The stage is set, the lights are dimmed, and the faint hum of live music begins to fill the air – a picturesque preamble to the enthralling weekend in Hyderabad, where theatre aficionados will congregate. The anticipation is palpable as Curtain Call Theatre readies itself to present its Hindi play, ‘Petromax Panchayat,’ designed to weave a spell of mirth and melody around its audience. Surabhi Santhosh, the appreciable force behind the production, guarantees a show that will leave patrons exiting with joyously upturned lips and resonant tunes lingering warmly in their bosoms.
Spearheaded by Santosh, the founder of Curtain Call Theatre, ‘Petromax Panchayat’ is more than just a play; it is an artistic journey that marries pressing social themes with the beguiling charm of musical storytelling. On stage, Santosh dons the character Govind, a mechanic whose heart beats for a girl hailing from the quaint Kedarwadi village, nestled in Maharashtra’s Solapur district. The narrative unfolds amidst a quarrelsome scenario where the girl’s mother vehemently objects to their union, prompting the intervention of the village council. However, intertwined with this romantic conundrum is a petromax light – a beacon of development that the villagers prize yet struggle to ignite. With Govind holding the key to its luminous promise, forgiveness is humorously brokered in exchange for enlightenment, quite literally.
Rooted in the fertile grounds of literature, ‘Petromax Panchayat’ is an innovative adaptation of Panchlait, a classic short story by Phanishwar Nath Mandal Renu, which transports audiences to a vibrant yet electricity-devoid village in Bihar. The storytelling ethos of Renu’s time between the 1930s and 1950s resonates through the adaptation, capturing the essence of rural lives wrapped in the simplicity of their daily entanglements. Curtain Call’s earlier Telugu rendition emerged triumphant among spectators across two Telugu states, enjoying the spotlight on stage twenty-five times after its inaugural performance at Ravindra Bharathi in 2022. The resounding success paved the way for the Hindi translation of the play, which debuted in December 2023 and featured the combined talents of actors from the Sutradhar and Rangadhara theatre groups.
A striking feature of ‘Petromax Panchayat’ is its live music performance, where a troupe of 21 artists brings to life a suite of seven songs, orchestrated to the rhythmic symphony of native instruments like the dappu, dholak, and harmonium. While Bade Venkateswara Rao crafted the original Telugu scores, the Hindi melodies are the work of Adnan Bismillah. This harmony of sounds is set against the backdrop of an ambitiously designed set, with Santosh employing his technical prowess, inherited from his lineage within the famed Surabhi theatre family, to enhance the visual and atmospheric aspects of the play. The audience is treated to inventive scenes operating a sugarcane field as a surreptitious rendezvous for the star-crossed lovers, achieved through the use of foam sheets and clever prop placements, simulating the wind-kissed tranquility of a moonlit night.
As ‘Petromax Panchayat’ prepares to grace the stage at Telangana Saraswatha Parishath on January 20 from 7:30 pm, those in and around Hyderabad have the opportunity to immerse themselves in this sumptuous production. The play, a testament to the vibrant culture of Indian theatre and its dexterity in embracing a rich tapestry of emotion, humor, and music, promises a memorable evening, a vivid sojourn into the heart of India’s storytelling tradition. Those wishing to partake in this delightful experience may secure their passage by procuring tickets, priced at ₹300, from bookmyshow.com.
