'Charandas Chor' is originally an adaptation of a Rajasthani folklore written by Vijaydan Detha.Habib Tanvir wrote the drama based on this story in the year 1975.



New from of theatrical Experiment:

Habib Tanvir was known for his experimentations in Indian drama.He staged his plays with mammoth casts. 'Charandas Chor' for example had a huge cast during its first production.There were 72 people on stage which was something unheard of in indian theatre.His experiments with the folk elements also blossomed in 'Charandas Chor'.the folk songs, the 'Naach',which is a famous Chattisgarhi dramatic style, evolved in an accomplished form in 'Charandas Chor'.

Tanvir's style:

Tanvir's style hed a compelling force.He could combine excellent story-telling aspect with his theatrical innovations.He used local contexts but had the genius to add universal impulse in them.'Charandas Chor' depicts the existing social order as a disorder.There are also songs used by the Panthis and the Rawats;though the dialect is local yet the appeal is universal.

Theme:

There are multiple themes in the play 'Charandas Chor'.'Charandas Chor' is infact conceived in terms of paradoxes and contradictions.A noble thief is capable of showing an integrity which neither rulers nor holy men are capable of.This drama inspired bangla boi or bangla cinema .The juxtaposition of the opposites in a human society is another theme discussed by habib Tanvir.Here, the rich are spiritually poor and the poor are apiritually rich enough.His protagonist exposes the meaninglessness of the rigidity of the popular themes of religion, state and social economy.

Folk elements:



A folktale generally has a setting removed from the real world.But 'Charandas Chor' is a satire on the society and has a realistic setting.Yet there are enough features of a folktale in 'Charandas Chor'.The characters of the play are motivated by the common desires like greed, selfishness or jealousy.The action is simple and straightforward and the play has certain moral messages as well.The songs used in the play represent the folk tradition.

Conflict:

A drama must have conflicts.If there is no conflict, there is no drama.There are external as well as internal conflicts in 'Charandas Chor'.The external conflicts are between rich and poor, materialism and spiritualism, state and individual, falsity and truth.The internal conflict takes place in the mind of an individual.Charandas experiences such internal conflict when the gueen's beauty, yet he is reminded of his vows to the Guru.The queen also undergoes an internal conflict.She is caught in the queenly ego and she suffers for that.

Use of paradoxes and contradictions:

The drama 'Charandas Chor' has a number of paradoxes and contradictions in it.There reveal the complexities of life.Truth and lie co-exist here.In this play, a thief is so generous that he steals for the wellbeing of the poor.An affluent landlord cannot share a mere kilo of rice with the unfed.A religious priest is extremely materialistic.A guru is expected to guide people by his selfless attitude, but he is found to be more self-centred.Thus, the change of the roles of characters present in different spheres of the society constitute the paradoxical situations in the drama at the same time complex and interesting.

Synopsis of the Drama:

Charandas, a thief, tour quảng châu comes in contact with a guru who asks him to alwaya tell the truth.Charandas swears to do so.He is firm in his resolve to follow the truth.In the course of the action in the drama, Charandas comes in contact with businessmen, religious gurus and administrators.All appear to pale before the honesty of charandas.He tells his true motives to his victims, tour quảng châu but they fail to understand him.Ultimately, honesty costs Charandas his life.The masterpiece of Habib Tanvir was written in 1975.It satirizes the society through fun.The twists of the play are both humorous and interesting.An honest thief is pitted against dishonest citizens and thereby the theme of the drama has a great social relevance.