Kathmandu :

After a decade-and-half in theatre, Asha Magarati has finally ventured into direction making a space for lady directors in the theatre world of Nepal.

Her directional debut Deutaki Aama (Mother of God) that was staged during the National Theatre Festival this year and was the talk of the town, is being staged at the Sama Natakghar, Gurukul.

She deserves accolades not just for being a female theatre director, but for the fact that Deutaki Aama is her baby as she is the architect of the play, the entire concept, direction, script, set design and costume are her own. A successful execution of the concept demands a lot of hard work, and to manage these aspects single-handedly that too with mostly amateur actors, are where Magarati’s strengths lie.

The play explores the story of Ram Bomjan of Nijgadh, Bara who was the talk of the town for his ten-month-long meditation under a tree, and the media have even called him the Buddha of Bara. It’s a story that we’ve all heard and read about, but the play looks at the situation from the mother’s perspective.

For the audience, the curiosity lies in how the play has been executed on stage to hold their interest. And these pose artistic challenges to the director.

To overcome these challenges, Magarati has made maximum use of her imagination. The use of chorus to tell the story, five colourful pieces of cloth used by the chorus act as stage props, and the choreography to go with the live music have made the play interesting. The flapping of pieces of cloth to create a dream scene has been done with sophistication.

Magarati has recreated the meditation spot at Nijgadh — a realistic setting without taking any artistic liberty. Mishri Thapa, a familiar face from in teleserials, in the mother’s role (Deutaki aama) has been successful in bringing out the pain of a desolate mother in her acting.

The play was presented by Dabali Theatre Group and organised by Aarohan.