Sakharam

Director's Note

Vijay Tendulkar’s Sakharam Binder, which is a remarkable creation in the history of Indian theatre. The writer of this play, Vijay Tendulkar is himself a prudent and well known personality of Indian theatre. Our beloved friend and director, Abonti, expressed her wish to us to direct this famous play once again under the banner of Prachyo. We gladly agreed with her proposal. Our three other friends- Manisha Adok, Dyuti Ghosh Halder and Goutam Halder also got attached with this production. Prachyo has a deep relationship with Goutam. This is the third time when Goutam is playing the central character of a play by Prachyo. Prachyo has always been enriched with his friendship and his valuable experience as far as the theatrical excellence is concerned. And after all, there lies the audience of theatre, without whom our existence is at stake. Whether this theatre is a meaningful one or not, relevant one or not, useful one or not and moreover whether we did justice to this theatre or not, that would be entirely judged by you.

Synopsis

Sakharam Binder is a lower middle class book binder. He is middle-aged. He does not believe in marriage and detests the emotional bonds and obligations arising from him. All he recognizes are fulfillment of mutual needs. The man provides home, food and clothing. He expects from the woman fidelity, caring of the home, providing the food and satisfying the physical needs of the man. A contract where mutual rights and obligations are clear and there is no emotion or permanence. Either party can terminate it at will. On such termination the woman walks out of his house and has no further claims on him.

On the above basis he brings desolate and homeless women and girls from time to time. He honestly fulfills his contractual obligations. When he wants another woman or finds any violation or breach of the contract, he throws out the woman he is living with for the time being with a railway ticket to any place she may like to go and with a couple of saris.

He brings Lakshmi, a woman past her prime, on the above basis. Lakshmi tries to behave like a wife and succeeds to some extent in making Sakharam respond to her as a husband, but suddenly Sakharam realizes his folly, throws her out and brings in another young woman Champa.

Champa is young and attractive, but she cannot stand physical proximity of Sakharam unless she is drunk. Sakharam wants to throw her out but he finds himself unable to do so. He is deeply attracted to Champa. He becomes an animal and loses his pride in himself as a male.

In the meantime, Lakshmi returns again. Sakharam refuses, but on Champa’s insistence, he keeps her in the house on the condition that she will live like a maid servant of Champa. Though Lakshmi agrees, yet gradually she starts spreading her tentacles slowly. She poisons Sakharam’s mind against Champa alleging that Champa has an affair with a younger neighbor.

In a fit of jealousy, self-pity and humiliation, Sakharam kills Champa in a fit of anger. Lakshmi tackles the situation and helps Sakharam in hiding the murder. In the process she gains complete domination over Sakharam. The woman finally captures and captivates her male.