Spandan Docu Theatre

New Theatre of Spandan, 16 Millimeter

Subodh Sarkar

Our place of residence is Kolkata, not India. We only recall our thoughts about India on two occasions. One while watching cricket, when Sachin-Sourav batted, and the other when the parliamentary election is on board. These two events are currently taking place.
Sampa Sen acted as lawyer Soumi Pancholi in 16 Millimeter.
There is no India in our poetry, song, or painting. It's obvious that it's not common in theatre either. We had a history of being local. But today, the world is both local and global. More correctly global. Sangram Guha is an excellent playwright. Ground Zero, his premier theatre, left everyone feeling amazed. This drama has been seen by a significant number of viewers. I have heard many commentaries from a wide variety of people about this drama. I have also requested my friends to attend the play.
Published in Ganashakti Patrika on 23 March 2004.
Following that performance, I witnessed Sangram's latest production '16 Millimetre' at Rabindra Sadan. Just one hour duration. "Spandan" keeps us tightly in our seats. In reality, "Spandan" is a small theatre group without any so-called heroes or heroines, glamour, or even money to advertise in a newspaper. Their power lies in the fact that they possess the original Bengali drama. In my opinion, the theatre of Bengal will prosper if more and more original Bengali theatre is performed on its stage. Any large theatre group may be zealous about Spandan in regards to this aspect.
Sangram Guha and Sampa Sen in a moment of 16 Millimeter.
Playwright and director Sangram Guha not only set the backdrop of this play in Delhi, but also touched the nerve center of Indian politics. There are numerous terrorist attacks currently causing shock in the world. The attack has been extended from Kashmir to Assam. Sangram unleashed an unprecedented attack on the Indian Parliament in India as a ‘steal center' and ultimately dissected the actual disease.
It is not the basic duty of a dramatist to identify those who actually collaborated in this attack. In his cool mind, Sangram crafted a one-hour energetic play, in which a mirror must be used if anyone wants to see themselves, or else hell be left bewildered. 
I will not tell you the story's specifics. It would be appropriate to include two or three key points. At first, I believed Rabindra Sadan's enormous stage would be inappropriate for this production. The director prepared the scene such that the whole stage was divided into two distinct areas: a dark area and an illuminated area. There are moments when it seems like Sangram and Sampa are facing India's ground rather than just a stage.
There is no shiny look in stage design, neither there is any striking light impact or outfit design. Sangram and Sampa, the acting couple, are the only ones who can effectively convey the serious circumstance with their most realistic acting and overall realistic gestures.  Once more, Bengali theatre has an acting duo. Their young youngster was enthralled in his one-minute acting spell along with them.
This play is appealing to me. However, I should point out that the drama makes very little reference to human space, which raises the bigger canvas in the nerve center of India as a whole. Characterization should incorporate an increasing amount of human flesh.
Rajan Fulari's enormous canvas artwork exalts stagecraft. Padmanava Dasgupta, Srabonti Seth, and Sumita Mukhopadhyay had all behaved appropriately. The play's wavelength is matched with Prankrishna Kundu's controlled simple light design.
Sangram Guha, a playwright and director, has contributed enough to the theatre; the audience is now expected to step forward. In actuality, "16 millimeters" is a guide for each of us to follow as we move inside.
All I could think of after seeing the play was, "What have I got today?" 1) Sampa and Sangram gave outstanding performances. Sampa's energetic and vivacious performance is quite remarkable. Her hands don't say as much as her beautiful, vibrant untidy hair did. Sangram is really an unguarded weapon. His performance is flawless and never falters. 2) With a bold and uncomplicated direction, the stage becomes India's soil. 3) Sangram is the only person who can write on this subject. 4) A small play and a small group, but they truly and deeply harbor a large notion.