DELHI

Theatre

Mori a Venezia

27 September

The Il Carro dei Comici company will perform in Italian, and they want you to come by even if you don’t speak the language. They specialize in the medieval Italian tradition of improvisational theatre called Commedia dell’Arte, which features stock characters such as the trickster, the scaramouche or buffoon, the lover and the shrewish housewife. Commedia makes liberal use of the body and of the development of ‘scenari’, or fixed plots. The actors improvise, singing, dancing and performing in pantomime, and use Italian theatre masks.

‘Mori a Venezia’ is based mainly on William Shakespeare’s ‘The Merchant of Venice’, but also includes subplots from ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and ‘Othello’.

8pm. Habitat World, India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road (43663333). Entry by invitation only. For details, call 26871901.

Art

Gieve Patel—Select works

Ongoing

Gieve Patel is a physician, poet, playwright and painter all rolled into one. A retrospective show of his sketches, sculptures and paintings from the 1970s to 2007 tracks the trajectory of his life.

1-7pm, Monday-Saturday. Gallery Threshold, F-213/A, Lado Sarai (41829181).]

Carte 7

From 25 September

Works on paper by seven contemporary Italian women artists: Primarosa Cesarini Sforza, Giancarla Frare, Rosanna Granata, Elisa Montessori, Anna Onesti, Suzanne Santoro and Silvia Stucky.

The show is curated by Mary Angela Schroth, director of Gallery Sala 1 in Rome. Carte 7 showcases a range of techniques, from beautiful watercolours and gouache to elaborate mixed media works.

10am-5pm, Monday-Saturday. Italian Embassy Cultural Centre, 50E, Chandragupta Marg, Chanakyapuri (26871901).

Dance

Bhoomika

29-30 September

Established in 1972, the “creative dance centre” Bhoomika boasts of an impressive pedigree in contemporary Indian dance. This fortnight, it is celebrating the 85th birth anniversary of its founder, choreographer Narendra Sharma (1924-2008). A documentary on Sharma will be screened, apart from a new presentation Nightingale, which is based on nationalist poet Sarojini Naidu’s anthology The Golden Threshold, published in 1905. The second day will feature five dancers and choreographers paying tribute to Sharma with solo and group works.

7pm. Habitat World, India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road (43663333).

Music

41st Sabrang Utsav

26-27 September

Organized annually by Malti Gilani, this is the only event dedicated to the memory of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan. The line-up includes Gilani (26 September), one of the few remaining disciples of Khan. Gilani is also the founder of Bade Ghulam Ali Yaadgar Sabha, which has kept the legacy of the legend alive.

The other artist for the evening is dhrupad legend Ustad Fahimuddin Dagar, who will present a vocal recital. The concluding day will feature a vocal recital by Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan, who belongs to the Rampur Sahaswan gharana, and a rudra veena recital by Ustad Asad Ali Khan.

6pm. India International Centre auditorium, 40, Max Mueller Marg, Lodhi Estate (24619431).

Parachute XVI

30 September

A performance by the Bangalore-based progressive rock outfit. The gig is part of the venue’s National Edition band nights.

9pm. Mocha Bar, Shop No. 8 and 9, Satyam Cineplex, Plot No. 45, Nehru Place (26466733). For details, call the venue.

Nightlife

Ultrafunk

25 September

Kunaal Sharma aka “the professor” (27), Ankit Verma (25) and Ajit Sarathi (25) call themselves Ultrafunk—a name that’s been buzzing around Delhi circuits for a while now. They play melodic progressive house with some full-on tech sounds and great dance music. The trio has been DJing separately for years now, and also tweaking knobs as producers.

Ai, MGF Metropolitan Mall, second floor, District Centre, Saket (40654567). For entry charges and timings, call the venue.

MUMBAI

Theatre

S*x, M*rality & Cens*rship

29-30 September

Director Sunil Shanbag’s play draws a comparison between censorship in the 1970s and the 2000s as he describes the court case lodged by director Kamalakar Sarang against the state’s ban on ‘Sakharam Binder’ after just its fourth show. To provide context, video grabs from films, ads and radio jingles of the 1970s will be projected on a screen.

9pm. Prithvi Theatre, Janki Kutir, Juhu Church Road, Vile Parle (W) (26149546). Tickets, Rs 80. For details, call the venue.

Art

Volte

Ongoing

Kiran Kaur Brar, Mukul Deora, Qusai Kathawala and Tara Kelton kick-start Tushar Jiwarajka’s new gallery, which also has a café and a “curated” bookshop.

The gallery promises to show unfamiliar artists who do exciting, experimental work.

11am-7pm, Monday-Saturday. 2/19, Kamal Mansion, first floor, Arthur Bunder Road, Colaba (66156796).

Dance

Breaking Boundaries

1 October

Between November and April, 62-year-old contemporary dancer Astad Deboo conducted a workshop in Delhi in association with the Salaam Balaak Trust, which resulted in Deboo’s new work Breaking Boundaries. The theme, says Deboo, is to “push the boundaries of one’s bodies”. It falls in line with much of his work and his general approach towards his art, which has consistently pushed the conventional notions of dance in India.

