Sunil Shanbag brings Utpal Dutt's famous play 'Barricade' to Mumbai

The stage is a mirror to society they say Take Utpal Duttrsquos 1972 play Barricade for instance Set in 1933 Germany the famed interwar period that shaped the future for Germany and Europe in the years to follow the play drew parallels between the Third Reich and the tumultuous Emergency in India Today when veteran theatre maker Sunil Shanbag debuts his Hindi adaptation of the play city audiences will have a chance to face the mirror again and gauge if things are closer to home than they appearUtpal Dutt in white in Gol Maal 1979 Pic courtesyYoutubeWhile Dutt is best known for his comedic performances in films like Gol Maal 1979 he was one of Indiarsquos foremost theatrical artistes who founded the Little Theatre Group in Bengal in 1949 and staged plays by Shakespeare and Bertolt Brecht ldquoThe first time I watched Utpal Duttrsquos Kallol and Tiner Talowar as a teenager in the mid1970s I understood very littlerdquo Shanbag admits Thankfully Duttrsquos stage told a story in itself ldquoI was blown away by the spectacular nature of the productionrdquo Shanbag recalls Much later in 2022 following a decorated career in theatre Shanbag would finally rediscover what he had missed ldquoWhen I read the English translation I was taken aback His political awareness and ability to modernise the story to suit audiences was ahead of his timerdquo he sharesMoments from a rehearsal of the play Barricade at the Juhu venue PICS COURTESYRAJ LALWANIBarricade is centred on a clash of ideologies between conflicting characters mdash a righteous journalist an apolitical doctor a lawabiding judge and Nazi officers Shanbag points out ldquoLanguage was already detached from the story that is set in Germany and originally written in Bengali Usually there is a cultural specificity that language plays into But the themes of Barricade are universal and each translation has managed to retain its essencerdquoThis essence lies partly in the sociopolitical background of the story ldquoThe Second World War was more complex than yoursquod imagine The growing discontentment among the German population the burning of books by the Nazis in Berlin that began in 1933 and an economic crisis eventually led to the crisis The play explores how individuals found themselves choosing sides amidst the drama I see something similar unfolding on the global stage todayrdquo he points out Although not as grand as Duttrsquos productions Shanbag will recreate the atmosphere using sound design a 12member cast and archival footage from 20th century GermanyHowever reviving the original play might entail a bigger responsibility than retelling a story Barricadersquos history is coloured by the backlash and bans that followed it during the turbulent decade of the rsquo70s Have things changed we wonder ldquoTherersquos no denying that itrsquos still a difficult time We inherently selfcensor ourselves to an extent in our creative decisions dictated by our fears and anxieties But thatrsquos inevitable The fact that we are presenting Barricade says something about our spiritrdquo he sharesFor Shanbag therersquos no such thing as nonpolitical art ldquoA few decades ago the term political meant something to do with the State and its people Today we have come to realise that therersquos politics in love gender in relationships and even within ourselves Whatever your story if you step back and look at the bigger picture yoursquoll experience the inherent politics in itrdquo he signs offAGE GROUP 16 years and aboveON August 23 5 pm August 24 and 25 5 pm and 8 pmAT Prithvi Theatre Janki Kutir JuhuLOG ON TO inbookmyshowcomENTRY Rs 500