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Begum Barve by Satish
Alekar Of Life and Fantasy
Two plays dwelling on the questions of Gender differences
and Identities
The book is the magnificent Begum Barve by Satish Alekar, translated from the Marathi by Shanta Gokhale. The play invokes a rich and aborted tradition of theatre that carries with it nostalgia and terrible emotions of unfulfilment. The character of the man-woman, a man trapped in a woman's desire, who pines for a vanished era, and the men around 'her" who invoke her femininity to appease their longings have fascinated audiences since '79 when it was first performed. It is a play with a complex plethora of identities and rich imagery that is yet presented within a straightforward structure. There are numerous songs taking us back to the heroines of yesteryear, provoking different shades of wistfulness, and the whole fabric of nostalgia is finally shattered in a brutal reinforcement of reality.The image of the coy and pregnant Nalawadebai being reduced to the cross-dressing Barve in his striped underwear is a disconcerting one that persists long after the play is over. This is a book that must be read even as we wait for another stage performance of the play Shreekumar Varma Deccan Herald 09/03/03 |