BY DANIEL F DE SOUZA

WRITER, DIRECTOR and producer Tony Dias must surely be a happy man. His theatrical experiment on Mahanand Naik, the dreaded serial killer, entitled Mahanand Monis vo Soitan? on the Konkani stage has paid rich dividends. After waiting for tickets, I finally got the opportunity to watch the show at Gomant Vidya Niketan last Friday. Despite having staged the show at the same venue over 27 times, the show was still houseful and I had to literally pester Damu at the booking counter for a single ticket. The show has already crossed the magical figure of 60 shows and is still going strong. I understand the show is scheduled to undertake a Gulf tour followed by a few shows in the United Kingdom too.

People have been flocking to the theatres to watch the tiatr based on the sensational multiple murder episode that rocked Goa. I do not have to dwell much on the story since Goans are all too familiar with the heartless manner in which Mahanand Naik from Ponda taluka went about enticing young, illiterate unmarried women with the promise of marriage, and finally strangulated them with their own dupattas and killing them for the greed of gold.

RESEARCHED

TONY Dias has done a lot of research in scripting the play and narrating the facts in minute detail, as close to the real as possible. Despite the practical limitations a drama stage can put forth and the challenges it poses to innovative directors, Tony Dias has managed to go the extra mile to make the stage settings as appealing and realistic as possible.

The director scores full marks for the stage setting in which two sets stand out, winning the appreciation of the audience. The police station and the lock up are depicted in great detail. The different modes of interrogation adopted by the police are shown with a realistic touch. The ice block therapy, shock therapy and ‘hanging-by-the-feet’ therapy are carried out in a realistic manner with good light effects to support it. And, while the police station scene is in progress and the interrogation of the accused is carried out with ruthless intensity, the audience feels as though it has been automatically transferred to a real police station.
Another noteworthy stage set is the depiction of the Borim bridge, which is strong and big enough to withstand the weight of two artistes at a time riding together on a goods rickshaw. Mahanand commits one cold blooded murder atop the bridge and then dumps the victim’s body into the river. This scene is well enacted, especially the manner in which the victim’s body is dumped with clinical finish and the light effects, prompting the satisfied audience to applaud.

BORIM BRIDGE

THE Borim bridge scene, which is part of the play, has in fact been touted as the highlight of the show from the day it was released. It is not a small task to prop a bridge on stage, and to perfection! A lot of backstage effort is required to erect the pre-fabricated structure and dismantle it within a fixed time frame. It is here that the backstage team scores full marks for their team effort.

Among the various characters involved in the play, Franky Gonsalves, who plays the lead role of the dreaded killer Mahanand Naik, stands out for his superlative performance. His suspicious characterisation, facial expressions, diction, dress code and excellent body language all contribute to make his role special. The director’s decisive choice in using Franky for this challenging role also needs to be complemented. It only confirms his good sense of imagination and belief in the skills of the actor.

Veteran Jaju Fernandes as Investigating Officer Johnson is another artiste who virtually lives his role on stage. The manner in which he acts his part while investigating Mahanand is true to life. Another talented artiste is Jessica Vaz, who plays a double role in the production; first as Mahanand’s victim and later as another victim’s mother. Jessica is exceptional as the aged village woman. She is well supported by her husband (actor Peter).

Bhingui, a popular mimicry artiste from Goa, finds a place in this play. He plays the role of the state home minister. And what a home minister he turns out to be! I really don’t think the audience could have asked for more from this young man. If the management of the Konkani monthly Gulab institutes a Gulab Award for ‘best supporting actor’ any time in the future, this should undoubtedly go to Bhingui for his role in Mahanand Monis vo Soitan?

HUMOUR

Comedy takes a back seat in this play when the audience is so well focused on the engrossing main plot. There is nothing much to comment on with regard to comedy though. However, it is the firebrand female comedian Janet who provides hilarious fireworks with her individual outbursts, together with comedian Ambe. The songs are an average offering, but the political duet that stands out is the one by Peter-Roshan. The music score is fairly good with James on the keyboards providing the special touch at crucial moments, enhancing the presentation on stage. The lighting is appropriate and timely and everything seems to be well synchronised in taking Mahanand Monis vo Sotian? to a great finish.

Mahanand Monis vo Soitan? may or may not surpass the record number of shows (200) staged by comedian Agostinho’s Police (Part I). In fact, it need not. But the verdict is loud and clear. As far as the real life story depiction, scripting considering its sensationalism, presentation, direction, stage settings, backstage coordination and individual acting is concerned, it is the show of the decade. That perhaps explains why people are watching it over and over again. Don’t’ miss it!