Natyatattbik Saumitra Chattapadhyayer ‘Tiktiki’ Natya : Apratyashita Prabin - Nabiner Anabadya Yugalbandi/ নাট্যতাত্ত্বিক সৌমিত্র চট্টোপাধ্যায়ের ‘টিকটিকি’ নাট্য : অপ্রত্যাশিত প্রবীণ - নবীনের অনবদ্য যুগলবন্দি

Abstract

The evolution or development of Bengali drama has been seen by theatre enthusiasts from the general public to theatre intellectuals. As much as social, political and historical dramas have been seen, Rajshekhar Bose, Sharadindu or Satyajit Ray have not been brought to the theatre arena. In this regard, the long-standing desire of the theatre enthusiasts has been fulfilled by the recent famous mystery and detective drama ‘Tiktiki’ by the ‘Swapnasandhani’ theatre group. Playwright Soumitra Chatterjee has made a Bengali adaptation of the much-loved ‘Sleuth’ play by foreign playwright Anthony Shaffer in the play ‘Tiktiki’. In the world of theatre in the 20th century, veteran playwright Soumitra Chatterjee has been working tirelessly with indomitable dedication and enthusiasm in the pursuit of theatre. He has inspired his creative power in writing original and translated plays and both full-length and one-act plays. The play was first published in Bahurupi Patrika, issue 52, September 1979, and secondly in Vibhav Patrika. Satya Sindhu and his wife Rekha found a companion of thirty-five years to shake off the boredom of their failed married life. The man was Bimal Nandi, new resident of the area. Bimal Nandi’s father’s name was Jagannath Kangsavanik. His father moved to Kolkata during the partition. His original home was at Faridpur. Even though Satyasindhu was immersed in his own world, the love story between Rekha and Bimal finally reached into his ears. One day, in Rekha’s absence, Satya invites Bimal Nandi to his house. Two people of different ages, different classes, different tastes and different mindsets stand face to face in a room of that large house decorated in various ways. Bimal Nandi and Rekha love each other, but Bimal’s financial condition was not as prosperous as Satyasindhu’s. Satyasindhu prefers to stay in his own imaginary world, afraid to come out into the real world outside. Therefore, he deals with his wife’s illicit love and lover in the style of a fictional detective story. Bimal has fallen in love with a very expensive woman and he has no money. In this case, according to Satyasindhu’s logic, if he wants to have a married life, he has only one way out, which is to steal those jewels. Bimal completely believes Satyasindhu this time. Satya Sindhu have asked Bimal to play this game in such a way that the government inspector comes and spends his time on this matter, and you will have to do the work in such a way. The black dog will come only after you have stolen; it is called a detective. The language of the underworld, ‘tiktiki’ is what you call it. Bimal, the lover, joins in this game and gets a kick out of it at first, then uses his ‘Gurumara’ knowledge to trick Satya Sindhu (Soumitra Chatterjee). Needless to say, Satya Sindhu plays the game like a seasoned player. And Kaushik Sen, who plays Bimal, keeps pace with him. This pairing of the old and the new is enjoyable and educational for the young. As a smart, intelligent comedy, ‘Tiktiki’ certainly comes off well. But even in that, the production gets a little deeper because it touches on some contemporary issues, problems or relationships. For example, the problem of marital relations or illicit love, the class gap enters into it and complicates it, a sharp joke about police corruption or the fantasy world of detective literature. The comedy at the beginning of the second act is also particularly interesting, especially Bimal’s extraordinary disguise, Balaram is at least fifty years old. He wears glasses, has unkempt hair, and a mustache. He wears a police uniform. The director, actor, and makeup designer Sri Das is also a partner in the achievement. At one point, it is almost proven that Satyasindhu has murdered Bimal. The police officer says that he will arrest Satyasindhu for murder. Then Bimal Nandi comes out from behind the makeup of the officer disguise. He wants to take revenge for the extreme humiliation and shame of defeat that Bimal suffered when he came close to death in the first act. Bimal takes that revenge at the end of the play; the play becomes new in another episode. The game starts again. The three-time game ends in today's social emptiness. How he takes it creates a terrible beauty in the play. In this play, Satyasindhu Chowdhury is a rich, aristocratic man. And Bimal is a poor son of a refugee family. Bimal loves Satyasindhu’s wife Rekha. He wants to marry her. So, Satya wants to compose a play within the play to punish Bimal. In this way, two men endanger each other by taking control of the same woman, become cruel, ruthless, brutal towards each other, and even become each other's murderers. This play is a report on how jealousy, rivalry, and the attitude of competing with each other make people desperate and endangered, how they push each other towards humiliation and disrespect. The play is not just a spy story, but it is very much like that. Playwright and director Soumitra Chatterjee has beautifully presented the imagination and feelings of the subconscious in the analysis of the psyche of people.