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IN a world inhabited by people who know little and go to town bragging about it, Mahendra Kumar, noted theatre person and ace designer, believes that one must first know a lot and then share only a miniscule part of it. No wonder, he feels, "Restraint is the basic principle not only of design and theatre but also of life itself." However, while minimalism may be his signature style, his keen eye misses little and pays attention to all possible details. "Design," he says, "is not only about set, stage or props but must encompass the face of each character." Undeniably, design, according to him, is the most integral aspect of theatre production, for "You don’t listen to but watch a play."
Not that he is undermining the power of word. Reposing firm faith in literary text, each time he decides to direct a play it’s invariably a classic. Sanskrit classic Bhagwad Jukam was the first play he directed in 1984. Comedy Of Errors, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Ashaad Ka Ek Din, Inspector General ... he has done them all and is now planning to do Tempest. He explains his fascination for great literary works thus, " The fact that they are called classics speaks volumes of their inherent richness." Of course, dramatising a classic, he shares, is "no cakewalk. You have to justify why you have picked up the play which has been staged many times before." But, to prove a point, mind you, he doesn’t believe in turning the text upside down. " You can’t be better than Shakespeare" ... slight deviations, left or right, may be. Like when he did Sohni in English in the UK, his Sohni had a half-burnt face and he used elements of fire and water as characters. And in his first production for the Department of Indian Theatre, Panjab University, Chandigarh, he not only took the liberty of doing his mentor Balwant Gargi’s Loha Kut, a play firmly rooted in Punjabi terra firma, in Hindi, but even introduced a slight twist. So, was Gargi appalled? He recalls, "On the contrary, he was so happy that he changed the original narrative." In fact, it’s to Gargi that Mahendra owes his tryst with theatre. Trained in fine arts (five-year diploma in applied arts from the Government College of Art, Chandigarh), perhaps he would have been only too happy painting. But providence had deigned otherwise. Gargi discovered his innate talent for theatre design and insisted that he join the department that he had set up in 1972. Mahendra recalls the time spent with Gargi, with whom he had actually begun to work in year 1968. "Watching Gargi and his illustrious friends like Kaifi Azmi, Balraj Sahni, Sahir Ludhianvi and others was both a humbling and learning experience. It was Gargi who made me realise the power of art and sharpened my sensibilities towards literature." Art for art’s sake may be the ideology of other artistes, Mahendra deems, "Art has a higher purpose." Of course, he agrees that theatre must entertain, too. While, on the one hand, he feels that a play must have a common denominator, which can appeal to all, on the other hand, it must have layers that can be delved into by the thinking audience. Having directed over 20 plays, including the much-acclaimed Tughlaq, and designed several for stalwarts like Amal Allana, Mohan Maharishi, MK Raina, Rani Balbir Kaur, Kumar Varma, would he have preferred being a designer alone? And this recipient of Sangeet Natak Akademi award in theatre arts quips, "In the West, where the designer’s word is the law, perhaps, but in India, designers don’t have complete freedom and often have to follow directorial dictates." So, wearing the shoes of both the director and designer suits him well. While wielding the directorial baton, he lets the designer take the backseat. However, the design element is predominant in the adroit manner in which he strings together visuals, juxtaposing varied scenes to enhance dramatic appeal. "There is no set method to design. Only I read the text many times over. Words are always pregnant with visuals. The trick lies in finding them." In the hi-tech world of today, he is not against using technology as a visual tool and has used it effectively in his play Gagan Mein Thaal on Guru Nanak Dev. However, he cautions, "Don’t become a slave to technology." Even otherwise he believes that theatrical tools must be employed judiciously where utmost necessary. Teaching at the
department for decades he counsels his students thus, "Shun
showing off, learn to be patient listeners instead." To his own
self, the advice is rather simple — strive to be better. As the
world creates much ado about nothing, he keeps his cards close to his
chest. Scaling heights quietly and unobtrusively, he lets his work do
the talking. Of course, the designer’s magic wand is never dormant
but ticking away deep within, seeking the fine balance between words
and visuals.
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