Early Times Report
Jammu, June 4: The Hindi play ‘Girgit’, directed by Neeraj Kant, was featured today at Natrang’s weekly theatre series ‘Sunday Theatre’ held at Rani Park, Jammu. The play, based on a Russian short story by Anton Chekhov, presented a powerful satire on the current socio-political system. The adaptation of the play was deeply rooted in the local context of Jammu, making the audience feel a strong connection to the story. Each performance of the play incorporates highly contemporary and situational elements, adding to its beauty. Natrang continues to showcase politically and socially relevant satires, and today’s play was a shining example of that. The plot of ‘Girgit’ revolves around a dog and a corrupt police officer who changes colors like a chameleon based on the situation, regardless of right or wrong. The story unfolds when a dog bites a pickpocket who seeks help from the officers, but their efforts prove futile. A passerby suggests that the dog belongs to a local minister, as he had seen a similar dog near his bungalow. The police officer, upon receiving this clue, starts beating the pickpocket for allegedly troubling a respected dog. The officer asserts that a minister’s dog cannot bite unless provoked. As the beating continues, another man from the crowd points out that the local minister only keeps pointer-hunting dogs and cannot own this dog. The dog is then beaten further, as the search for its owner continues to help the pickpocket claim compensation. The beating continues until a servant of the minister arrives on the scene. Initially denying any recognition of the dog, he later identifies it as the minister’s brother’s dog visiting from Delhi. The dog is then escorted back home with full official protocol.
The central character of the police officer, portrayed by Mihir Gujral, aesthetically depicted the character’s color-changing nature, supported by Aadesh Dhar as his subordinate. Neeraj Kant, as the senior officer, successfully showcased the complexities of a senior bureaucrat. Other notable performances included Vishal Sharma as the thief, Kuldeep Angral as the minister’s servant, Kushal Bhat as the dog, and Abhimanyu Choudhary, Sheryaar Salaria, and Sumit Bandaral. The presentations were coordinated by Subash Jamwal. |
