A drama about the strength of womanhood
The play was presented by Downstairs@S47, Panchsheel Park on September 2. King Manu and his wife were going on fast in the hope of a child. While Manu wants a son, his wife wants a daughter. A daughter was born to them and she is named Ila. Now Ila being a female child obviously cannot face the rigours of a male child. However, she learns the art of fighting with bows and arrows and sword fighting as martial sports. For Manu, Ila is a disappointment. Now Ila has to prove herself. She is left in the forest of indecision where she has to combat evil spirits and ghosts and unnatural characters.
As trial ends, she is divided into two segments – a male and a female. Speaking with Anant Dayal, one learnt that the conversation between the male and the female was not a part of the original text and was brought in to create liveliness in the dialogue between the two segments of Ila.
Anant Dayal as Ila’s counter voice said that he had written the music before the words came in. But to me it seemed a simultaneous act with word and music complementing each other in devious ways. The third character in the play played by Adhiraj Mustafi was a sutradhaar like being who came into the picture rarely and only to reconcile the two segments and to establish the oneness of Ila.
There was reference in the dialogue to the contemporary female sex and how difficult it was to survive in the present. Basically the play that takes humours digs at Manu and his parochialism is a drama about strength of womanhood.
The role of Ila was played by Subhadra Kamath who very effectively followed instructions and training given by Anant. She has a lovely voice and as has Anant between the two of them the singing of the story of Ila was a highly dramatic affair.
The set was very interesting with bluish see- through curtain behind the performing pair and dozens of candles, lit in long containers and a bright light at the back of curtain which lights up once when the two are in conversation. The musical instruments comprised an electronic piano played by Anant and an electronic guitar occasionally played by Subhadra and a keyboard and a guitar strummed on by Adhiraj.
Costumes were very attractive and depicted the efforts of the troupe to capture the contemporary in the old. Anant wore a white dhoti while Adhiraj was clad all in black.
His white dhoti was contrasted well with the rust coloured top which was a cross between a kurta and an angarkha with the sleeves cut off.
Subhadra wore a white lungi with a similar top. All the three heads were covered by a topi much like the one Buddhist monks used to wear. Jewellery was all silver and coral.
Anant, who has been working in the art of storytelling through words and music, has to his credit The Spirit of the Willow Tree before the Legend of Ila.
He has also worked with the Barefoot productions — Three Hearings on the Existence of Snakes in the Human Bloodstream, and Songs from Snakes.
He also taught Speech & Drama at the Performance Arts programs of Trinity College London for several years.
Thus, he brings a great deal of varied experience to the show of the Legend of Ila – Story in Song.