|
 For
those who have witnessed Jaya Bachchan evolve over
the years from the naughty and vulnerableteenager in Guddi
to the emotionally shattered wife in Abhimaan and
the mother of rebels in Hazar Chaurasi ki Ma, the recently
held play 'Maa Retire Hoti Hai' presented her
in a totally different role, that of a Maa (mother).
Nothing unusual, you'd say. But here, it is a Maa with a difference.
The play revolves round a typical Indian family. Ashok
Talwar, the director himself, dons the role of Agarwal,
the head of the family and Jaya Bachchan plays Sudha Agarwaal,
the Maa. Other characters include two office going sons Mahesh
(Manish Wadhwa) and Neeraj (Amar Babaria) married to Veena
(Ruma Ranji) and Jyoti (Geeta Tyaagi).
The first act narrates the dependence of the entire family
on Maa for every need. Her husband Agarwal isolates himself
from the family with his un-concerned approach. His prime
concerns are club and friends. The daughters-in-law have their
own plans. One wants to have her own bungalow and the other
wants to settle abroad. The play takes a different turn when
a volunteer asks Maa to join him in running an old age home,
a service Maa gave up for marriage two decades back. After
realizing her failure in imparting values within the four
walls of her home, Maa decides to quit the family, after giving
them a month's notice, to serve at the old age home. Some
funny situations arise while she keeps her self away from
daily chores.
It is during the second half that her daughter Lata (Neha
Rawal), who ran away with her lover, comes back
for her confinement. Though Agarwal is angry with his daughter
for her rebellious act, he welcomes her, thinking that his
daughter may succeed in dissuading Maa from going. The director
has skillfully portrayed an otherwise serious situation in
a light vein. Maa's action provoke her husband and off springs
to do some serious thinking about her indispensable role in
the family as a wife, a mother and a caretaker of all of them.
By this time the daughters-in-law have accepted her resignation,
but Agarwal and his sons start trying to stop her. It is during
the climax that Agarwal realizes his responsibilities as a
'key-person' of the family, but it is too late. Maa takes
the extreme yet constructive step of going out of family.
When the members of the family gather to see her off, her
husband joins her and they step out together.
The theme of the play is highlighted at one stage when daughters-in-law
hail Maa's decision as a daring step, which no one in the
family had considered taking. Jaya Bachchan's performance
as the 'Maa with a difference' is scintillating and
thought provoking. So is the performance of the other characters
with their crisp, short and witty dialogues. Ramesh Talwar's
direction and his performance in a comic role with peppy dialogues
make him memorable. Subhash Asar's set comprises a
typical drawing room, right from the beginning till the end.
'Maa Retire Hoti Hai' may seemingly account for only very
enjoyable watching, but it makes the audience ponder over
human values subsequently. Bangaloreans thronged Chowdiah
Memorial Hall and witnessed the play silently (with their
cell phones switched off!) for a full three hours. Thanks
to producers Sanjay Goradia and Kausthub Trivedi
for bringing such a unique theme packed with so much fun.
|
|
|  |
|
