MEPHISTO: Drama Review

"I am just an actor."

The line sums up everything in this drama. The grandeur, the history, the intricate politics, and the relevance of this drama set during the Post-war Germany of the 1920s and 1930s, makes it a must-watch for everyone with a simple understanding of the present political scenario. Directed by Suman Mukhopadhyay, 'Mephisto' is a revolutionary drama which portrays the rise of Hilter the results of its rise in an effective and ruthless manner. "Acche-din"(good days) under the rule of Hilter brought only the Holocaust in which millions of Jews were carried in goods trains and slaughtered.

The play starts with a boom portraying a play inside a play which is being staged at the Hamburg theatre. The theatre itself provides a setting and characters who are for and against the rule of Hitler and yet they come together for the upliftment of the working-class people. The lead role played by Anirban Bhattacharyya is undoubtedly the highlight of the drama. His charisma to draw the audience towards him like a magnet orients itself to the north pole through his vociferous acting skills is just mind-boggling to watch. With the plethoric presence of renowned theatre and screen artists such as Suman Mukhopadhyay, Sudip Chatterjee, Nibedita Mukhopadhyay, and Basudev Mukherjee, the energized group of actors put on a spectacular performance led by none other than the talismanic Turna Das and Arna Mukhopadhyay. It felt like we were back witnessing the days of terror under Hitler where being related to a jew, meant expulsion from all kinds of jobs. The drama apparently draws parallelism to the present Indian Context which is highlighted with a video at the end of the play with 'Bella Ciao' playing in the background. Just under three hours, the runtime of the show is appropriate for a drama of this stature, and with a break of 10 minutes, it boots well for all kinds of audiences.

Special mention has to be made of the set designers, the sound operators, and the lighting designers which blends perfectly with the script and produces a spectacle worth watching in the grand auditorium of Rabindra Sadan.

--- Chandradeep Roy

Some scenes from Mephisto were captured by our members -