comment on ambai's retelling of Sita's story crossing the river
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Answer:
In the first section of the play itself the river has begun to acquire a metaphorical meaning. In the traditional sense, it is a metaphor for life. In life too some things are clear while other are hidden. The woman’s speech and the river’s flow are going at the same slow pace. Just as the slow flowing river hides within it the fury that wreaks havoc when it breaches its banks, so also the play will build up to unleash the fury that lies buried and hidden inside any being who may appear to be
calm on the outside but may have buried within her/him the pain which comes from years of injustice and oppression.
Movement and action on stage is important for any performance. A stage cannot be static. It is a combination of action and dialogue that from the basis for sustaining the interest of the audience in a performance. One has to read meaning into every action that happens on stage. If the woman has shown one side of her face to the audience it may signify that she is about to reveal who she is.
The identity or the name of the river does not matter according to the woman who speaks. All rivers are the same. The actor’s movement on stage adds force to her speech. When she faces the audience and asks ‘Does it matter which river is it’ she is addressing them directly getting them involved in the performance and forcing them to think. One the metaphorical level the identity of the woman also should not matter because she speaks for all women down the ages till present times. The movement of an actor is an important aspect of his/her performance.