Review: Oka Anokha Roopkatha Chalk Circle, Lamakaan, Hyderabad, India

A powerful multilingual adaptation of Brecht's classic The Caucasian Chalk Circle, that brings contemporary today's social and political realities to the stage.

What happens when Brecht’s The Caucasian Chalk Circle is transported from post-war Europe to contemporary India? Oka Anokha Roopkatha Chalk Circle, adapted by Shudrka and directed by Swapan Mondal, offers an inventive answer. Beginning against the backdrop of the farmers’ protest in Punjab, the production turns theatre itself into an act of protest, while bringing Brecht’s concerns with power, justice, inequality and ownership into a contemporary Indian context.

Its most striking feature is its multilingualism. Performed in Telugu, Bengali, Hindi and English, the production brings together actors from different parts of India and allows their linguistic and cultural diversity to become part of the theatrical experience. Yet language rarely becomes a barrier. Through gesture, movement, music, rhythm and physical storytelling, the performers demonstrate how theatre can create a common language even among people who do not share a mother tongue.

This principle extends to the production design. With around fifteen performers playing multiple roles, the staging relies on minimal props and simple costumes. Sticks, bottles, a clay pot and everyday objects are transformed into whatever the story requires. The actors themselves become the scenery: they form a bridge for Suma to cross a river, transform into demons, soldiers and villagers, and even create the flowing river while singing a Bengali folk song. Quick costume changes and the addition of simple costume pieces distinguish one character from another.

The result is theatre built almost entirely through collective imagination. The absence of elaborate sets is not a weakness but an aesthetic choice, making the production flexible enough to travel beyond conventional theatre spaces. It also gives the performance a strong connection to folk and popular theatrical traditions while retaining the distancing and theatricality associated with Brecht.

The ensemble featuring Souravi Ray, Swapan Mondal, Reshma Begum, Surya Dev Chandra, Aditya Singh, Ananth Vikram, Sanchoyita Kar, Meena Sola, Sourabh Singh, Rahul Max, Dharmendar Sai and Pranay Bhardwaj, handles the demands of the production with considerable commitment. Moving between farmers, soldiers, peasants and the principal characters, the performers create a constantly shifting theatrical landscape. The clash between contemporary political commentary and folk storytelling gives the adaptation much of its distinctive character.

The production is not without its challenges. Its extended runtime, densely layered dialogue and frequent transitions can occasionally slow the dramatic momentum. The multilingual structure, while one of its greatest strengths, also demands sustained concentration and can sometimes dilute the emotional arc. Some sequences would benefit from greater economy and sharper pacing.

Nevertheless, Oka Anokha Roopkatha Chalk Circle remains an ambitious and imaginative piece of independent theatre. By combining Brecht with India's linguistic plurality, folk traditions and contemporary political realities, it demonstrates how a classic work can acquire new meanings in a radically different cultural landscape.

The production's most memorable achievement is perhaps its simplest: it turns difference into theatrical possibility. Languages become bridges, bodies become scenery, and ordinary objects become the tools of storytelling.

Reviewer: Kanta Biswas

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Venue & Performance Date: Lamakaan, Hyderabad, India | 28 August, 2022

Director: Swapan Mondal

Playwright: Bertolt Brecht

Cast: Souravi Ray, Swapan Mondal, Reshma Begum, Surya Dev Chandra, ​Aditya Singh, Ananth Vikram, Sanchoyita Kar, Meena Sola, Sourabh Singh, Rahul Max, Dharmendar Sai, Pranay Bhardwaj