Majipa Lakhe is a surreal tale of a demon—after whom the play is title—who falls in love with a young woman from the Kathmandu Valley. The woman is the daughter of a farmer, and the story revolves around Lakhe’s and Balamaicha’s attempts at living happily ever after in a society of men who have been taught to despise those who are different.

The antagonistic-seeming protagonist here is a symbol of fear and is capable of immense destruction. But paradoxically, throughout the story, he helps farmers increase their crop yields, and he loves and sacrifices while the people of the town trap him out of fear and insecurity.

The Lakhe and Balamaicha in the play are portrayed by Pawan Jha and Pabitra Khadka respectively. Jha seems quite comfortable on stage, considering the fact that playing the part of a demon demands a lot of energy and is not an easy feat, although, at times it feels like his voice is not hoarse enough to suit his stage-ego. It’s not a major impediment, but such clichés always help the audience to relate better to the act. Mayathaku (Loonibha Tuladhar), Drunkard (Krishna Bhakta Mahrajan), Dhanbir (Jeevan Baral) and the young man (Roshan Meheta) add to the exuberance of the show with their performances.

The play, works as a breather for drama-enthusiasts in the city, owing to the fact that—for a change—it focuses on medieval Kathmandu, unlike most plays that are based on borrowed stories or ones that are so heavily rooted in social realism. Majipa Lakhe is a tale that sways between dream and reality, and to achieve the dream-ambience, the play makes use of green and red lights. The fact that the stage is not dark enough during the transitional periods—when the sets are changed—is a put off, though. This disrupts the flow that the narrative weaves for the viewers.  

Majipa Lakhe is a demanding story because some of the parts are actually very bizarre visually—the drunkard’s dream and the Lakhe’s superpowers, for example. It is challenging to depict such imagery through a traditional medium that has its limitation. Regardless, the cast and the crew have to be credited for tackling such problems the way they have. The fact that the audience will be able to learn a thing or two about an ancient culture through the play is an achievement in itself.

The play will be staged till May 14 at the Gothale Theatre, within the Shilpee premises, Battisputali.