Satish Alekar's landmark Marathi classic Begum Barve receives an accomplished revival under Gaurav Kanekar, proving why this groundbreaking play on gender, fantasy, memory, and theatre continues to resonate powerfully across generations of audiences. By Prof. Dr. Avinash Kolhe

Long before conversations around gender fluidity, performativity, and queer identity entered mainstream discourse, Satish Alekar's Begum Barve explored these themes through memory, fantasy, and performance. The play remains a landmark because it refuses conventional realism, blending illusion and reality while examining the emotional lives of ordinary people trapped between desire and social expectation. Despite receiving relatively few productions over the decades, it has become one of the most studied works of modern Indian theatre and continues to inspire new generations of directors and scholars. 

Every new generation of theatre groups wants to perform established classics. In Europe and the USA, Shakespeare is performed regularly, and in Marathi theatre, classics like Tendulkar's Sakharam Binder and Elkunchwar's Wada Chirebandi are frequently staged by younger theatre groups. In this category, one must include Satish Alekar's (b. 1949) Begum Barve, first staged in 1979. It remains my favourite play. A couple of weeks ago, Pune's young brigade, led by Gaurav Kanekar, staged this extremely difficult work in Mumbai.

Satish Alekar, a founder-member of Pune's legendary Theatre Academy, first attracted attention when his play Mahanirvan was presented in 1974. The very next year came Mahapoor, followed by Begum Barve in 1979.

The Story That Changed Marathi Theatre

By the time Begum Barve reached the stage, actors like Dr. Mohan Agashe and Chandrakant Kale had already carved out a niche for themselves. Begum Barve presented them in an entirely new and lovable light. The play has earned numerous awards and accolades. In 2009, its 30th anniversary was celebrated with much fanfare. 

Here, the central character is Barve, who has seen the best years of Marathi musical theatre during the pre-Independence era. Though never cast in the principal female role, he was always part of the troupe, playing secondary female characters. Barve was a permanent member of the supporting cast. However, with the arrival of the talkies, theatre companies slowly died out. This left people like Barve unemployed, without any marketable skills. Barve finds work with Shyamrao, a small manufacturer of incense sticks. He sells them door to door, earning a modest living. Thus, Barve and Shyamrao survive on a frugal income.

Fantasy, Desire and Harsh Reality

This is one strand of the story. Another concerns Bawdekar and Jawdekar, two ageing, unmarried, upper-caste clerks who share a room, a tiffin, and fantasies about Mrs. Nalawade, their office colleague. They cannot marry because their value in the marriage market is almost nil. The cruel marriage market demands that the bridegroom possess a decent education, a respectable job, and a home.

Their frustration finds expression in fantasies involving the androgynous Begum Barve and Mrs. Nalawade. Their dreams are shattered by Shyamrao, a harsh realist and a frustrated middle-aged man. He ruthlessly exposes Begum Barve in more ways than one. Begum, too, is forced to accept reality and returns to his former life with Shyamrao.

A Remarkable New Production

This outstanding two-act play is simultaneously a black comedy and an absurdist drama. It is extremely difficult to write a play like this. Alekar's skill lies in his ability to weave a deeply moving story about a second-rung stage actor of a bygone era without resorting to cheap sentimentality. And yes, it is equally difficult to stage, but Gaurav Kanekar and his team have pulled off the near-impossible. It should also be noted that this production does not encourage senior viewers to compare it with the original cast featuring Dr. Mohan Agashe as Shyamrao and Chandrakant Kale as Begum Barve.

In its new avatar, Bramha Hande (Begum Barve), Stimit Sane (Shyamrao), Sameer Diwakar (Jawdekar), and Mayank Patankar (Bawdekar) have all done a marvellous job. Sanket Parkhe (lighting) and Saket Kanetkar (music) ably support this demanding production. A special mention must also be made of costume designer Pooja Khanolkar, who has thoughtfully dressed all four characters, transporting viewers back to the 1940s.

A Worthy Revival

All this comes together under the assured direction of Gaurav Kanekar. Reviving a classic as layered, challenging, and culturally significant as Begum Barve is no small achievement. Kanekar and his ensemble deserve full credit for introducing a masterpiece of modern Marathi theatre to a new generation while preserving the emotional complexity and theatrical brilliance that have made it enduring. Great job reviving a difficult classic.