Play ‘Bhapa Ji Da Trunk’ depicts plight of elderly in today’s society

The 25th edition of the National Theatre Festival being held at Virsa Vihar by Manch-Rangmanch today presented the play, ‘Bhapa Ji Da Trunk’. A satire on the status of elderly in our society and their value in comparison to their belongings, the play has been written and directed by Manchpreet. The festival has been curated by eminent theatre person Kewal Dhaliwal, who called this play a ‘mirror of what’s happening around us’.

On the outside, ‘Bhapa Ji Da Trunk’ is a family comedy. But dig deeper and you are able to witness layers that speak of loneliness being faced by our elders, apathy, fear of becoming irrelevant and challenges of fast paced modern family system. The story of the play revolves around the elderly head of a middle-class family, Bakshish Singh. The play attempts to tell what kind of behaviour children adopt to grab property in the family. Bakshish Singh’s family eyes a trunk, a material metaphor for his treasure trove of a lifetime, and all attempts made to posses the trunk and its belongings. While his family neglects the owner of the trunk, they have the desire to own the mysterious belongings inside. In the climax, a twist not only takes you by surprise but also leaves you pondering whether what you saw was an enactment or a reality.

The greed we display while taking responsibility of our elderly, a generation that is becoming just a means of gaining heritage or money, becomes an underlying theme here. The play throws light on issues that our elderly have been facing in society.

Manchpreet said, “The play showcases clever tactics adopted by children to gain control of family property while addressing social issues with a touch of humour. The twist in the plot unfolds after the interval, adding an element of suspense that can only be experienced by watching the play.”