7pm. Experimental Theatre, National Centre for the Performing Arts, Nariman Point (66223737). Tickets, Rs300.

Music

Western classical concert

26-27 September

Alexander Anissimov conducts Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony in a concert that will feature soprano Elena Kelessidi, mezzo-soprano Agnieska Zwierko, tenor Anando Mukerjee and bass baritone Vuyani Mlinde.

7pm. Jamshed Bhabha Theatre, National Centre for the Performing Arts, Nariman Point (66223737). Tickets, Rs400, Rs800, Rs1,200, Rs1,600 and Rs2,000.

Theatre

Cyrusitis

26 September

Kunal Vijaykar is one half of the cast of Cyrusitis, a sketch show starring television comedian Cyrus Broacha. Written by Broacha and directed by Vijayakar, the production runs with the tag line, The One-and-a-Half Man Show, a reference to the fact that Vijayakar plays a woman too. The show finds Broacha trading in his tee and shorts for a Dick Tracy-style suit, exchanging banter with videotaped characters projected on a screen.

He has conversations with Amitabh Bachchan, Sachin Tendulkar and Richard Gere, all of whom have featured on his CNN-IBN spoof show, The Week that Wasn’t. He also has a chat with an image of himself dressed as his mother.

BANGALORE

Theatre

Proof

26 September

David Auburn’s Pulitzer-winning play ‘Proof’ is the story of Catherine, a gifted young woman who has spent years caring for Robert, her unstable, but brilliant mathematician father.

7.30pm. Kyra, 2001, third floor, HAL 2nd Stage, 100-Foot Road, Indira Nagar (9632203333). Tickets, Rs499.

Art

India 9 to 5: Our Cities at Work

26 September-8 October

To mark its 30th anniversary, the Mid Day group of newspapers commissioned 10 photographers from across the country to shoot a series of pictures capturing the essence of a day in 10 different cities. Each photographer was assigned one city—Anusha S. Yadav (Kozhikode), Anwar Mirza (Pune), Dinesh Khanna (Chandigarh), Fawzan Husain (Hyderabad), Navroze Contractor (Ahmedabad), Prashant Panjiar (Bangalore), Ryan Paul Lobo (Chennai), Saibal Das (Kolkata), Sohrab Hura (Delhi) and Vidura Jang Bahadur (Mumbai).

10am-6pm, Monday-Saturday. Tasveer, Sua House, 26/1, Kasturba Cross Road (22128358). Opens 26 September, 6pm.

Dance

Hampi Utsav

25-26 September

Vijayanagar in Bangalore is being renamed Hampinagar. To commemorate this, dancers, musicians and poets from the area have come together to organize a two-day festival.

On 25 September, Shambhavi Dance Ensemble will present Bhavya Bhoomi. Vyjayanthi Kashi, director of the ensemble, explains the production as “a homage to the richness of Karnataka with its scenic lands, flowing waters and spiritual poets”. On 26 September, there will be a performance by Prabhat Kalavidaru, one of the first troupes to present Indian classical dance forms in the form of ballet. The group was created in 1930 by four brothers, Gopinath Dasa, Karigiri Dasa, Jaisimha Dasa and Dwarakanath. It was initially called Gururaja Orchestra and Nataka Mandali, and was based in Tumkur. Later, financial trouble and a quest for a larger audience brought the family to Bangalore. The group was renamed Prabhat Kalavidaru in 1942.

7pm. RPC Layout playground, near the main bus terminal, Hampinagar (9535593909).

Bharatanatyam

1 October

Charles Ma will perform a traditional margam of Bharatanatyam. He will begin with a pushpanjali, an invocatory piece. The other pieces will be the varnam, Natakuranji, based on Chidambaram, the presiding deity at the temple in Madurai. The margam will end with a thillana, a pure sequence.

6.30pm. Nayana, Kannada Bhavan, JC Road (22221271).

Music

Acrid Semblance

28 September

The Delhi band brings its vicious guitar attack and keyboard flourishes to this gig.

7.30pm. Kyra, 2001, Katti-Ma Centre, 100-Foot Road, Indira Nagar (43419999). Entry, Rs299.

CHENNAI

— By Vidhya Sivaramakrishnan

Film

Unnaipol Oruvan

Kamal Haasan’s new film, the bilingual ‘Unnaipol Oruvan’ (‘Eenadu’ in Telugu), hit theatres on 18 September. Directed by Chakri Toleti, it’s a remake of Neeraj Pandey’s ‘A Wednesday’ (2008). Haasan takes on Naseeruddin Shah’s role as the anonymous caller and veteran Malayalam actor Mohanlal plays the police commissioner. The background score has been composed by Shruti Haasan.

Across cinemas.

Art

Stuthi

Till 30 September

Prakrit Art Gallery is presenting an exhibition of paintings titled Stuthi by Manisha Raju. The paintings are a manifestation of the various forms of goddess Durga.

Primary colours are dominant in the paintings, which depict contemporary women in the forms of the goddess.

