Club 7 and Our Superficial Society

Dayahang Rai and Rajan Khatiwada co- directed play , Club 7, is being played in Mandala theatre. Club 7 represents a establishment that caters to the people’s need of banquet, occasions and party.  It reveals three plots that occur at different points of time in the same setting. The three plots portrays superficiality of different natures.

Source: The Kathmandu Post

The first plot of a play shows the shallowness of a character that presumes dekhawatipan and bokrepan of our society. The genuineness is overshadowed by fake and show-off behaviours in order to enforce positive image of oneself to others and insert forcefully one’s importance and grandeur.

The second plot revolves around the superficiality in which a person tries to confirm to the societal assumptions of status by pulling off a grand theatrical lie. In this kind of superficiality a person claims to have achieved a summit when in fact he/she is in a rabbit hole.

Source: Street Nepal

The third plot spins around intellectual superficiality. This plot shows being a guffadi  and engaging in flattery and sycophancy are essential for getting social approval, praise, publicity and friendship. The real hard work, talent, ingenuity and genuineness on the other hand have to suffer indignation and humiliation. It is a satire to the intellectual shallowness of our society and disregard given to true talent and creator of greatest form of arts.

Club 7 might not strike to be a entertaining play but it certainly is a meaningful play. The characters of the play are portrayed by a fresh bunch of actors for which they need to be appreciated and encouraged. At the same time somewhere in the play the audience might not feel the intensity of the characters as it should be. Overall, the actors have done a good job and big thumps up to them.

For a meaningful and pondering evening with bits of entertainment, Club 7 is waiting for you in Mandala theatre.

The story and dreams of Degree Maila

The theatre is full packed and the audiences have the eagerness, excitement and anticipation of what’s going to happen. Then the play begins with wonderful and hilarious intro of the characters. Set in the backdrop of tea shop of a village with our own local characters then begin to regale the audiences which will last approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes. This is the journey of characters of Degree Maila. Degree Maila is the dreams, reality and the picture of a rural place of Nepal. It has very much its own local taste. It’s characters have their own tales and as much to their differences is their acute similarities as well. Alltogether there are 15 characters which have their own characters but they have the same story i.e of a rural place which yearns to become one day a place abundant with opportunities. Degree Maila as a character is introduced quiet a bit late in the character. But his brief encounter in the play is enough to make him the epicentre of the play.

cast of Degree Maila

He is the only to hold a masters degree in the whole village. He is a mysterious and contrasting character who tell the people of the village to be a human and have dreams. He compels the villagers to have a plan of the development of their village and shows them the riches that they can reap with the proper management of the village resources but sadly he is just the opposite in his personal life. He is a frustrated character who is unsure about himself. He is a drunkard and is unsuccessful lover who relates his lovestory with the tragedy of romeo and juliet, laila majnu and Munamadan. The play is not devoid of the playfulness and the hilarious moments which shake you with the laughter. It is full of them. In fact it makes you realize the subtle and philosophical nature of the play with its playful characters. The message of the Degree Maila is very poignant – Be a human and have dreams.

P.S. I took my best friend for the play. It was his first time. After the play got over he thanked me for taking him to see the play and he readily agreed to my plan for the next play in this week. If you want to realize the dreams of Degree Maila, tickers are selling fast at Mandala Theatre, Anamnagar.