On stage there aren’t any fairies or trees made of chocolate, mischievous gnomes or elves. Kings, queens, evil monsters and witches residing in mountain castles are conspicuous by their absence in the genre of down-to-earth theatre that Pune-based psychiatrist, actor and former chairman of the Film and Television Institute of India (1997-2002) Dr. Mohan Agashe, creates for children. A recent Marathi-language stage play which has proved a big hit is Chaan Chote, Vait Mothe, (‘Small is Good, Big is Bad’) centering on the theme of one-upmanship among adults. The unique feature of this play is that professional adult actors play the role of children. “There is a long-entrenched misconception in the theatre world that only children must perform the lead roles in plays written for children. In this play I have adults acting as children,” says Agashe.
According to Agashe, this genre is known as Grips Theatre, created by Volker Ludwig in Berlin in the 1960s as a repudiation of traditional fairytale, happy-ending, moralising theatre for children. Since 1986 when Agashe adapted Grips Theatre for Indian conditions, he has produced/directed five plays in many languages in four states across India. Reflecting on the growing popularity of Grips Theatre in the past two decades, Agashe states: “It’s been the best thing to have happened to children’s theatre in India.”
The benefit of Grips Theatre is that it is educative while being entertaining. “Fantasy is good at times and fun. But Grips Theatre deals with real issues such as sex, drugs, social problems, double standards and so on. There is no upper age limit for viewing these plays, only a recommended viewing age. It opens the minds of children and brings them to ‘grips’ with social realities,” he explains.
Widely acknowledged as one of the finest actors of stage and screen, for several decades Agashe has been a favoured actor of great directors such as Vijay Tendulkar, Satyajit Ray, Mira Nair, Shyam Benegal, Gautam Ghose and Jabbar Patel, in whose plays and films he’s made cameo appearances. Moreover as a duly qualified psychiatry alumnus of Pune’s B.J. Medical College, he is credited with playing a major role in the state government adopting a new Mental Health Policy in 1988. He also established the Maharashtra Institute of Mental Health at Pune in 1991.
Agashe’s interest in children’s theatre stems from his own childhood experience. “Once, former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru was in the audience of a stage play in which I was acting. He gave us great encouragement and kindled my interest in theatre,” he recalls.
Defining good theatre, Agashe says it should trigger cognitive processes. “The performance may end, but the play must set people thinking,” he says.
A cue for all directors of stage and screen.
Huned Contractor (Pune)