In pursuit of Parsai

Harishankar Parsai is one of the most noted satirists and humorists in Hindi literature. From theatre circles to school textbooks, Parsai’s depictions of peculiar human behaviour and commentaries on the society have found an ardent niche readership. Hence in an attempt to share the genius of the writer with a more cosmopolitan crowd of Mumbai, the actor, and filmmaker Pratik Kothari will be performing three stories of Parsai today in an event called Toochiyaapey Satires of Harishankar Parsai.

“When you start doing theatre as a group, you discuss authors and literature. You talk about Premchand, (Ismat) Chugtai, and Manto, and so we also spoke about Parsai’s stories,” says Pratik, who was initiated about the author during one of the readings. Fascinated by the writer’s wit and comic genius, Pratik shoved himself into the writer’s works, only to come out with an inspiration to retell his works in the ways he knew best. In what is a hybrid of storytelling, theatre, and stand-up comedy, Pratik will be performing Ek Film Katha, Ek Ladki Paanch Deewane, and Bhede aur Bhediye. Additionally, the performer also wants to celebrate Hindi as a language. “It’s also about Hindi as a language been forgotten — the words, its music, and its sound. So that is also one of the by-products of what we want to do.”

The first story Ek Film Katha, which will be performed as a conversation between a filmmaker and a producer, is a commentary on the formulaic masala Bollywood films. “It is a comment and satire on the ’70s, ’80s, early ’90s run of the mill Bollywood films — there is a random song, a fight sequence, a villain, a hero and a heroine. Bollywood is in its transition phase, where it is evolving from hero-villain to protagonist-antagonist, but we still make hero films,” he says. Moreover, Pratik found an instant connection with the story because as a filmmaker, he’d often find producers more inclined towards the masala elements in the pitches.

While the first is a peek into the nuances of Bollywood films, Ek Ladki Paanch Deewane is a tale of a girl who is wooed by five men of varying ages. “Today, if a guy wants to stalk a girl and vice versa, it’s so easy to do so through social media. Initially, when there were no social media, people used to actually wait for the girl to appear on chhajja,” he informs. Adding further, Pratik illustrates that even though people may not be aware of the concept of chhajja anymore, the basic human traits remain the same, and hence an amusing story like Ek Ladki Paanch Deewane still holds relevance.

The third and the final in the repertoire is a political satire called Bhede aur Bhediye. The allegorical story, fashioned in the form of George Orwell’s Animal Farm, is a scathing take on the loopholes of democracy. When the animals in a forest decide to adopt democracy, the conniving bhediye (wolves) assume power over docile bhede (sheep). Talking about it Pratik says, “If you look at the political history of the country, the structure of the democracy is like that. We are told that we are not good enough to protect ourselves, and to take care of our rights and duties, so we need representatives.  And the representatives have a completely different set of motives through which they operate. It’s a very witty thing that he has based it in the jungle, and that’s directly represented by sheep and wolves. So, it’s a very brilliant comment in that sense.”

Even though these stories were written three to four decades ago, the genius of the writer is such that they still hold relevance in our contemporary society. His sharp observance of human society and human behaviour was so accurate that it made Parsai quite ahead of his time. Elaborating on this, the actor-director shares, “If you read Parsaiji’s works, there is this a story called Vigyapan Mein Bikti Naari. We are talking about objectification today, we have learned that term today, but he has written about it in Vigyapan Mein Bikti Naari in those times.” Adding further, Pratik says, “At the core of it all, he has this really shrewd understanding of the human behaviour, and the human behaviour does not change, so he will always be relevant.”

The performance will be held today at Kreating Charakters’ Foot-light, Andheri (W) from 7:30 pm.