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The Hindu : Often a play that falls short of expectations by a whisker is more disappointing than a wholly mediocre one. So it was that one wished Working Title’s rendition of Chandrashekar Kambar’s “Thukra’s Dream” (Thukrana Kanasu) could have gone just that extra mile.

Staged as part of the Ranga Shankara Theatre Festival ’07, the Jaimini Pathak-directed play translates into English and Hindi, Dr. Kambar’s examination of the outsider and the nature of revolution. Based on the short story “The True Story of Ah Q” by Lu Xun, “Thukra’s Dream” follows the ups and downs of Thukra, a marginalised outsider in his village. Thukra believes himself empowered because of his imagined resistances to his oppression by the rest of his village, his “spiritual victories”.

Lu Xun’s study of the feudal order in China, relatively unchanged by the clash with modern ideologies, is invested with the additional layers of caste hierarchies and the alleged pro-status quo nature of the Indian freedom struggle by Kambar.

In it, the village fool Thukra continually tries to overcome the shackles of his marginalised life: from trying to claim shared lineage with the Patila, to picking on those seemingly less fortunate than him, to co-opting the idea of revolution for his gains. But all plans come to naught and Thukra’s life falls prey to the social hegemony that shows no change with the coming of the freedom movement.

What was perhaps most interesting about Working Title’s production of the play was the convincing use of the folk form, despite all the performers being urban and English speaking. There was a wonderful earthiness to the whole production, which was particularly well-reflected in the fact that the English lyrics worked just as well as those in Hindi over the folksy tunes. The actors carried a strong and energetic vibe throughout the play, more so during the tighter, punchier first act. A mention must be made about the absolutely…More