Paagal Ghoda is a Nepali adaptation of ‘Pagla Ghoda’, a masterpiece crafted by the brilliant playwright Badal Sircar, ingeniously woven around seemingly simple characters, and gradually exploring the depths of their complex relationships, whilst skillfully shifting between their past and present.
The play revolves around four men who have gathered at the funeral of an unknown young woman who has committed suicide. The play focuses on man-woman relationships and emphasizes women’s subjugation in a patriarchal system. It deftly examines the relationships of men and women from four different socioeconomic groups. Sircar implies here, rather obliquely, that regardless of education and background, men are the same, that is, rough and indifferent in their handling of passion, love, and women.
Theatre Aakar is bringing this compelling narrative to life in a Nepali-adapted version, keeping intact the essence of Sircar’s original work.
ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT
“Theatre is a live show. Direct man-to-man communication occurs in theatre. Theatre is here, now. Two parties of human beings: the performers and the spectators, they come to the same place, on the same day, at the same time, and something happens between them. Therefore, theatre is human action.” – Badal Sircar
Badal Sircar (15 July 1925-13 May 2011) was one of the most influential Indian dramatist and theatre director, most known for his progressive, hard-hitting, anti-establishment plays in the 1970s and taking theatre out of the proscenium into public arena, when he founded his own theatre company, Shatabdi, in 1976. He wrote more than fifty plays. A pioneering figure in street theatre as well as in experimental and contemporary Bengali theatre, he wrote plays for his Aanganmanch (courtyard stage) performances, and remains one of the most translated and adapted Indian playwrights. Sarkar was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 1972, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1968 and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship- Ratna Sadsya, the highest honour in the performing arts by Govt. of India, in 1997. Pagla Ghoda (Wild Horse) along with Evam Indrajit (And Indrajit) remain as landmarks in Indian Theatre. Renowned film and theatre artists like Mira Nair, Girish Karnad, Satyadev Dubey and Amol Palekar have cited Badal Sircar as a major influence on their artistry.
