I went to see the play at the Nuffeild Theatre yesterday. I knew from promoting the play on my site: http://www.desimums.com/ that it would be a hard-hitting play, dealing with difficult issues being addressed in an open and multicultural platform.
Satinder talks openly about her time in Punjab researching the play that she wrote in collaboration with the Kali Theatre (http://www.kalitheatre.co.uk/). According to the director of the play, Janet Steel, Satinder approached the Kali Theatre company with the penultimate scene. The company were so impressed by her vision and writing that they helped Satinder to develop the play which took three years from conception to completion.
It was an honourable attempt at trying to bring such tragic occurrences to the forefront of Society. According to statistics over 150,000 farmers in Punjab commit suicide every year. The play also dealt with female infanticide and foetocide. The ratio's of women to men in the Punjab are incredibly low and present their own societal problems. The idealisation of "Amrika" by the young men in Punjab is something that 'crops' up several times in the course of the play. Young men across India by virtue of their 'free time' spend most of their free time in a drunken stupor or a haze of drug fueled days.
So What Was The Play Actually Like?
Okay - perhaps I am not the best person to say - but I am entitled to my own opinion. I am not going to shy away from giving negative feedback just because the play dealt with such important and harsh realities of modern day Indian Society... I believe that Satinder tried to cram the whole of the societal ills that prevail in the Punjab, in to a 180 minute play.
In my opinion this resulted in a 'forced' narrative. The play was uncomfortable - not because of the problems facing the farmers - but because it felt like this information was deliberately planted, rather than naturally emanating in every scene. It seemed like the News. Depressing news, but (without doubt) news that we need to sit up and listen to, acknowledge and do something about.
In a play of this nature, subtlety can be very effective. However it felt like I was being bludgeoned throughout. It was a Punjabi play -yet very little of the language was actually used. I know it was important to appeal to a wider and non- Punjabi speaking audience - but it is important to credit the audience with some intelligence. For goodness sake, in the play "There is Something about Simmy" there was more Punjabi used and they had subtitles on an electronic screen at the top of the auditorium - perhaps a similar attempt should have been made here. Just a little bit more - to make it real.
Punjabi is a beautiful and strong language and it would have given the play an air of authenticity. Satinder dropped in the occasional "Yaar" and "Kamina" and "Hai Hai" but it was all very tokenistic. Unfortunately my barrage doesn't stop there. Some of the creativity was wonderful. The imagery was touching. But it was also flowery. Too flowery for a barely educated farming family (except for the daughter who was a village teacher). That is why I felt it was difficult to connect with the subject matter on an emotional level. It didn't feel real.
Perhaps Satinder was a tad too gratuitous with her words - I don't know. As a writer myself, it is difficult to omit words. The construction of words is a laborious task. A playwright has no room for sentimental attachments to her work. She has to think about how her play will be recieved by the audience. As a Punjabi she should have given more thought to the cultural mannerisms of Punjabi's. A mixture of Grass Roots Punjabi and English is what we needed to hear. In places in was a little cliched. It just sounded a tad too 'posh'.
I do feel a little anal, but just to quickly finish my onslaught: the actress should have pinned back her fringe (they wouldn't have bangs in Punjabi villages - what ever happened to getting in to character?) She should also have left the shrieking to her role in the "Simmy" play. She was terrible in such a serious and demanding part.
The character Dhani - who played the part of the drunk brother, was an extremely talented young man. I thought he was very much like Naveen Andrew's or an Asian Colin Firth! He had an incredibly powerful presence on the stage - definitely an actor to watch.
Overall - a brave debut for a new writer for the stage. To deal with such topics is something which many would shy away from. But Satinder Chohan was brave, earnest and ultimately successful in bringing the plight of Punjabi farmers to the stage and in to the lives of those that saw it.
Desi Mums. Desi Moms, Desi Mummy, Desi Mom, Indian Mum, Indian Parenting, Asian Mums, Asian Moms, Asian Mum.
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