Sex,Morality & Censorship

Yesterday,I went to my very first play in 5 years.Ranga Shankara is a famous theatre in Bangalore.The auditorium was envisioned by Arundathi Nag, in remembrance of her late husband, Shankar Nag, who was a renowned actor in the Kannada film industry.

The main stage itself has been constructed in a way where there is hardly a 2ft of distance between the actors and the audience.This makes the drama more real and if it is a violent play,the air of menace begins to affect the audience as well.
 
The play put up yesterday was 'S*x,M*rality & Cens*rship' written by Shanta Gokhale and Irawati Karnik.The play has been directed by Sunil Shanbag.The play deals with a flashback of the '70s,highlighting the morality and censorship issues that had surrounded Vijay Tendulkar's play 'Sakharam Binder'.The play was mostly a fusion of Hindi and Marathi dialect,making certain dialogues a tad bit difficult to comprehend but overall the play was loud,satirical and foot tapping with the dholak and the harmonium.
 
I haven't read 'Sakharam Binder' but I'm hoping to get my hands upon the Tendulkar's 'Selected Plays'.The actors were good,especially the one who kept switching roles between the characters of Sakharam Binder and the 'Shahiri' who was narrating the controversies surrounding Tendulkar's play in the early '70s.But the actor who took my breath away with extrememly strong acting was the one who played 'Champa's' character.Overall the afternoon was well spent with good food and good company.
 
The damper of the evening ,though, was the interactive session that was held after the play.The actors and the director were called upon the stage and the audience gathered around to comment and question  them on several aspects of the play.Or so it seemed.The high and 'elite' sat in the innermost circle and fired loaded questions at the director and the script writer.The questions were actually five questions fireballed into one and catapulted using such  never heard before words that would put to shame our very own pompous Superhero,Vocabullion.It started out okay,just a tad difficult to actually understand the question in the first go .Then,a douchebag with his own agenda,started to completely digress off the topic.The director was asked if he could include some part in the play which would deal with the 'same sex' love.A major WTF moment for all us sane,normal people.This saint went on for ten minutes justifying his suggestion while the actor,director and the audience became slowly slack jawed at the incredulousness of it all.He proceeded to rant about human rights and how the homosexuals are having a hard time getting justice.When the torture was over,the director(who had an awesome tortoise tattoo on his neck) quickly shut the doofus with a 'Your point has been taken'.Moment of secret smiles.

But that was not the end of the torture,unfortunately for me.A major buffoon went on to explain that she,being a software professional,lived in a coccoon and how this play has given her a new perspective.To which we all mentally stated 'Good for you but I think the actors need to get ready for the next show in 15 minutes'. Indifferent to all the restlessness and not so hushed 'tch tch', madame went on to bleat for another ten minutes.

By this time,I had made a personal note to myself,which shall be my next blog,that intelligence and knowledge have nothing to do with each other.These douchebags who were sitting in the sanctified innermost circles were nothing more than dabblers who in no way could process any information that they acquired.All they did was spout someone else's opinions and criticisms.A lady had the audacity to fire a question straight from the prologue of Vijay Tendulkar's 'Selected plays'.Basically,the interactive session was just a sham led by a group of psuedo intellectuals who only knew how to dress in haute coutre and talk out of their asses.

I had to immediately rush for a smoke before my brain's wiring could get short circuited.And ended up spending the evening talking filthy at a classless pub.

The Dream

A blue gold toothed Goldfish,
Gasping on an outstretched arm.

A naked child sneezes,
Wishing for the summer,warm.

Pink Car,The Red Bottle,
Over silhouettes of sharks,as they swarm.

Flying men like moths,
Return to filth,oh the charm!

The Walk Away

The headache's been getting worse these days.Its my brain,it's giving up on me.I 've gone into overdrive because of the complete inconsequential and baseless thoughts in my brain.Its cantankerous,I tell you.To think so much.Sometimes I wish I didn't comprehend anything around me.'Ignorance is bliss' was no fool's words.

There's so much around us that we process.Even when we don't want to.Today,there are so many issues to be thought of.Which we must think about.And we do.We think,think and think.Sometimes these lead to action but somewhere down the line,the enthusiasm fades.Goes into Objectivity.Ever had a sudden inspiration standing in a crowded bus,or just at the moment you're about to fall asleep,or just when you have to void your bowels(sorry for being crude,but I'm saying it like it is.)Then once you do have a pen/paper or even a keyboard before you,it's over.The flash is gone and you end up sounding like those millions of boring bloggers around you.The hashing and rehashing of thoughts are all vomited out as limp words and you end up sounding..bogus.This is exactly how I sound right now.Just echoing millions' thoughts.Good job,Pin.What will you do when they start copywriting thoughts?