21 November,2010 08:50 AM IST | | Sowmya Rajaram
Fritz Karinthy's satire on the education system gets a desi twist this weekend. Indian public schools need to pull up their socks, suggests Avneesh Mishra's Refundu00a0
In a pokey classroom at a school in Versova, a motley group of seven is crying itself hoarse in a bid to change the education system. The cast of Refund, Avneesh Mishra's Hindi adaptation of a Hungarian play by the same name, is guaranteed to elicit laughs while jogging your soul, when it premieres at Rangsharda this evening.
Director Mishra says inspiration to tackle the subject of our sorry education system came from his classroom back in Gorakhpur. "I come from Kanpur, but I studied in Gorakhpur, where they make a mockery of education. The subject matter is outdated, and in most schools, teaching is undertaken only on paperu00a0-- there are no students or teachers in the classrooms," he says, braving the heat of a Wednesday afternoon as his cast sweats it out at a high-energy rehearsal next door.
Mishra's play takes on the Indian education system, tongue-firmly-in-cheek. A student called Buddhisagar goes back to school after 18 years to demand a refund of his fees, after realising he is a failure and was taught nothing of value.
Stumped, the school decides to test him, and get him to clear an exam that he can't possibly fail. Buddhisagar, on the other hand, tries his best to flunk.
Actor Gopal Tiwari takes on the role of the protagonist, who he believes is a tough one to play "because he is walking a fine line between being convinced about his case, and handling his rage against the system."
To us though, it looks like he's got it all figured out, as his rendition of an anguished Buddhisagar hits all the right notes at rehearsal. The rest of the cast --from an oddball group of teachers spearheaded by a corrupt principal, and a street-smart peon, support Tiwari's performance beautifully.
Actor-director Akarsh Khurana, who plays the principal and PT teacher, says, "He's a guy prone to aggression, but has clearly met his match in Buddhisagar. He can't outsmart Buddhi. He's a simple guy caught in an unusual situation. The sparring and conflict between him and the teachers is what makes for humour and sarcasm."
It's not all laughs, though, as the dark music that accompanies the entry of the teachers, and their subsequent plan to torture Buddhisagar, illustrates a little bit later. A satire on the way things work at most public schools in India, the script highlights Buddhisagar's traumau00a0-- teachers who taunt him for thinking differently or asking too many questions.
Refund, directed by Avneesh Mishra, featuring Akarsh Khurana, Gopal Tiwari, Shivani Tanksale, Sumeet Vyas, Satchuit Puranik, Pawan Uttam and Lokesh Raj, shows at the Rangsharda Auditorium, Bandra, today at 7.45 pm. Call 9820064230 or email kamalkaramchandani@rediffmail.com for details. Tickets available at the venue for Rs 400, Rs 300, Rs 250, Rs 150 and Rs 100.
