Produced by Dark Studio and presented by Natokiyo, Chandrahoter Kutir is certainly Prithiwis Rana’s most mature and refined directorial venture till date. Rana’s decision to work with a complex text like Chandrahoter Kutir is a brave one, foun­ded equally in his confi­dence in his own abilities and his faith in Ujjwal Chattopadhyay’s sensitive and perceptive dramatised rendering of Rabishankar Bal’s novel. The vastly
experienced Chattopadhyay has masterfully adapted Bal’s text, keeping intact the elements of magic realism and phantasmagoria that are absolutely fundamental to the narrative about an assorted group of lunatics — actually drug addicts and alcoholics — confined in a rehabilitation centre.

The set designed by Abhra Dasgupta (who has also designed the lights) comprises structures resembling prison cells and a huge net hanging in the background, visually underlining the captive state of the inmates. The key and dominating component of the set, however, is a rather steep, sloping platform. As characters constantly move up and down the incline, unique perspectives and vantages seem to emerge and dissolve — both Rana and Dasgupta deserve to be feted for their creative spatial imagination that allows the height of the stage space (rarely used in theatre) to be brought into meaningful play.

Of the actors, Nilanjan Ganguly as the Japanese poet/traveller, Matsuo Basho, stands out with a performance marked by exemplary poise and control. Ganguly, choosing to consistently underplay rather than stridently portray his character, has been able to capture and convey the hauntingly spectral presence of this figure. Partha Sarathi Sarkar as Monotosh Basu (a character into which Rabishankar Bal infused autobiographical strands) portrays his persona’s insecurities, desires and despairs with convincing power. Rajrakhal as the androgynous Hiralal is effective in suggesting a system of surveillance and suppression, while Moumita Dutta as Cheri carries her character with energy, though tending to sound shrill at times. In the final analysis, Chandrahoter Kutir remains a stirring tribute to marginal existences that various societal structures unkindly collude to hide away from view.