Final Solutions by Mahesh Dattani

 

Greeting,

      The Department of English at MKBU organized a 'Drama Workshop' from July 15 to 22. This workshop was conducted by the department's research scholar, Alpa Ponda, who is pursuing her PhD on 'Drama Pedagogy' in the literature classroom. During the workshop, we learned many aspects of drama and its performance. Students also had the opportunity to perform the drama 'Final Solutions' on stage, which is part of our syllabus. We are all thankful to Alpa ma'am and our HOD, Dr. Dilip Barad for giving us this opportunity. 

This blog post reflects on my experiences and learning from the recent Drama Workshop organized by the Department of English at MKBU. Over the course of the workshop, I gained valuable insights into drama and its performance techniques. I will also share my personal experience of performing the drama 'Final Solutions' and address some reflective questions along with my answers.

Reflect on your journey through Final Solutions as a student of theatre. How did the process of studying, rehearsing, and performing this play shape your understanding and appreciation of theatre?

This was the first time I was taught drama using theatrical techniques. During the workshop, we initially learned how to speak with proper intonation and deliver dialogues effectively. We explored various forms of drama and learned how to perform on stage. Personally, it was my first experience speaking and performing in front of an audience. It was not an easy task, as I had never done this before. We also had to maintain our postures and gestures to convey meaning non-verbally. 

One of the activities involved a theater game designed to release bodily tension and improve our stage presence. This game was both fun and useful for our drama performance. Moreover, we were given a small task to perform a five to ten minute stage performance in groups.

We also engaged in the 'Vachikam' of the drama, a group reading that ran couple of days. During these sessions, we discussed the core themes of the play. The superficiality and guilt of Ramnik's character were clearly exposed during the reading. Ramnik was aware that his family had burned down Zarine's father's shop and purchased it at half its value. This awareness was the reason he defended Javed and Bobby superficially and allowed them to stay for the night, while Hardika and Aruna opposed them.

During the last few days, we received our roles, and I had the opportunity to play two parts. I was a member of the chorus and also performed as Bobby. Due to the large number of students and fewer roles, multiple students played each character. The casting changed by scene to ensure everyone had a chance to perform. We selected specific scenes to perform and prepared the entire performance within a short span of four days under the excellent guidance of Alpa Ma'am. Fortunately, we had the opportunity to perform on a big stage. The lighting, provided by Ronak Bhai, and the music, provided by Chirag Bhai, greatly enhanced our performance.

The chorus is one of the most important parts of the play, as it sets the initial tone and represents the Hindu and Muslim communities, each with their own violent and extreme attitudes towards one another. Among the two roles I played, the role of the chorus was relatively easier for me, as it primarily involved expressing anger. On the other hand, Bobby's character required deeper, more intense emotions and mixed facial expressions, which was challenging for me, given that it was my first time performing in a drama. Yet, I did my best to give justice to the role.

Casting For This Scene 

Aakash as Bobby

Jay as Javed 

Akshay as Ramnik

Bhumi as Smita 

Our performance began with the introduction of the chorus, followed immediately by our scene. To convey the entire story through selected scenes was challenging, so Alpa Ma'am provided some background information to the audience. This also gave us time to arrange the props on stage and change costumes between scenes. 

In this particular scene, Javed’s past is revealed to Ramnik and his daughter, Smita. Although Ramnik initially appears sympathetic towards the boys, his attitude changes when Smita reveals that Javed is connected with some unknown organizations. This revelation causes Ramnik to lose his temper, and the scene concludes with a rift between the two boys and Ramnik and Smita.

Bobby and Javed are Muslim characters with different approaches. Javed is portrayed as a rude character, while Bobby is more humble and defends Javed’s actions in front of Ramnik and his family. Mastering Bobby's facial expressions was challenging for me.

In addition to performing and learning how to act, I learnt about collaborative work, connecting with characters, and understanding how they evolve throughout the play. I also learned about the importance of props, lighting, and music in enhancing the overall drama performance. These elements are crucial in bringing the play to life. 

Here you will find some reflective question and answers,

Q) How does Mahesh Dattani manipulate time and space within the dramatic framework of Final Solutions to create meaning? Explore the interplay of these elements with specific reference to the stagecraft techniques employed by the playwright.

The play 'Final Solutions' shifts back and forth in time to explore the inner conflict of Hardika’s character, who struggles to move on from her past. Through her diary, Hardika revisits her past and attempts to justify her current behavior towards the two boys. She believes that these boys and the entire Muslim community are responsible for the events that happened with her father. In one of her dialogues, she even asserts that Javed's sister and Zarine deserve punishment.

Additionally, Hardika reflects on her earlier days as Daksha, her marriage to Hari, and the mistreatment she suffered from her husband and mother-in-law. Using these elements into stagecraft is challenging. We used lighting techniques, staging, and costumes to convey these aspects effectively on stage. 

You can observe the frame, on the left side we have old Hardika, and on the other side newly married Daksha, and Hardika is recalling her past through diary. 

Q) Examine the complexity of guilt experienced by the characters in the play. How does this emotion shape their actions and relationships?

The play "Final Solutions" moves back and forth in the time to show the inner conflict of Hardika's character. She is not able to move on from her past. Hardika through her diary delves into past, tries to give justification to her present behaviour with the two boys. She thinks that these two boys and whole Muslim community is responsible for whatever happened with her father in thepast. She also in one of her dialogues reveals that Javed's sister and Zarin both deserves to be punished. 

Moreover, Hardika recalls her early days as Daksha in the marriage with Hari, and how she is not treated properly by her husband, and her mother-in-law. If we talk about using these element in stagecraft, then it is a bit difficult to perform this onstage. We performed this using the lighting technique, using stage, and costume. 

Here you can watch Behind the Scenes and Feedback of students, 

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