The Power of Laughter: A Study of the Comedies of Badal Sircar
Main Article Content
Abstract
Comedy, unlike tragedy, is often overlooked as a lower form of art and less important. But comedy plays crucial role in entertaining as well as making people aware of real-life issues. Badal Sircar (1925-2011) is a widely recognized playwright of post-independence Indian theatre. While there is much scholastic focus and discussion on his absurd dramas and Third Theatre plays, his comedies have been mostly overlooked and have rarely drawn critical attention. By filling this gap in existing literature, the present research establishes the significance and value of Sircar’s comedies. It analyses situational pure comedies as well as black comedies from both the proscenium and the non-proscenium phases, namely Solution X, Boro Pisima, Shanibar, Ram Shyam Jadu, Ballabhpurer Rupkatha, Kabikahini, Bichitranushthan, Jadi Ar Ekbar, Abu Hossain, Hattamalar Oparey, Bagalacharit-manas, and Khat Mat Kring. While giving relief to the daily routines of the audience, Sircar presents serious matters in non-serious ways that simultaneously compel them to think about the surrounding worlds and grave issues (capitalist exploitation, corrupt politicians and hypocritical nature of political parties, dowry deaths, nuclear holocaust, unemployment, middle class aspirations and frustration in life, Brahmans-Dalits conflict, social changes, etc.). The study asserts that comedy cannot be merely dismissed as a non-serious art having no social purpose, but it can prove itself to be a powerful tool in raising socio-political awareness.
Downloads
Metrics
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
References
Aristotle. The Poetics. Translated by S. H. Butcher. Macmillan, 1902.
Arnold, Matthew. “Dover Beach.” Poetry Foundation, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43588/dover-beach. Accessed 1 March 2023.
Bandyopadhyay, Samik. “Badal Sircar: Middle-Class Responsibilities.” Badal Sircar: Search for a Language of Theatre, edited by Kirti Jain, Niyogi Books, 2016, pp. 85-100.
Banerjee, Sumanta. “The Theatre of Badal Sircar.” Badal Sircar: Search for a Language of Theatre, edited by Kirti Jain, Niyogi Books, 2016, pp. 101-112.
Bhowmik, Ashok. “Badal Sircar and Hindi Theatre.” Badal Sircar: Search for a Language of Theatre, edited by Kirti Jain, Niyogi Books, 2016, pp. 320-29.
Dubey, Satyadev. “Sircar and Indian Theatre.” Badal Sircar: Search for a Language of Theatre, edited by Kirti Jain, Niyogi Books, 2016, pp. 129-31.
Katyal, Anjum. Badal Sircar: Towards a Theatre of Conscience. SAGE Publications, 2015.
Sircar, Badal. “Beyond the Land of Hattamala.” Beyond the Land of Hattamala and Scandal in Fairyland, translated by Suchanda Sarkar, Seagull Books, 1992, pp. 1-32.
---. “Khat Mat Kring.” Natya Sanchayan [Selection of Plays]. Raktakarabi, 2005, pp. 113-160.
---. Natak Samagra [Complete Plays]. Vol. 01. Mitra and Ghosh, 2002.
---. Natak Samagra [Complete Plays]. Vol. 02. Mitra and Ghosh, 2002.
---. Natak Samagra [Complete Plays]. Vol. 03. Mitra and Ghosh, 2002.
---. On Theatre: Selected Essays. Seagull Books, 2009.
---. Theatre-er Bhasha [The Language of Theatre]. Raktakarabi, 2002.
---. “Theatre is a social tool.” Interview by Ram Kalaga. Newsline, 14 Oct. 1986.
---. Two Plays: Indian History Made Easy & Life of Bagala. Translated by Subhendu Sarkar, Oxford UP, 2010.