THEREVELATIONOFTHEPASTINTHEPLAYSOF MAHESHDATTANI
ABSTRACT
IndiandramahasemergedpredominantlywithSanskritdramaanditstraditionoffolkperformance.Indiandramaisthemirrorofsociety Peoplecaneasilyconnect themselveswiththisamazingfeeling.TheplaywrightslikeBadalSarkar,GirishKarnad,VijayTendulkar,MaheshDattaniandMaheshElkunchwaretchavewonthe heartoftheaudience. MaheshDattaniisaBanglore-basedIndianEnglishplaywright.Heisaversatilegenius.Heiscontinuouslyexperimentingwithnewformsand mannersofexpression. Hisplaysusuallydealwithmiddle-classlifeinurbanIndiaThemajorissuesMaheshDattanidealswitharehomosexuality,genderidentity, communalism,therevelationofthepast,thehollownessofmiddle-classlifeandthefamilyasabattlefield.Thepresentpaperhumblyattemptstodescribethethemeof therevelationofthepastasamajorthemeintheselectedplaysofMaheshDattani.The realmotivecomesbeforetheaudienceandthecomplexwebofrelationshipsis visibletotheaudience.
KEYWORDS:Homosexuality,communalism,revelation,genderidentity,middle-class
INTRODUCTION
APlayismeanttobeperformed.Indiandramahasarichandancienttradition. Natyasastraistheoldestofthetextsonthetheoryofdrama.Thedramaticformin Indiahasworkedthroughdifferenttraditions-theepic,thefolk,themythical,the realisticetc.ThehistoryofIndianEnglishdramademonstratesthepresenceof greatindividualtalents.
MaheshDattaniisthefirstIndianEnglishDramatisttobeawardedtheSahitya AcademyAward.HeisaBanglore-basedplaywrightanddirector Theplaysof Mahesh Dattani gained national and international cultural attention. His plays havebecomepartofIndia'sPostcolonialconcern.Hisplaysreflectmajorsocial issuesofcontemporaryIndiansociety
Mahesh Dattani's plays focus on human relationships and personal and moral choices which are the classic concerns of all great works of literature. He is a sociallycommittedartist.Hewritesaboutthereal-lifesituationofIndiansociety Allhisplaysareaboutdifferentsocialconcerns.Hisplaysexemplifytheartistic blendofIndianandWesternculturesandconcerns.
The dramatic works of Mahesh Dattani depict different mental statuses, emotions and ideas, desires and aspirations, strengths and weaknesses, basic moral and social questions as well as individual predicaments. They also present a many-layeredfascinatingpictureofthesocial, political,economicandcultural lifeofcontemporarytimes.HisplayslikewhereThere'sawill(1988),Dancelike a man(1989),Tara(1990), BravelyFoughtTheQueen (1991), FinalSolutions (1993), Do the Needful (1997), OnAMuggy Night in Mumbai (1998), Seven steps around the fire (1999), and thirty days in September (2001), are glorious worksthatwouldbringcredittoanyliterature.
Inthetruesense, MaheshDattaniisthemostunorthodoxandcontemporaryplaywrightofIndianEnglishdrama.Hehasusedthemediumofthestagetopresent theinvisibleissuestotheaudience.Hisplaysarethemirrorofsociety Alyque Padamshee says that Mahesh Dattani is one of the most serious contemporary playwrights.
TheplaysofMahesh DattaniinvariablyquestionafewofthenormsandconventionsprevailingincontemporaryIndiansocietyregardinggenderbiasandother social relationships like homosexuality, lesbianism, prejudiced gender identity etc.Mahesh Dattanidealswithissueslikethemale-femaleascendencedivide, patriarchal tradition, unusual sexual orientation, Communalism, and marginalization.Mahesh Dattanivirtuallyholdsbacknothing.As apowerful playwright, Mahesh Dattani employed his literary potential to generate mass consciousness towardstheseissuesandsocialupliftment ofthemarginalized sectionofoursociety
HisplaysbringIndiandramaintothepresentdayintheirthemes–sexuality,religioustensionsandgenderissues.CharactersintheplaysofMaheshDattanihide their motivation.They hide their past actions in their relationship with people. 'Tara' is the story of a girl who wants to twinkle and shine. Bharat in the play showsexcessiveloveforTara. ShedecidestodonateherkidneytoTarawhen thereisalreadyanotherdonor Allthesedecisionsaremotivatedbytheinhuman actofhavingdecidedtodepriveTaraofoneleg.Thechancesofsurvivalofthe
legweremuchbetterwithTarathanwithChandan.Itistheknowledgeofhaving committedawrongthatleadstohermentalbreakdown.Herrelationshipwithher husband deteriorates. Bharat brides Roopa to be friendly with Tara. Roopa is offensive and comic. The dramatist deliberately creates an opportunity for the audience to laugh at Roopa. She speaks English which is comical. She is portrayed as a kind who will grow up to constitute the ever-interfering, everwatching ogling society The audience comes to understand that Chandan's fatherwasmoreinterestedinhiscareerofChandanthanTara. Genderbiasofthe characterbecomesvisiblewhentheaudienceunderstandsthatMrPatelagreedto the decision of his father-in-law because he lacked the courage to oppose him. Thereisacomplexwebofrelationshipsinthefamily Revelationofthepasttells thistotheaudience.Theplayisaboutthecomplicationsoffamilylife.Itisabout thefacadeofmiddle-classmoralityandcommitmenttofamilyvalues. RevelationofthepastputsabigquestionmarkonthemoralitythatthePatelfamilypractises.IfthedecisiontogivethelegtoChandanwastakenbyBhartiandherfather, PatelhadkeptquietbecauseofBharti'sfather'ssocialstatus.Thisisalsobecause hehadnoclear-cutviewstothecontrary Hisfamilyhascutthemoffbecauseof their intercaste, inter-regional marriage. They are dependent on Bharti's father forbothmonetaryandmoralsupport.This,inturn,hasledtoa powerstructure withinthefamilywhereBhartiandherfathertakeimportantdecisions.Theaudienceseesthecouplebickeringafterthedeathof Bharti'sfather Bhartifeelsthe fullforceofherguiltindecidingTara. Bharti'sfinalactofdonatingherkidneyto Taraisanactofexpiration. However,itisfutile.
