KARACHI: Though there were obvious shortcomings in director Santanu Bose`s attempt at putting together three of Badal Sircar`s plays to create a strong impact, there were moments in the three-hour long piece `Raddi Bazaar` on Saturday evening which were nothing less than brilliant. If the lows were off-putting, the highs were exhilarating.

The three plays that Bose chose to roll into one were `Baaki Itihas`,`Pagla Ghoda` and `Evam Indrajit`. To be honest, the last one was there only in the form of video images, which with the actors going all guns blazing were a little difficult to spot.

`Raddi Bazaar` basically brings together two main stories, multiple characters and one issue: the human condition. It begins with a scene from `Pagla Ghoda`, the tale of four women being discussed by some men in a crematory. These women (Malti, Mili, Lakshmi and Ladki) played with impressive acting acumen by Amita Sharma, of the plight of women hailing from dif-ferent social strata. Not that men play ancillary roles; they`re very much there (Gurinder Kumar) delineating their association with the women and their contribution to their predicament.

`Baaki Itihas` revolves around a married couple Sharadh (Sunil Soni) and Vasanti (she told this writer that her name is Bhasha but the name mentioned in the catalogue is Mangala Kaduba). They are a contemporary, urban pair and the wife is a writer in search of a plot for her story. The husband reads a report in the newspaper in which the news of Sitanath`s suicide has made the headlines. He tells Vasanti about it after which the focus shifts to the lives of Sitanath (Ashok Kumar), his wife Kanak (Lapdiang Artimai) and his friend Nikhil (Sonmoni Sarmah). And from there on the effort to interpret Sitanath`s suicide becomes the core of the play, inter-cut with stories of Pagla Ghoda`s women and men.

`Raddi Bazaar` on Saturday was harmed by longevity. There`s nothing with putting up a drama that stretches to three hours. But the message Sircar`s script carries is hard hitting and needs to be sustained. The prolonged scenesfrom `Baaki Itihas` could`ve been shortened to sustain the impact. All of it wasn`t helped by a few actors` smothering of words; they seemed in a rush to finish their lines. Perhaps some of them were under-prepared and hadn`t got the hang of Napa`s in-house theatre. Let`s give them the benefit of the doubt.

However, some of the scenes featuring Amita Sharma and Gurinder Kumar were highly engaging. Sharma is a natural. She delivered her lines with consummate ease despite playing multiple roles, and moved around the stage as if she was born there. There were moments when she upstaged Kumar who had an equally strong part.

Lapdiang Artimai too was good. She belongs to the northeast part of India and doesn`t speak Hindi fluently in real life, and yet she did Kanak`s role with great facility.

The highlight of the play was the last scene in which all the characters assemble on the stage and make noises that are loud and cantankerous, but not indecipherable.

`Raddi Bazaar` was part of Napa`s ongoing theatre festival.from `Baaki Itihas` could`ve been shortened to sustain the impact. All of it wasn`t helped by a few actors` smothering of words; they seemed in a rush to finish their lines. Perhaps some of them were under-prepared and hadn`t got the hang of Napa`s in-house theatre. Let`s give them the benefit of the doubt.

However, some of the scenes featuring Amita Sharma and Gurinder Kumar were highly engaging. Sharma is a natural. She delivered her lines with consummate ease despite playing multiple roles, and moved around the stage as if she was born there. There were moments when she upstaged Kumar who had an equally strong part.

Lapdiang Artimai too was good. She belongs to the northeast part of India and doesn`t speak Hindi fluently in real life, and yet she did Kanak`s role with great facility.

The highlight of the play was the last scene in which all the characters assemble on the stage and make noises that are loud and cantankerous, but not indecipherable.

`Raddi Bazaar` was part of Napa`s ongoing theatre festival.