29.12.22: A few days back, I had an opportunity to witness a late evening Hindi play Thieves’ Carnival at Manna Kendra, Gangtok organised by the National School of Drama, Gangtok and performed by NSD, Sikkim batch of 2021-22. The story is about three thieves who get entangled in a plot created by a rich and bored lady. Without a doubt, the backstage creation of the French-language story deserves much appreciation. The attire worn by the artists, the lights, and the background music, especially the violin part were finely synchronised with the mood of the play.
This play was well performed, not too loud and yet intriguing because of the wide range of shades of different characters involved. No doubt the entire play was a team effort and very well displayed but to me, two characters stand out among all.
Lady Hurf, a rich and bored lady, tells three thieves a story and becomes their hostess for them. In the shoes of Lady Hurf, Pallavi Gupta seems destined to be a part of this act. Her effortless acting drew attention whenever she moved around the stage since she was so comfortable changing her voice. The audience was not able to hide their smiles despite the lie she is telling. Big applause for Pallavi.
Aadarsh Pradhan's portrayal of Dupont Dufort Senior made me sit and watch. His presence in the play brought laughter to all. Although he isn't the main character, no one can ignore his presence. His performance is based on his voice modulation and body language wherever he appears on the screen. I have been following Aadarsh’s acting career since his initial days. His strength is his determination and grit. He easily adopts the character he plays. I never saw him as Aadarsh. I was watching Dufort Sr. in front of me during the play. In the play, his greatest achievement is his ability to hold up a Hindi accent, which is not his native tongue. Simply the next big thing from Sikkim in the acting genre.
Special mention should be given to Gustave (Bikash Kattel), Lord Edgard (Dawa Lama), and of course Juliette (Sandhya Barui). A big congratulations to Shri Avtar Sahni for the direction and design. I wish there were more audiences to appreciate such efforts. We all appreciate creative entertainment, but when it comes to being part of it, I missed the so-called popular performing artists, the directors, and the performers in Gangtok. Or in one sentence, is theatre not a glamour entertainment industry?
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