Franz Kafka in Hindi is no less powerful than in German or English because of the universality of darkness. The Trial by the conjurer of dark illusions and interpreter of official maladies is now a stage interpretation by theatre director Rama Pandey as arrest disguised as freedom, an alienated protagonist trapped in a complex political climate of smoke and mirrors and tormented by hidden guilt.
His execution which Kafka describes ‘like a dog’ is a logical outcome of an innocent man caught in the maelstrom of faceless tyranny. Adapted to the Indian context, Giraftari will be staged at the Ravindra Manch, Jaipur, on May 5 after a successful run at Delhi’s Shri Ram Centre for Performing Arts. Directed by theatre, television and film personality Rama Pandey, the story is set in contemporary Delhi told through a folksy combination of Indian oral tradition and art forms of Rajasthan’s ‘Keerat’ to Purani Delhi’s ‘Tasha Dhol’ and ‘Nafiri’.
Pandey spent days and nights combing through Kafka’s numerous works—both by the celebrated writer and others trying to decipher him before she recreated The Trial’s Hindi version. It is her first experiment at docudrama. The plot revolves around the fate of Shyam Kumar (played by Akhilesh Divedi), a 31-year-old middle-class bank employee from Delhi who suffers the same fate as Joseph K, the bank clerk protagonist in Kafka’s book—he is placed under house arrest for an unspecified crime.
Abused and pushed around in his quest for justice, Kumar is exposed to various levels in a corrupt system involving the police, Army and the judiciary. As he prepares to be executed by the authorities, Kumar appeals to the audience to save the soul of society. The range and scale of the play is memorable—its cast numbers about 30. Notable characters include Abhivyakti, the play’s narrator enacted by Pandey herself, as well as Bhav (representing Kafka’s voice) played by Laxmi Shanker Bajpai.
It spans a year, beginning and ending with Kumar’s birthday. The isolation, suffocation and new rules are telling in the backdrop of the pandemic. “Covid has taught us how redundant a person can be despite being surrounded by people. Through the voluntary form of house arrest, we can relate to the feeling of being under arrest,” says Pandey.
Originally titled Der Procez in German, The Trial was written during 1914-15. Not given its due in Kafka’s lifetime, it has been a touchstone of 20th-century critical interpretation holding a mirror to society and officialdom. True to her inspiration, Pandey has kept the dialogue bold. At the same time there is dark satire.
The playwright-director is wrapping up the adaptation of Metropolis Vienna by Peter Rosei, a celebrated Austrian author. Afterwards, she will start on her own play Lallan Ms based on the struggles of the transgender community. Further, in October, she plans to organise the Rama Theatre Festival comprising four of her plays. The whole world is a stage but Pandey is more than a player and theatre is her world.