There is nothing more perfect than enjoying an interesting play on a Sunday evening.
“The Government Inspector” is one of the most famous novels penned by the renowned author Nicolai Gogoi. However, one would wonder how a piece of Russian Literature could be made entertaining for the theatre enthusiasts of Kerala.
Directed by popular theatre personality Akarsh Khurana, the story, presented at the JT PAC, Ernakulam on Sunday, depicted a classic of case of chaos resulting from high levels of internal politics and several dirty games within an organisation.
The jist
A group of talented yet non co-operative actors come together to stage the play based on the Nicolai Gogoi’s classic novel. The actors hail from various backgrounds such as those from regional theatre to movie stars. As the play progresses, the troupe experiences various levels of contempt and the flow of events become exceptionally haphazard. The members of the troupe fail to present their characters in as effective a manner as possible due to their egos and desire to insult the other at any given moment.
The Government Servant – the Plot
Choudhary, the mayor, receives a notice that an inspector from the Central government would be paying a visit to his town. Flabbergasted and concerned over the event, he calls for a meeting with the administrative heads. He also summons his informants and helpers Appalam and Chappalam for the discussion regarding the inspector’s visit. During the talks with various heads, a variety of orders were given to the members of the mayor’s core team. Adhikaar, the magistrate, was ordered to keep his courtrooms clean while the principal of a school was asked to replace the furniture of her school immediately; even if it meant employing child labour. A doctor, on the other hand, proposed an idea to do away with modern medical techniques and promote natural medical aid instead.
All of a sudden, Appalam and Chappalam are seen describing a person whom they claimed to be the ‘inspector’ from the capital. Everyone loses control and are instructed to seize any sort of inappropriate behaviour until the inspector leaves.
In the meanwhile, the ‘inspector’ and his servant Robert are seen exchanging interesting conversations at a hotel room before they are greeted by a visitor –Mayor Choudhary. Appalled by the way the ‘inspector’ and his servant were being treated at the hotel, Choudhary offers to let them spend the rest of the days at his residence. It was not long before the ugly truth unveils itself Soon the inspection had become more than a mere quality check session.
The tough analysis
Everything seemed rather natural and that could be the reason why analyzing the play appeared difficult. It was interesting to see how each character and actor could be easily related to.
While the original tale concentrates on the aspects of the corruption and unfair play in the society, the play showcased the strange yet realistic world of chaos in the showbiz world. Unlike some of Akarsh Khurana’s previous plays like Rafta Rafta and The Interview, this was indeed a play within a play.
“We wanted to present a different adaption of the novel. We wanted to show the audiences how, in the arena of theatre, internal politics can cause a lot of chaos in the ultimate presentation of a drama. The back-biting and arguments that take place backstage (in the play) led to collapse of the crew and the play,” said the director Akarsh Khurana.
“The Government Servant” also show cased elements of a musical as well. A few song and dance sequences and the musical introduction to the scenes added a certain charm to the presentation. What was interesting about the entire presentation was that audience was made to feel part of the performance from the moment the stage was lit. Even during the short recess, the play was infact in progress, but the actors had merely changed roles – from characters in the play, to actors on stage.
Confused? Well, let us just say that the presentation, while straightforward and simple, was rather tricky in many ways. A clever initiative and we hope to inspect more of such plays in the days to come as well.