Therevelationoftheskeletoninthecupboardisthetypicalactionofaplayby MaheshDattani.Heretheskeletonpointsouttheissueofgender Theaudience seescharactersstrugglingtomeettheimminentmomentofcrisis.Theprocessof revelation, theunearthingofsecrets,andtheunmaskingofthesupportivefamily aresomeofthemajorconcernsintheplaysofDattani. Individualscannotexist inavacuum.Individualscannotescapetheconsequencesofsocietaldictatesand familialchoices.
'Final Solutions'isthestoryofaGujratifamilythatconsistsoffourpeople–a grandmother (Daksha /hardika), father (ramnik), mother [aruna] and daughter [smita]. theyencountertwoMuslimboys–Javedand Bobby Theyarriveatthe House seeking refuge from a bloodthirsty mob during a Hindu festival in the play Therearevariousrevelationstheaudiencecomestoknowabouttheheinous behaviourofRamnik'sfatherandgrandfather RamniksaystoJavedthathehada sareeshop.Hehadamillalso.HewantedtogiveJavedajobinthesareeshop. WhenthepastisrevealedtheaudienceunderstandstherealreasonwhyRamnik was doing this.The play raises the theme of the revelation of the past in a way neverdonebeforeinIndian Englishtheatre. Theplaychallengesthestereotypical view of communal persons in society English-speaking people can also be communalinadangerousway TherearenogoodHindusorbadHindus.There arenogoodMuslimsorbadMuslims.Charactersarecaughtinthetrapofconditioningandpastexperiences.
Mahesh Dattani's 'On a Muggy Night in Mumbai' is a play about the fears and InsecurityfacedbysixindividualsinMumbai.Theyareunabletoadjusttothe outsideworld.
However,theirworldisrippedapartbyjealousy,separationandafeelingoflone-
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liness.Thesecharacterscontinuouslyfeeltheneedtoalwayshidetheirhomosexualleanings.However,whenthepastrelationshipisrevealedtheaudiencesees thecharactersfromanewperspective.Intheplay,Kamleshisahomosexual.He iscomfortablewithhisgayness. However, heisinturmoil. Hissisterisgoingto marry his former lover who pretends to be straight (heterosexual). Sharad and Deepaliarecomfortablewiththeirsexuality Theyhavedifferentwaysofbeing gay The past relationship between Kamlesh and Peakadh and the romance between Ed and kamlesh's sister, kiran are beautifullypresented.The audience then comes to know that Ed and Prakash are the same persons. Sharad speaks about the benefits of trying to pretend as if one is heterosexual. lt helps to get accepted .lt helps to fit in with the society represented by the Marriage party goingdownstairs.Hesaysthatmalepowerbuysrespectinsociety Thecharactersarestrugglingwiththeiridentity Bunnysaysthatthemanwholoveshiswife doesnotexistforhim.Theonlypeoplewhoknowhimarethepersonsintheroom where the action is taking place. He says that he has tried to survive in both worlds.Everyonebelievesthathewasamodelmiddle-classIndianman.Hewas selectedfortherolebecausehelookedexactlyatwhatthecommonpeople'sperceptionwasaboutanidealmale.
CONCLUSION
Tosumup,thepastplaysaveryimportantroleintheplaysofMaheshDattani.He is an experimentative and enterprising dramatist. He takes up radical issues of contemporarysociety Whenthepastofsomeofthecharactersisrevealedinhis plays,theaudiencecomestoknowmanynewthingsinlightofthisrevelation. Thepastislinkedtothepresent.Itshapesthefuture.MaheshDattanipresentsit insuchawaythattheaudiencefindsthemselvesonthestageforthefirsttimein an Indian English drama. The revelation of the past helps Mahesh Dattani to depictrealisticallythelifeofanurbanmiddleclassinIndia.
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