BackThe return of the natives
A theatre festival of seasoned, regional productions
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For theatre aficionados, Nehru Centre’s Theatre Festival (A Retrospective Of Theatre In India) comes as an annual treat. And its 18th edition, which brings together a pastiche of well-appreciated regional plays from across the country, begins 16 September. This year, the festival is dedicated to the memory of eminent musicologist and theatre personality Anand Modak.
L.A. Kazi, the centre’s culture director, sees the theatre festival “as a means to promote the concept of India as a truly multilingual, diverse and multicultural nation", while a former director of the National School of Drama, Ram Gopal Bajaj (director of Kaamiya, one of the most anticipated plays this time), is enthusiastic about the “cultural exposure and interactions it provides for the audience and the celebrated, locally known, vernacular theatre groups alike". Of course, regulars at the festival, like architect Mohsin Irani, believe it is the carefully selected smorgasbord of emotions and creativity on display that is the biggest takeaway.
The 18th edition will have 11 plays in Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Kannada, Rajasthani and Punjabi. While the subjects covered include women’s issues and spaces, whodunnits, the freedom struggle, a satire on the existing state of governance, and the ironical gap between dreams and reality, the festival will especially showcase forms that are languishing—such as natya sangeet, nautanki, and poetry as a
storytelling medium.
This focus is evident in the festival’s first play, Swargiya Ghotala, which will be staged on 16 September. Based on the Sanskrit classic Bhagavadajjukam, the Marathi play discusses the concept of heaven and hell. The following day, another Marathi play, Du And Me, will be shown. It is more contemporary, and brings to light the bittersweet moments, irony and hilarity cultural contrasts can create.
In the same language, Lezim Khelnari Pora, directed by Abhijeet Zhunjarrao, will be staged on 20 September. The play is a unique series of acts narrated lyrically through 38 poems. Penned by Sanjay Krushnaji Patil, the play combines narration, recitation, music and dance where actors do not recite poems but “enact" them.
On the same day, Kannada play Mayaloka, written by polymath K.P. Purnachandra Tejaswi, will be presented by the Mysore-based theatre group Abhiyenthararu, which consists of engineers and engineering college students. With an abundance of mystical elements and metaphors to show the tension that exists between society and the individual, the screening of Mayaloka should prove that all is not quite cut-and-dried in an engineer’s world!
While Sleuth, a Gujarati thriller by Kapildev Shukla, and Kewal Dhariwal’s Punjabi play, Ek Si Manto—a dramatic presentation on the life and letters of prolific writer Saadat Hasan Manto—vie for attention on 19 September, the corpus of Hindi plays really takes into account seasoned productions.
Salim Arif’s Tajmahal Ka Udghatan is a satirical comedy which starts with the premise that Mughal emperor Shah Jahan is dead and the Taj Mahal is still under construction. Aurangzeb comes to power and takes on the responsibility of finishing his father’s dream project. But he has to struggle with politicians and bureaucrats to get the mausoleum built. The play will be staged on 21 September.
In Nadira Babbar’s Ekjute production, Yeh Hai Bombay Meri Jaan, which will be staged on 22 September, the characters speak in regional dialects and accents to highlight that Mumbai’s residents come from different states and with sundry aspirations—much like the line-up at the festival.
The 18th Theatre Festival (A Retrospective Of Theatre In India) will be held from 16-23 September, at Nehru Centre, Worli, Mumbai. Timings vary. Passes, available from 12 September at the centre’s booking counter. Click here for details.
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