Munmun’s drama remains relevant in the current context of Nepal as almost every family in Nepal has someone working or studying abroad. Photo: Chandra Bahadur Ale
They say patience is a virtue. But, the question is how long one can have your patience and how does it feel to wait for someone you love for years. Can someone dedicate their entire life to someone they only hope is in their life?
If you want to find the answers to the above questions, watch the drama Munmun, which is performed in Mandala Theatre, Kathmandu. Of course, it’s a story of a long boring wait, but it makes you love the art of theater more as you watch it. However, acting can seem relevant and irrelevant at the same time.
A story of each family.
Munmun is an adaptation of a chapter of Phirphire of Buddhisagar from writer-director Samrat Bhujel.
At the beginning of the drama, a tragic conversation takes place between a couple on stage. The husband is about to go to Muglan, or to a foreign land, as he wants to earn money and bring valuable jewelry to his wife.
However, the wife does not want to remain distant from her husband. She also doesn’t expect anything from her husband except to be with him.
Munmun’s drama remains relevant in the current context of Nepal as almost every family in Nepal has someone working or studying abroad. Every day, thousands of people leave the country to work abroad. They leave with the hope of a bright future working as foreign employees and even leaving their loved ones behind.
The work revolves around various themes ranging from the melancholy felt in the absence of loved ones to superstitious beliefs about witchcraft. But, it mainly focuses on the struggles of waiting for someone until the last minute.
Munmun features various characters, some of the prominent ones being Munmun (played by Prashansa Shiwakoti), Pawan (played by Shreeshesh Shrestha), Basanta (played by Diggaj Khatri) and Juthi Aama (played by Manisha Ojha).
relevant irrelevance
While the plot of the Munmum drama, in general, is relevant to the Nepali context, there are some features that cannot be easily related to reality.
The friendship between Pawan and Basanta shows the importance of having good friends in life. Pawan’s effort to recover Basanta’s memory, which he lost in a traffic accident, represents a true friendship, too true to be true in today’s context.
Meanwhile, Munmun and Juthi Aama’s dedication to waiting for their loved ones for a long time shows how hard it is to forget someone you have loved. However, in this world, Mumun and Juthi Aama’s respect for their lovers seems irrelevant. It is very difficult to find such a relationship in a modern age where people tend to get on with it as soon as possible and focus on their busy lives.
realistic acting
However, the actors in the Munmum drama have justified their roles with their naturally flowing realistic acting skills.
The drama has nine scenes, and all the scenes are set in different settings. In each scene, the actors themselves change the props. Their effort to change the setting in each scene is appreciable, but in some scenes it feels like they are taking a long time, which breaks the audience’s concentration.
Munmun mainly follows a tragic and serious story but has a comical side. It means that you can laugh while watching the play. Rocky Dada’s character, played by Samrat Bhujel, and his boys, who are usually drunk, make you laugh with their antics.
The best part of Munmun’s drama lies in his music. Kishor Maharjan on guitar, Suva Maharjan on dhime and tabla and Manoj Maharjan on flute have done a wonderful job. Also, the frequent dance performance by Shristhi Maharjan has added color to that music.
In the same way, the light work in the piece is impressive, creating the right mood for certain emotions that the characters represent according to the scenes. Kudos to Aditya Mishra for making it possible.
The only thing that bothers about Munmun’s drama is the unnecessarily used fog effects, which add no meaning to the play but irritate the audience.
Munmun will perform until March 4 at Mandala Theatre, Kathmandu at 5:15pm every day except Monday. There will be an additional show on Saturday at 1:30 pm.
