When one flips through a wedding album, the confetti of colorful images thrown up can’t help but put a smile on the viewer’s face. The joyous, blushing bride, the anxious, emotional mother, the distraught, harassed father, the envious unmarried friends, the rueful ex-boyfriend, the colluding siblings….and a gamut of emotions in the rest of the crowd that gathers to witness and bear testimony to the rites.
Such was the enthralling mix of scenes and situations of a large, diverse cast in the play, “Wedding Album” by Girish Karnad, directed by Sindhu Singh which opened last weekend at Sunnyvale Community Theater. All the flavors found during an upcoming wedding in the home of Saraswat Brahmin Nadkarni household located in Dharwar, Karnataka are captured, and then some.
In the center of the frenzied activities are Vidula, the bashful bride, ready for adventures in a foreign land with a boy declared suitable to be her husband after just one meeting; Rahul the brother, a successful professional, but touting a Christian girlfriend; Hema, the older sister who has arrived from Australia carrying misinformed disappointments from her own wedding ceremonies, and is faced with fending off unwanted amorous attachment from a young neighbor; Radhabai, the cook who anchors the household, yet is deeply disturbed by tragic incidents from her own past. The harrowed and hurried parents struggling with guilt at the unequal treatment of the marriage ceremonies of their two daughters, as well as having to leave Hema with various relatives during their working life as a transferable government officer.
The father, ably played by Nitin Deo pines for his departed brother and his help with all the worldly issues, unaware of how the sentiments were not reciprocated. The marriage brokers, Mohan and Mira bring comic relief by hoisting suitable matrimonial matches for the unwilling Rahul, until he succumbs at the pleading of his future father in law, yet harbors warm feelings for his ex.
While the finery is displayed, gifts are exchanged, much excitement is generated at the impending nuptials; true emotions are disguised, plans go awry, egos clash, and other series of unfortunate incidents occur. In the end, the bride departs to explore newer pastures in the U.S, forcing the rest to re-engage in the normalcy of their routine.
What was the truth beneath Vidula’s frequent visits to the internet café? Why does Rahul balk when informed that his ex is joining his current office?
Why is the uncle’s name on Vidula’s birth certificate? What of the silently borne abuse by the male servant that the mother waxes about? Why does Radhabai flare up watching child neglect on TV?
The rich complexity of the layered personality of the Nadkarnis feels like a continuum with waves of emotional crests and troughs. It compels the audience to look deeper and discern the familiar discord that, along with affectionate bonding, glues most imperfect, loving, families.
Interestingly, Karnad weaves the story around the wedding but dispenses with the actual ceremony altogether on the stage, choosing to focus on the issues that rear their heads when emotions are heightened. The characters seemed to have to wait a tad too long during scene transitions that impeded the smooth flow of the story.
The pull of community theater is alive and well, as proven by a packed audience on the opening day, and director Sindhu Singh, a local talent did full justice to a tale well told. Singh explained that what attracted her to this play was the multi-faceted layered characters and vignettes that enlivened the scenes and brought the story to life.
Lakshmi Bhardwaj was pleased at the opportunity to play Vidula and her dynamic personality, as was Devika Ashok, playing the much older sister, Hema. Vaishnavi Sridhar as Radhabai and Sayantanee Dutt deserve mention as engaging and authentic characters who held the undivided attention each time they were present on the stage.
Archana Asthana
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