Shantata! Court Chalu Aahe: The Mock Trial That Was Never a Game
Vijay Tendulkar's Shantata! Court Chalu Aahe first came to the Marathi stage in 1967, and it is still counted among the landmarks of Marathi theatre. On the surface it begins lightly. A small amateur theatre group gathers for a rehearsal, and to pass the time, they stage a pretend court case. Then the game turns cruel. What is the play about? The "accused" in the mock trial is Leela Benare, an unmarried schoolteacher who is independent, cheerful and lives on her own terms. As the game goes on, the others accuse her of an immoral relationship and of killing an unborn child. What started as fun becomes a public tearing apart of her private life. Who are the people judging her? Kashinath Sawant, Balu Rokade, Sukhatme, Ponkshe, and Mr. and Mrs. Kashikar all look educated and respectable. Sukhatme, a lawyer, humiliates her in the name of law. Ponkshe, who thinks of himself as modern, turns out to be narrow-minded. The Kashikars hide their own disappointments by preaching mor...