The play Kashmakash is a gibe at political hypocrisy and opportunism. The protagonist of the play is an honest poor book-binder who is living a hard life with his daughter and wife. In the moment of need, he approaches local politician for help. The politician suggests him to fabricate the story of being a freedom fighter and earn a pension. The poor soul, the hero of our story, agrees to it. The plot gradually unfolds to show the audience merriment, pangs of exploitation and inner-conflicts aka Kashmakash of the family.
The performances of all characters are laudable. The central character is played effortlessly by the common man of the 80s – Aanjan of Wagle Ki Duniya fame. But that is the least expected from seasoned cast of IPTA under the direction of Ramesh Talwar. What this play excels at is the story line. The situations and scenes are written extremely well and are matched perfectly with realistic presentation and paraphernalia. The feelings that the play evokes in the audience are almost palpable. The audience feels sad when for family’s poverty, but also shares the joy and pride of public felicitations.
A motley of all emotions, this one is for everyone! Also, if you have time, ‘Wagle Ki Duniya‘, a famous TV series from late 80s by R K Laxman. The episodes are available on YouTube.
AglaPlay Verdict: A very very good play AglaPlay Rating: 4/5 Language: Hindi Duration: 2 Hours (Approx.) Writer: Debasis Majumdar, translation by Santwana Nigam Director: Ramesh Talwar Cast: Aanjjan Srivastav, Sulabha Arya, Avtar Gill, Neeraj Pandey/ Vignesh Sinkar, Manju Sharma, Ranjana Srivastava, Omprakash, Prashant padale, Rajeev Jha
Below are a few relevant links, including the YouTube link to Wagle Ki Duniya TV Series.
Other Links Review at TribuneIndia Wagle Ki Duniya Wikipedia Wagle Ki Duniya YouTube