“Char Chaughi ” — Four Ordinary Women
Unlike Jane Austin’s very romantic stories of women set in Georgian English society, this is a very realistic story about women and their place in contemporary Indian society. While Austin’s women are often living within the confines of their society, these so called ordinary women are constantly trying to break the barriers set up by their society. This is a story about their places in their families, their struggles, and their strengths. Their failures, their anguish, and their steely resolves. It is a play that is packed with gut punching lines and some very intense and thought-provoking scenes. It also has witty humor very cleverly blended with the emotionally intense drama. Some scenes sent a tear trickling down my cheek and yet there were those that made me laugh out loud!
What is most remarkable is the fact that this intensely feminine and feminist story was written by a male writer. Originally launched in 1991 it shattered the common norms so much that it came under heavy criticism and parents banned teens from watching it! It was way ahead of its time then and sadly remains to be. In Act 3, the mother says to the youngest of three daughters that your way of thinking is 50 years ahead of your time. And yet in 2024, as far as these women are concerned, we are still stuck in the 1990s. Full credit to the playwright Prashant Dalvi for his efforts. He has been able to get inside the minds and hearts of so many women and understand their trials and tribulations.
The mother portrayed by Rohini Hattangadi is so powerful that she is refusing to leave my sub conscious. Her booming voice is still ringing in my ears 24 hours later. (Those who don’t know this legendary actress, she has won Bafta award for her role as Kasturba, the wife of Mahatma Gandhi in the much-acclaimed Oscar winning film Gandhi). 40 years on she is now one of the most veteran and well-respected Marathi language actresses in western Indian state of Maharashtra. At 68, she is extremely active and performs in Marathi language films, TV shows and theater and has also acted in several other Indian languages. In fact, all the leading cast are often seen seamlessly moving from one medium to another. This is the beauty of Marathi entertainment industry, and it makes its actors very approachable. Unlike Bollywood stars, you can look into the eyes of these celluloid celebrities and watch them showcase their impressive talents live on stage.
The stories of each of these four characters not only highlight some of the well-known women’s issues but also bring forward some legal challenges and throw light on angles that are often missed. It urges viewers to think outside of the box.
The oldest daughter Vidya is played by the powerhouse of talent, Mukta Barve. She arrives distraught and angry after discovering her husband is having an affair. While this is a common situation, both in life and stories across all mediums, this one stands out. We quickly learn that the mother in her youth had an affair with a married man and that all three sisters have been born outside of wedlock. So, this becomes as much the story of the “other woman” and her plight. Although at no level does the play imply that this is about her karma. There is anger and there are regrets but then there is the iron will of a mother who raised and educated her daughters despite being constantly hounded by society. She stands tall like a light house guiding them but never making decisions for them. She never fails to remind them that the ultimate decision will be their responsibility and that they will have to bear its consequences. (Just like she is living the consequences of her own decision).
When Vidya’s husband taunts her that she of all the people should understand his infidelity, Vidya in turn lashes out at her mother. But interestingly, the other woman in this case ditches the married man after which he calls his wife pleading for her return. The phone conversation between the two, which is Mukta Barve’s monologue is one of the sticking highlights of the 4-hour drama. As she keeps moving between the living room and bedroom to avoid her mother’s constant interruptions, Barve showcases the prowess of her craft in the craftiest of ways. I am getting goosebumps even as I write about it. It’s almost a 15-minute-long monologue in which she emotes every possible emotion a woman can have. She laughs out loud and triumphantly teases him that her mother never gave up her man and had the guts to raise his children. She then journeys from her deep hurt to reminiscing their love and shared moments, to the shock of his deceit, her motherly love and anguish of missing her daughter, to her scathing anger which ends with a resolve to get a divorce rather than living in constant fear of doubt. She is an independent woman who is a highly respected professor with a PhD. Her pride is hurt as much as her heart. As the curtain drew on Act 1, I was left sitting in awe of her acting skills and overwhelmed and exhausted after the emotional roller coaster ride that she’d taken me on. I finally stood up as a friend approached me while wiping tears from her eyes.
The divorce situation highlights fallacies in the legal system. Why does the law say that the child will stay with his/her mother until age 5 and after which the mother has to prove she is capable of parenting? Why not split the responsibility of day-to-day care from day one? Instead, it lets the husband continue with his philandering while ties down the wife to take care of their child all alone. After all, women must abide by a legal system drawn by men. Vidya, however, decides to take on the law!
