Kolkata (West Bengal): It first made its stage debut on March 4, 1972, at a show in South Kolkata. Even after 50 years, the iconic Bengali comic theatre Gorur Garir Headlight (Headlights of Bullock Cart) is still going strong on stages across West Bengal and recently had its 1340th show at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kolkata performed by the theatre group Natasena.
The comic content of the drama is in stark contrast to the politically tumultuous time in Bengal when it was composed. It was the year 1970. Congress was ousted from power in the State by the United Front. The change of guard in the State was accompanied by heightened Naxalite activities which were gaining strength at that time.
Composed by dramatist Saroj Roy in 1971, Gorur Garir Headlight does not have any political contest. Instead, it is a drama focusing on innocent fun and laughter. Roy himself termed it as a "nonsense comedy." Secretary of Natasena Dulal Debnath said that dramatist Roy founded Natasena in 1971. "Gorur Garir Headlight was first staged on March 8, 1972, on the open stage at Bratachari Vidyashram. Fifty years have passed since then and the 1340th show was staged at the Academy of Fine Arts recently. Roy referred to it as 'nonsense comedy'. But why can't it be called a satire as well? It is a humorous journey of returning to sense from nonsense in terms of selection of subject, dialogue, and acting," said Debnath.
As for the cult drama retaining its popularity at a time when Bengali theatre has been losing its popularity, the caretaker of Natasena Udayan Chakraborty said, "there is no political context to this drama, neither is there any use of props apart from one song, there is no music either. Subject matter and excellence in acting form the core strength of the drama. Perhaps, it's for this reason Gorur Garir Headlight has still retained its mass appeal."
The popularity of the drama is such that Natasena has even got an invitation from Tripura. Even after the death of Roy in 1994, the production of Gorur Garir Headlight continued. "I am the senior-most actor in the group. As many 54 actors have performed the role of male characters in Gorur Garir Headlight and 26 actors performed the role of female characters in the last 50 years," said the president of Natasena Debabrata Bhattacharya.
