Archive · 10 Oct 2026
Theatre Reviews Find Domestic Stories Reflecting Wider Political Tensions
A theatre review looks at three plays about family life and politics.
It says plays like these can show how problems at home connect to bigger issues in the world.
Saat Paake Bandha tells of a Bengali boy and a Kokborok-speaking girl whose marriage faces cultural tensions.
The review finds the production unfinished but sees promise in its story, language and music.
Gandharaj is about a government officer who has gained wealth unfairly.
An unusual smell that only other people can notice adds an absurd twist.
Marche Parha Alo begins after a lawyer dies and his family discusses his will.
The play also includes a grandson who works on humanitarian causes in the war-torn Middle East.
The reviewer praises some of the plays’ theatrical ideas while noting areas that could be stronger.
The review says proscenium theatre has responded only lukewarmly to domestic stories that mirror wider politics, but identifies some promising work.
Darpan’s Saat Paake Bandha examines tensions between Tripura’s indigenous communities and Bengali-speaking groups through an inter-community marriage.
The review calls Saat Paake Bandha’s production half-baked, while praising its theme, dialects and use of music.
Behala Anudarshee’s Gandharaj follows a corrupt government officer whose personal life is disrupted by his wrongdoing and an absurd bodily-odour premise.
Sudrak’s Marche Parha Alo links a lawyer’s will and family disputes with a grandson’s humanitarian work in the war-torn Middle East.
- Who
- Theatre groups Darpan, Behala Anudarshee and Sudrak, and the productions discussed in the review.
- What
- A review of three plays that connect domestic life with cultural and wider political issues.
- When
- The article provides no publication date.
- Where
- The productions are associated with Dharmanagar and Calcutta; one play refers to humanitarian causes in the war-torn Middle East.
- Why
- The plays explore how domestic relationships and choices can reflect broader cultural and political realities.
- Plays reviewed
- Saat Paake Bandha, Gandharaj and Marche Parha Alo
- Saat Paake Bandha group
- Darpan, based in Dharmanagar
- Saat Paake Bandha setting
- A marriage between a Bengali boy and a Kokborok-speaking girl
- Gandharaj group
- Behala Anudarshee, based in Calcutta
- Gandharaj premise
- A corrupt government officer faces personal consequences, alongside an absurd body-odour element.
- Marche Parha Alo group
- Sudrak
- Marche Parha Alo elements
- A lawyer’s will, family disputes, live music and projected artworks