Bengali theatre has so many talented artists that we often find it difficult to recognise each of them. The sheer diversity of talent makes this all the more difficult. For instance, Torit Mitra, a prolific Bengali playwright now in his late 60s, had carved a niche for himself in Delhi and led the theatre group, Sansaptak, since 1992 but has hardly been celebrated in Calcutta. Thus when Rashbehari Sanketik, a new theatre group set up by his former protégés in Calcutta, staged a fantastic debut with Mitra’s Mritashouch, some of us were left wonderstruck.

The title, Mritashouch, has the ominous aura of Greek tragedies. As the action unfolds, we enter the heartland of Rajputana where a prodigal son (Sumit Kumar Roy) returns to his village home, to his mother (Priyanka Guha) and sister (Ratna Chakraborty) who fail to recognise him and mistake him for yet another boarder like the ones who occasionally come to enjoy the hospitality of their rustic accommodation. Mitra is so suave in his treatment of the backdrop and so subtle in exploring the dark layers of the relationship between the hosts and the guest that it took this reviewer quite a while to discover Albert Camus’s The Misunderstanding (Le Malentendu, 1943) running through Mritashouch.

Sashi Guha, the director, roped in Abhijit Acharya’s expertise to create a soundscape rooted in indigenous performance traditions. It worked wonders. The live music, spiced up by Roy’s ability to play the percussion instruments, kept the audience riveted besides intensifying dramatic tension at crucial moments. Kastury Chattopadhyay’s choreography added colour to the rustic charm as the costumes were suggestive of the Seventies.

As for the cast, the young chorus disappointed. But the primary actors, including the charming Chitrangada Samajdwar playing the hero’s wife and Soumen Halder playing the mysterious patriarch, delivered top-notch performances. Guha developed her character slowly and burst forth in the climax, while Chakraborty mostly matched her intensity. Roy’s naivete works in his favour as he crafted yet another glorious portrayal with effortless ease.