NANDINI NAIR
| Three Arts Club is all set for a resurrection after its recent festival. |
New lease Anuradha Dar
Twenty-five years doesn’t erase an institution. The recent revival of the theatre group Three Arts Club proved that memories outlast time.
Founded in 1943 by theatre enthusiasts, Om Sharma, R.M. Kaul and Devi Chand Kayasth, Three Arts Club enjoyed a vast patronage and a loyal fan following. It disbanded in 1983, following the death of Kaul. Anuradha Dar, Kaul’s daughter, took the initiative to roll out a festival of plays this week under the banner of Three Arts Club, coinciding with his (Kaul’s) 25th death anniversary. Dar was assisted in the initiative by Sangeet Natak Akademi award winner Ramesh Mehta besides Sadhna Bhatnagar and D.C. Pandey.
Sticking to its practice of giving amateurs a stage, the three-day festival, which ended this past Tuesday at Shri Ram Centre, staged plays written by Mehta. The plays included “Paisa Bolta Hai”, performed by Manchkriti, “Under Secretary”, by Akanksha from Lucknow, and “Bade Aadmi” by Three Arts Club, Delhi.
Having performed at venues from Sapru House to the Prime Minister’s house, the Club was watched closely by people like Rajendra Prasad, Jawaharlal Nehru and Zakir Hussain. While in the pre-Independence days it moved between Delhi and Shimla, its roots grew here. It is also credited with putting the first female actor, Saroj Bhargava, on stage.
A reunion
Anuradha has helped revive the famous Three Arts Club, which returned to the stage recently
On the closing day, “Bade Aadmi”, directed by Sadhna Bhatnagar, attracted a full house. The show was dedicated to Ramesh Mehta and the senior citizens of the city’s old age homes, Aradhana and Sandhya. The atmosphere in the hall before the curtains went up resembled a reunion. People with walking canes exchanged hugs and memories. Some rifled through old black and white photos while others narrated anecdotes.
Stealing a moment before the show Dar revealed that it’s not been easy to come back after 25 years. Recalling the plays in the ’70s, she said, “The main difference today is the addition of music.” While adding new effects, they have also retained the older norms. Though “Bade Aadmi” is only 90 minutes long, it has a ten-minute break. Dar said this was to keep with the tradition. Bhatnagar who joined the Club aged 25, took on the director’s mantle with “Bade Aadmi”. Having played the lead role of Indira years earlier, she said after one play reading, all the dialogues came flooding back. She kept the script intact and updated a few details, like the names of the cars, etc. Mercedes replaced Buick in the present script. Though written decades ago, the script continued to have contemporary significance. Bhatnagar explained, “The theme can never be outdated. It shows that we take an artificial culture from the West. But what’s important is to show who we are. That’s why I chose this play.”
With 80 per cent of the actors having never seriously worked in theatre, the play had a refreshing freshness. The winning aspect of the play, however, was Mehta’s script. Without puns or innuendos – it tickled through sparkling clean humour. It lunged from one entertaining twist to another. The audience clapped energetically for dialogues like “Chhota aadmi joota banaye to mochi. Bada aadmi joota banaye to Bata”!
Considering the warm and generous reception, Three Arts Club seemed ready to reclaim its old place.
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