16th May 2015, Saturday
Of Socially Relevant Themes and Modern Times
Gyaan Adab presents Oka Boka Tiloka in aid of Nityaasha Foundation, a tragicomic musical.
Concept, Story and Direction by Pramod Pathak. Written by Nandram Anand.
‘Jadoo’ was what Boka said transformed him, as he ventured out on the stage in clown make-up, a gleeful smile in his face. Indeed, the same magic spread among the audience as ‘Oka Boka Tiloka’ went underway last Saturday at Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Sanskrutik Bhavan in the city.
Oka Boka Tiloka was a narrative of three friends who are enriched in life, as they are one with Mother Nature and everything in it. The serenity they enjoy is hindered one day, when a woman enters their lives. She tries bewitching them one by one, finally managing to capture one of the three in her charms and taking him away across the mountains. Hilarity ensues as Boka returns in a changed avatar, making both Oka and Tiloka wary and jealous of him.
In a way, the play turned out to be a contemporary take on the Land Acquisition Bill that has been hampering the Parliamentary budget sessions of late. Even the audience found it hard not to be charmed by the simplicity of the plot and the team’s dedication to the cause. ‘The concept and the theme isn’t something new and has been done before. But the play was put forth nicely. The actors’ performances were definitely the best part,’ said Bhargav Shingre, a spectator. On the other hand, Anupama Pandit, another spectator, had to offer that the performance could have been a little speedier. ‘The play was fantastic. At first, I thought it would be slow and I wasn’t wrong. However, it picked up pace. Also, the voice modulation done by the actors was simply amazing,’ she said.
Part one of the play focused on the peaceful way of life Oka, Boka and Tiloka as they went around doing their chores. Life goes haywire when Boka leaves with the woman. Post the interval, we saw how Boka came back, transformed and with an urge to transform his homeland. At the same time, his antics left the crowd in splits. In the second half, a satirical song about modernisation and its many downfalls left the audience in a retrospective mood. With a top of the line cast that featured Romi Jaspal, Aakash Basnet, Neha Chauhan and Bhupesh Singh, the evening turned out to be both entertaining and thought-provoking.
