It's only in its fourth year, but the Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards (META) is taken seriously by most of the theatre community in India, since it is the only platform that gives due recognition to plays.
The ten nominated plays are invited to perform in the capital, awards are given in 13 categories and there is a substantial cash prize too.
Plays in any language that have been staged in the previous year are eligible to enter, and the 200 odd entries this year prove that there is no dearth of theatre activity in the country. Since not every production company enters, some because they feel their production may not be up to the mark, some like the Gujarati commercial theatrewalas because they couldn't care less, some feel (and rightly so) that a DVD is not the best medium to watch a play — these entries are just a tip of the iceberg.
A lot of this work is of amateur quality. Still, it's good to know that in other parts of the country there are people doing plays because they want to, and not because they hope a film or TV talent scout may be in the audience.
Once again, the lack of original playwriting is acutely felt — there are grand and lavish productions from Delhi, Kolkata, Assam, Kerala, for instance, but many of them are either from mythology or folktales, Sanskrit or Greek classics, adaptations of Shakespeare, Kalidasa, Tagore; a Mohan Rakesh here, an Ibsen there.
Due to their proximity to the National School of Drama and various ministries and cultural foundations, Delhi groups have access to both talent and funding, but their productions are not meant to run over a period of time and recover costs.
Not surprising then, that the most 'watchable' and most original work comes from Mumbai (five of the 10 nominated plays are from Mumbai, and a few good ones had to regretfully be left out) and followed by Pune (a distant second), Bangalore and Chennai.
A lot of the original writing is in English, and somewhat half-baked, but one can see a few of the playwrights — whose work may not have made the grade this year — developing well, if they are not discouraged by commercial constraints.
It is easy to see why plays from the city appeal to audiences all over — the groups produce work for a ticket-paying audience, and hope to keep a production running over a period of time. More often than not, they work without outside funding or sponsorships, the production has to pay for itself, and hence it is not obscure, self-indulgent or wastefully extravagant. The acting style is contemporary and the content is engaging.
Aao Sathi Sapna Dekhen is not a new play, it is an adaptation of The Fantasticks, but director Swanand Kirkire brings such freshness and energy to it; Rajat Kapoor's clown version of Hamlet is a delight, Akarsh Khurana's Afsaneh: Bai Se Bioscope Tak brings a folk form alive, Hidayat Sami's All About Women has some of the finest performances in recent times, and Manav Kaul's Shakkar Ke Paanch Daane, a one man play with Kumud Mishra, is a fine piece of writing. Other centres have a lot of catching up to do.