The second daughter, Vaiju, portrayed by the very talented Kadambari Kadam; is a receptionist who had fallen for a very funny guy named Shrikant and married him despite her mother’s disapproval. Actor Ninad Limaye who plays the husband’s role gives the perfect comic interludes with his impeccable timing and dialogue delivery. However, Shrikant is very sexist and unable to hold on to a job for too long. He also feels he is entitled for finer things in life because his ancestors were once rich and had an important social status. When he quits a job refusing to work extra hours the wife is forced to compensate by working overtime! What makes Vaiju’s situation worse is that the jobless husband wants more children. Eventually Shrikant impregnates Vaiju against her wishes.
In another stand out scene, Vaiju lashes out in frustration. Shrikant retorts saying at least I am not having an affair like your brother-in-law. The mother jumps in to break his ranting like a grizzly bear protecting her cubs. There is a palpable fierceness in Rohini Hattangadi’s voice as it comes booming down on stage, sending echoes all around the theater. The dynamics of who’s the queen of this jungle is left in no doubt and Srikant submits meekly.
Vaiju says that she will never divorce him because she does not have a valid enough reason to get a divorce. She will carry around her good for nothing husband as a Trophy Husband. The mother knows however that her daughter is trying to make the marriage work because she has married him ignoring all advice. There is an implied meaning that the mother is doing the same… sticking with the decisions she had made in her own life and bearing the cross of its burden. The curtain draws on Act 2 after an intense heart felt Kadambari Kadam monologue. She concludes saying she fell for a shinning sari that is typically hung at store fronts to attract women. However, after bringing one home they realize that it is made with very cheap material and comes without a return policy!
Act 3 starts with the youngest of three sisters, Vinita, a college student. An excellent actress Parna Pethe is very believable as a confused young girl, constantly searching for the meaning of marriage. She is unable to choose between two friends who have both proposed to her. While one is wise and understanding, the other is fun and rich. It’s her birthday and the family are expecting her to declare her choice. While Vidya prefers Viren, the wise and supportive man, Vaiju prefers the rich and financially stable Prakash; both choices no doubt are reflective of their own personal situations. The mother is shocked when Vinita asks why can’t we live as a trio?!! She argues if a man can have two women in his life at the same time, then why not a woman have two men? She decides to convey her wishes to the friends. The rich lad agrees even if this means he will have to forgo his fortune. Parth Ketkar has played the rich, carefree and slightly dumb Prakash quite well. He also has decent vocals and in one of the lighter moments of the play, sings pretty well. Viren, the serious and wiser one, also played excellently by Shreyas Raje, however, says he needs to think through it and eventually denies the proposal. So how does Vinita’s story end? Who does she choose? Well, I will leave it to my reader’s imagination, or you go watch the play!
The curtain draws for the final time with the four “extra” ordinary women huddled together…
I was very fortunate that I could watch this iconic Marathi play in Portland Oregon. It was the first show of a month-long US roadshow. I need to point out that the cast performed this 4 hour long play despite extremely heavy evening jet lag, barely 48 hours within landing on US soil! The direction of veteran director Chandrakant Kulkarni is flawless and spot on. After directing the original play in 1991 with a cast of another set of equally illustrious actresses like Vandana Gupte, Asawari Joshi, Pratiksha Lonkar and Deepa Shriram, he has revived it with a new ensemble which is doing more than justice to its characters and predecessors.
The chemistry between them seems very real and this family of “Char Chuaghi”, will keep lingering in audiences memory long after. I for one wish I can watch it once more so I can listen to the dialogues all over again. There is at least one line in the play that every female in the audience can relate to. Every woman has something to say about their men and their relationships, of society’s perceptions or perceived expectations. Vidya and Vaiju’s monologues are so far apart yet they evoke similar emotions. And Vinita… she wants to break the shackles at a whole different level! Despite their very varied situations, the essence of all arguments is a universal truth — women still have long ways to go; and yet it also gives them hope!
In an age of cable television and streaming media, of web series and of social media, of the TikTok generation with its minute long attention span, Long live the Theater Industry!!!
