Rating:
1/2
Plot:
‘Chaar Choughi’ is a story of a mother and her three daughters trying to break free from their tribulations about relationships and life, set in 1990s Pune.
Review:
It is quite refreshing to see men tell women’s stories with utter sensitivity and truth. Yes it is definitely a feminist play, but even after 31 years since it was first staged, I could see today’s women relating to it and that is a defeat of culture we are living in. The play written by Prashant Dalvi has got its revival after 31 years with a new set of actors and is now directed by Chandrakant Kulkarni.
The fresh cast includes Rohini Hattangadi who play the mother (Aai), Mukta Barve who playing the eldest sister (Vidya), Kadambari Kadam as the middle sister (Vaiju) and Parna Pethe who plays the youngest sister (Vinita). They all leave you spellbound by their performances. Especially in the phone call scene, Mukta Barve is chilling on so many levels.
Chaar Choughi is a complete roller coaster of emotional scenes and stomach aching comedy acts hitting you back to back. The play derives its title from a common marathi phrase,’Chaar Choughin Sarkhi’ or ‘Chaar Choughat’ which literally means like four other men/women or ordinary. But paradoxically these four women are anything but ordinary. Aai has had three daughters from an affair with a married man out of wedlock, Vidya is on the verge of divorce, Vaiju is the primary earner of her household while her husband can’t stick to one job more than a fortnight and Vinita has fallen in love with two of her friends at the same time and want to marry both of them. All the scenes are so beautifully written that they stay with you for long even after you leave the auditorium.
The set is static and beautifully crafted. Especially the use of bedroom and hall partition is very clever. The music could have been a lot better and felt forceful many times. The lights are minimal as most of the play unfolds at the same place, the lightman doesn’t have much to play with.
Every dialogue, every moment, every act is a truth unrecognised by the women around us, each character telling the story of millions of women living through such hardships. I really felt the energy of the older women sitting around me clapping, crying and getting out of their seats as if they had lived this their entire life and someone just put it on stage. Needless to say, written and staged in 1991, the play was and is still ahead of its time. Take your grandparents and family with you and definitely take a tissue box with you because this one will definitely leave you teary.
The next show of Chaar Chaughi play is on 2nd and 8th October in Pune.
To book tickets click here: Chaar Chaughi on Bookmyshow
