Entertainment
Subaltern voices on stage
The staging of the much-hyped play Laati ko Chhoro has begun at the Mandala Theatre from Tuesday.The staging of the much-hyped play Laati ko Chhoro has begun at the Mandala Theatre from Tuesday. Based on the eponymous short story anthologised in author Shyam Sah’s collection Abba, the play is directed by Sulakchhyan Bharati, and marks the theatrical comeback of eminent actor Tika Pahari.
Pahari, who has returned to the Nepali theatre after more than three decades, plays the role of a community leader in the play.
Set in a rural village in the Tarai, Laati ko Chhoro tells the story of a differently-abled woman hailing from the indigenous Dome community and how she is oppressed by the patriarchal society.
Director Sulakchhyan Bharati said that Laati ko Chhoro marks a significant departure of Nepali theatre sphere to professionalism. “Nepali theatre has already taken a step towards professionalism with Lati ko Chhoro. I have been roped in to direct for a certain sum. With the introduction of production design department, the burden in the shoulders of the director has lessened to some extent—a relief that helps one focus on the art of directing,” Bharati said.
With the introduction of production design as an autonomous body, the play, said its production designer, Prakash Dahal, “will prove that theatre in Nepal, if given the space, can embrace professionalism.”
Along with Pahari, Laati ko Chhoro features actors Kenipa Singh, Pashupati Rai, Sandeep Poudel, Kundan Tharu, Kusal Pandey, Roshan Subedi and Prakash Dahal, among others.
Laati ko Chhoro will run till September 24.