Dhoni’s win in the T-20 series gained popularity and glamour for a sport that has become synonymous with money, success and celebration. And as ‘Twenty-Twenty’ became the in-thing, could popular Gujarati theatre resist it? So you have Nimesh Shah’s BA BAPUJINI TWENTY-TWENTY played on stage instead of in the stadium. Here ‘Twenty-Twenty’ becomes the triumphant term to celebrate the victory of an old couple who are ill-treated by their children. The play deals with the perinneal, social issue of respect and dignity that old parents feel that they have a right to but which is at threat by their own children. The metro generation of youngsters blinded by money and the lure of a superfluous hi-fi life lacks gratitude and are dismissive of the sacrifices the parents have made to bring them up. The play however deals with this serious theme in a sort of a simplistic and a`comic manner. Vidyagauri’s married sons are henpecked husbands, treated in a rather bizarre manner by their respective wives. They are thrown around, slapped, pushed around and basically treated as unloved pets- all this is of course to create the comic effect.
So the sons are cast as buffoons while their wives- the two Bahus are the villains in the play. Not only do they they mistreat the old parents but openly instigate their husbands to do the same. Vidyagauri, the icon of motherhood ignores her sons’ bad behavior and even pacifies the father who is initially in no mood to tolerate the humiliation by his sons. The turning point comes when the father is in a critical condition and needs a bypass surgery. The sons and the daughters-in-law not only refuse to lend financial help but threaten to take Vidyagauri to court when she decides to sell the house to raise the necessary funds for the surgery. A lawyer friend helps Vidyagauri win the case.
Nimesh Shah has penned the play with an overdose of comedy in terms of characterization and situations. This element is further heightened by director Dharmesh Vyas’ exaggerated physical actions and movements that are supported by the background music and the loud funny track by Sachin Sanghavi. Comedy to a point is fine; Gujarati audiences may love it but in the process social issues get trivialized. Roopa Divatia with her sensitive and balanced depiction of Vidyagauri succeeds in driving the point to an extent in spite of the slapstick comedy. She successfully projects the typical, magnanimous mother as well as the strong woman who can fight her children when necessary. The set by Chel-Paresh is glaringly functional and particulary amateurish in the court scene. The audience undoubtedly enjoyed the play. But does the play effectively project the real issue? Now that is the million-dollar question vis-à-vis most commercial theatre in Mumbai today.
*The writer is a senior theatre and television person who has trained under Ebrahim Alkazi at the National School of Drama (NSD). She has written for publications such as ‘The Asian Age’ and is a regular contributor to the Prithvi Theatre Newsletter (PT Notes). She also offers theatre training to students at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan and is an important critical voice for the Gujarati Theatre.
Groups |
Hindi | Marathi | Gujarati | English | Reviews | Features | News | Gupshup | Artistes | Auditoriums | Theatre Speaks | Workshops 
Dhoni’s win in the T-20 series gained popularity and glamour for a sport that has become synonymous with money, success and celebration. And as ‘Twenty-Twenty’ became the in-thing, could popular Gujarati theatre resist it? So you have Nimesh Shah’s BA BAPUJINI TWENTY-TWENTY played on stage instead of in the stadium. Here ‘Twenty-Twenty’ becomes the triumphant term to celebrate the victory of an old couple who are ill-treated by their children. The play deals with the perinneal, social issue of respect and dignity that old parents feel that they have a right to but which is at threat by their own children. The metro generation of youngsters blinded by money and the lure of a superfluous hi-fi life lacks gratitude and are dismissive of the sacrifices the parents have made to bring them up. The play however deals with this serious theme in a sort of a simplistic and a`comic manner. Vidyagauri’s married sons are henpecked husbands, treated in a rather bizarre manner by their respective wives. They are thrown around, slapped, pushed around and basically treated as unloved pets- all this is of course to create the comic effect. 
