.          :     It is an erroneous notion that the spaces of homosexuals in the mainstream would ruin the edifice of social structure. I have a firm conviction that the social order must be challenged. For me the issue of homosexual’s identity is a human right’s issue and we must defend it only in the spirit of humanitarian concern. We must work to establish a more liberal social order. It is the earnest need of the time to make a reorientation of social order.

B.A.           :     Sir, as a part of stage mechanism, you have used multi-level stage in your several plays. In your opinion what is the privilege of this specific technique in performance?

M.D.          :     Life is in constant flux and each individual survives in different socio-psychological spaces simultaneously. Multi-level stage helps to explore different dimensions of human consciousness. Multiplicity of movement suggests the authenticity and the totality of human efforts.

B.A.           :     Sir, family is a focal point in your plays and you exposed your characters as the victims of the oppressive conventions of the family. How do you view family vs. individual?

M.D.          :     It is true that in my plays, I select family as the focal point. The burden of the conventions of family works as a prime factor in the formation of the psyche of the individual. The burden of the family involves deep emotional effect and individual without the disintegration of self can’t frame his identity beyond them. Mala in Thirty Days in September, Alka and Dolly in Bravely Fought The Queen, Jairaj in Dance Like a Man, Sonal and Preeti in Where There’s a Will are the victims of Identical crisis.

B.A.           :     In several of your plays, you presented women not only as oppressed but also oppressors. Do you think that women can really be portrayed as rebels in the conventional Indian society ?

M.D.          :     In my opinion in Indian society women are the most suppressed. Theatre artists must use their pen and stage to construct the inner conflicts existing in the mind of women. In this context, there is a need of theatre revolution in India.

B.A.           :     Sir, kindly explain what mechanisms must be adopted by dramatists in contemporary India to fill the gap of page and stage and also to establish a better chemistry between the characters and audience?

M.D.          :     It is my faith that to retain desired consistency and effect in theatre, it is inevitable for the artists to maintain the concept of time, brevity and compactness. The selection of events in theatre must be compact and compressed. Such focused and intensive arrangement of incidents, depicting the internal conflict of characters, seeks a direct involvement of audience. There should be a fine balance of good opening and good ending.

B.A.           :     Please give in detail, the idea of compactness and focused action for the effective performance of the play?

M.D.          :     Play has a better safety mechanism because it passes through the consciousness of director, actor, audience hence it must be free from wandering, lingering and rambling chain of events like the delayed action of fiction. It must be free from unusual sound and fury but simultaneously dramatist can play with unusual words and structure to make the abstract reality concrete on the stage and to make invisible visible.

B.A.                 Thank you Sir.