Tale Older than Great Epic Mahabharata Struggles to Find a Home in Pune 

Musical theatre in Maharashtra suffers at the hands of disinterest and neglect from newer generations. 

26 April 2024

By Khushi Maheshwari

The story of Satyavati, wife of King Shantanu, mother to Ved Vyasa — the scribe of the Hindu epic Mahabharata — told through the eyes of Vasant Kanetkar in his musical ‘Sangeet Matsyagandha’ struggles to find audiences and a stage to adapt itself to life. 

This is why there will be many more valuable things at stake than just entertainment when the drama Sangeet Matsyagandha opens on Sunday night at the auditorium of Shriram Lagoo Rang Avakash. 

Sanjay Gosavi, the producer of the play — who also enacts the character of Bhishma Pitamah on stage — meticulously described the obstacles that come in their way to find sangeet natak in these times. He said that the viewership the play gets has also become uncertain, which leads to a financial crunch. Even on the performance front, he added, it has become difficult to find actors and vocalists at short notice. Only seldom do performers from the current generation volunteer for performances like these, which call for considerable skill in acting, singing and a proficiency in Marathi. 

The character of Satyavati or Matsyagandha is played by veteran theatre artist Asmita Chinchalkar. Matsyagandha got her name because she smelled like fish and that is what this name literally translates to. Gosavi and Chinchalkar are two of the trustees of Kaladwyee, an organisation that has focused solely on musical theatre for the past 20 years.

Gosavi, whose first performance in a rendition of Sangeet Matsyagandha was 20 years back, shed light on how the play showcases the splendour of the Marathi language. He distinguishes the play from contemporary theatre works curated by the last generation of writers and performers and says that although they were great, none of them withhold the magnificence of Marathi language, culture and traditions. Additionally, he expressed concern over the rapidly depleting figures of professional groups dedicated to musical theatre in both Pune and Mumbai on account of lack of support. 

Commenting on the blistering nature of people nowadays, he gave the example of one of the characters of the play — Bhishma — who suffers through trying situations but still delivers on his promises. He encouraged people to be more like him instead of forgetting the words they give to others. 

The current production has employed contemporary stage design to complement contemporary aesthetics, all the while upholding the standards of Sangeet Matsyagandha as performed over the decades. Spanning approximately 3 hours in duration, the skit delves into over 70 decades of Satyavati’s life and the artists are adamant on gripping the attention of the audience. Sangeet Rangbhoomi is equal to a generational heirloom bestowed upon civilizations by Maharashtra. Gosavi and his team are attempting to keep in sync with the tradition and pass the art on to the next generation.