Raju says the form of Durga, “full of force and energy”,

inspires her.

11am-6pm. Prakrit Art Gallery, 9, Dhandayudhapani Nagar, Kotturpuram (42188989).

Around town

Fine diamond jewellery

25-26 September

The Madras Terrace House, in association with Bunny Mehtani, presents the Vibha Rupani collection of fine diamond and jadau jewellery from Mumbai. The exhibition promises classic and contemporary designs. Vibha Rupani’s creations retail in boutiques across Mumbai, New Delhi and Dubai.

11am-7.30pm. The Madras Terrace House, 15, Sri Puram, 2nd Street, off RK Salai, Royapettah. For details, call Kaveri (45038391, 9840530269).

Club Degustation

25 September

The Alliance Française de Madras, in association with Courtyard Marriott, presents an evening of French cheese from Daniel Dubosclard’s La Fromagerie Bangalore, complemented with red and white wines from Four Seasons wines, sponsored by United Spirits Ltd. Dubosclard, cheese master at La Fromagerie Fresh Foods Pvt. Ltd, has 15 years of experience in the business. Each participant will get a platter of cheese and two glasses of red and white wine with French bread.

7pm. Courtyard Marriott, 564, Anna Salai (28279803). Participation fee, Rs350 for Alliance Française de Madras members; Rs450 for others.

Books

Chennai Book Fest 2009

27 September-4 October

The first annual Chennai Book Fest 2009 is being organized by Good Pastor International Book Centre/Better Yourself Books. The focus of the exhibition will be on value-based literature. The fest promises to feature around 5,000 titles in various categories, including family life, self-help, personality development, philosophy, theology, education, cookery, novels and medicine.

10am-8.30pm. St Mary’s Anglo Indian Boys Higher Secondary School auditorium, 110, Armenian Street, Broadway. For details, call 9884082754, 9840198867.

Theatre

Hansel and Gretel Kids Centre’s theatre presentation

25 September

All the children who took part in the Hansel and Gretel Kids Centre’s recently concluded creative drama camp will present three plays at Vani Mahal. Valli Arunachalam, principal, Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan (Nungambakkam), will be the chief guest.

6pm. Vani Mahal, Sri P Obul Reddy Hall, GN Chetty Road, T. Nagar. For details, call 28152549.

KOLKATA

— By Indranil Bhoumik

Theatre

Rudhhsangeet

25 September

Written and directed by Bratya Basu, the play traces three decades of struggle in the life of an artist. ‘Rudhhsangeet’ is one of the most famous productions of Bengali theatre. The lead protagonist is played by Debabrata Biswas.

It deals with the protagonist’s involvement with, and eventual fallout from, Gananatya Sangha, his renunciation of the Communist Party, differences with the music board of Biswabharati University, his inexorable rise to fame and opposition to socially renowned institutions. Other artists include Hemango Biswas, Salil Choudhuri, Ritwik Ghatak, Sambhu Mitra, Bijon Bhattacharya, Tripti Mitra, Jyoti Basu, Pramod Dasgupta, Suchitra Mitra and Manjushree Chaki Sarkar.

3pm and 6.30pm. Academy of Fine Arts, 2, Cathedral Road, Tickets, Rs100 and Rs60. For details, call 9830427345.

Art

Third annual Devi show

Till 21 November

Tejas Gallery is organizing its third annual Devi show. This time the exhibits include both gods and goddesses. The 24 participating artists, including Ashok Ganguly, Dhiren Sasmal, Apurba Pal, Sujata Chakravarty, Dilip Sasmal, Bibek Pal and Jogen Chowdhury have portrayed their favourite deities in the form and colours of their choice, making this an extremely vibrant collection.

1-7.30pm, daily. Tejas Art Gallery, 11, Mayfair Road, opposite Ice Skating Rink. Closed 24-27 September. For details, call 9830049825.

GenNext IV

1-15 October

GenNext, the annual show of Aakriti Art Gallery, was conceived to promote young artists aged below 40. This year, the organizers selected 34 artists from about 600 entries. The list also includes a few participants from the US, South Korea and Pakistan.

12-7pm. Aakriti Art Gallery, Orbit Enclave, first floor, 12/3A, Picasso Bithi, Hungerford Street. Closed on Sundays. For details, call 22893027, 22895041.

Theatre

Daaho

26 September

Daaho, written by Mohit Chattopadhyay and directed by Anish Ghosh, explores a crisis afflicting our society: Why do we suffer because of individuals who crave success at the cost of others’ welfare?

6.30pm. Tapan Theatre, 37-AB, Sadananda Road Kalighat, near Rash Behari crossing. Tickets, Rs20, Rs30, Rs40 and Rs60. For details, call 9830042004.

Helmet

27 September

A satiric play written by Rajat Ghosh and directed by Anish Ghosh, Helmet speaks about how excessive consideration for others can push humanity to the brink of disaster in the most inhuman manner.

6.30pm. Academy of Fine Arts, 2, Cathedral Road. Tickets, Rs20, Rs30, Rs40 and Rs60. For details, call 9830042004.

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