When the threat of gunfire is rebuffed with reasoning

Originally written by Sanjay Pawar in Marathi and staged for the first time in 2001, the one- act Hindi play '1947 to AK-47' is in sync with modern times, even 21 years later. Set in the communally-charged milieu of the early 1990s in Mumbai, which saw riots after Babri Masjid demolition, the one-hour event reprised in Hindi by Rangadhara The Theatre Stream and adapted, designed and directed by Suhas Barve is a bold act with no punches held back.

Using two contrasting characters, one a social worker in a Gandhian mould - Mila Deb essaying the character of Nirmala Bhave and Nikhil Madhekar portraying the character of Vinayak Patwardhan, a hotheaded assassin (armed with a AK-47 rifle and on the run from the police) who takes refuge in her house for a night, the play is an engrossing watch.

Using minimal props and avoiding forced diversions, the proceedings on the stage confine itself to the angst and torment of the troubled youngster who argues passionately about how our country has been constantly cheated by politicians and how the dangerous game of communalism and minority appeasement has often ended up hurting the majority community.

In her own measured and assertive manner, the social worker, who avoids a confrontation during the initial moments with the alleged murderer, controls the situation as the time goes by with her maturity and experience. Replying to the young man's queries, out to create havoc in a neighbouring slum housing the Muslim community, she reasons out with him effectively.

This naturally forms the central theme of the play which has been handled very well and is careful not to take sides but presenting both of them as dispassionately as possible. Using a very appealing blend of emotion and action, both the characters put forth their versions of how they see their lives unfold. The Gandhian even holds the bomb which is in possession of the hate-monger for a brief while and laments about how the path of violence would have taken the country into a different phase. Still, she protects the refuge seeker and makes him comfortable before probing fellow members of her team, when they suddenly land up at her door. The reformation of the dreaded desperado that follows is an obvious twist but it is done with sufficient weight invested in the senior artiste's character, which lights up the climax at the end.