HYDERABAD: Much like grief, personal and public spaces, too, claim their own territory in human mind demanding lines to be drawn, respected and marked that’s how the same appears metaphorically both in personal and social conduct without us even realising the demarcation. This is what actor-playwright Manav Kaul’s play ‘The Park’ explores, enacted by artistes of theatre group KissaGo at Lamakaan recently.
The play begins in a park with just three empty benches occupied by three characters: one a government employee, another a school teacher and the last one a law graduate. They squabble with one another to demand their own space or in other words claim their ownership. The narrative unfolds in a light-hearted manner and explores the divisions within states, castes, communities and even countries. That’s how while arguing with one another for their seats the characters blurt out the political issues of Israel and Palestine along with the occupied territory of J&K. They even go ahead and bicker about state-ism. Director Subhash Gupta directed the play well as the storyline gently touches upon the complexity of urban migration which comes with its own baggage of mental and linguistic landscapes.
Actor Jay Jha plays his character Nawaz well enlivening it with the gift of gab making his fellow park-visitor, the law graduate, vacate the space for him so that he can take his afternoon nap. He (Abhijeet) fumes but shifts to the third bench in the park. Just then the third character, the school teacher played by Suresh, enters asking him to leave the bench as it is his place. Even though they argue about city migrants, ownership and community differences, their argument is full of wit and humour. All this chit-chat wakes up Nawaz and he gets a danda to threaten them from disturbing his siesta.
He actually doesn’t do anything and the three of them end up talking to each other. This brings forward another parallel narrative somehow intertwining their angst, their lives and what lies deep within them which they otherwise wouldn’t share with anybody else. The 65-minute play is tightly woven in terms of narrative and shows the integrity of the theatre group KissaGo which has staged 30 plays within the span of one year. The play is worth watching especially because it also explores urban melancholia, immigration and isolation.