Path to Power: Sattapath
This Monday, Muktdhaara Auditorium, in Connaught Place, saw a packed audience. Fourth Wall Arts and Entertainment Society with Brij Lok Madhuri presented a Nautanki play called Satta-Path (Path for Existence/Power).
“People can do everything to achieve power”, was the theme of the play. This play is based on characters from ancient India that are relevant even today. It was a satire on corruption and tyranny.
Plot:
The King (Sumit Tiwari) of Sripur has two wives. When the younger wife (Kamya Mishra) comes to know that the Elder Queen (Meena Negi) is pregnant, she conspires with her personal soothsayer (Prakash Kumar) (Jyotishi) and makes the King, exile the Elder Queen in a forest.
In the exile, Elder Queen comes across a hermit (Sumit Nair) who gives her a place to stay, among his disciples. The Elder Queen’s son, Van Kumar (Ashish Kumar Sharma) is raised in the hermitage. When he grows up, one day, he comes to know about the whole conspiracy and he takes off to avenge his mother.
When Van Kumar reaches Sripur, he takes refuge in a Sarai where he falls in love with the owner’s daughter, Janta (Kusum). He dresses up like a Bahuroopia (Impostor) and kills all the conspirators and the corrupt ministers in the town. He then goes on to take revenge from his father, but comes to know that his father was misled by the Younger Queen.
The whole plot was fabulously written, directed and acted upon. The actors were really good, whether it was the acting or the musical narration. The whole story was so engrossing and natural that it didn’t seem like it was an act. The two Sootradhaars (Vikrant Tyagi and Devendra Chauhan) had sewn the whole play into a beautiful garland. The music by Pandit Ram Dayal Sharma, who is also the Director of the play, was brilliant. It was accompanied by Dholak by Md. Atik and Nakkara by Md. Idris.
Everyone’s role in the play was commendable, but the characters that really made a difference were Sumit Tiwari, Ashish Kumar Sharma, Meena Negi, Kamya Mishra and Prakash Kumar.
