Stage Play Competition at IIT Delhi’s Rendezvous 2013- Day 3

Day 3 at the stage play competition of IIT Delhi’s Rendezvous 2013 saw zenith of excitement and energy in all the participating teams. The reason being the obvious as it was the Result Day!

The 3 day long Stage play concluded on Sunday, 20th October 2013. The final day also witnessed two performances from very energetic Dyal Singh College and the host team IIT Delhi. Dyal Singh College performed Manav Kaul’s ‘Mamtazbhai Patangwale’ whereas IIT Delhi performed an original script written by the students themselves ‘Picture Perfect’.

Performances:

Mamtazbhai Patangwale by Dyal Singh College, Delhi University

Manav Kaul’s literary genius could be seen in Mamtazbhai Patangwale. The play has an abstract form, like many other plays by Manav. The play revolves around the childhood of Bikki, who is a passionate ‘patangbaaz’ and considers Mamtazbhai as his hero. His idea of heroism breaks when he realizes that Mamtazbhai has a normal life like any other person. It is too difficult for him to accept the fact that Mamtazbhai sells kites for his livelihood. What follows is an interesting tale by Manav Kaul.

In the Dyal Singh College’s version, Mamtzbhai Patangwale loses the nuances which Manav has given life to in the script. Though the college team does a justice to the design and direction, but acting by the actors was not upto the mark.

Picture Perfect by IIT Delhi

The original script by IIT Delhi tried to explore the philosophy of evil and tries to explore the different interpretation of it. The story revolves around the life of a Psychologist Anurag, who interviews different criminals only to explore what they think. After one such interaction with Ekant Naidu, who is to be hanged the next morning, everything changes about Anurag. The ‘virus of evil’ enters the life Anurag and creates unimaginable situations!

The play starts with a very low energy but picks up later. The actors tried to do justice to their characters but fail to deliver what was needed to make it a great play. The presentation was also marked with long pauses and too long change over duration.

The Winners:

After the 3 day long competition the jury announced the results.

Best Play:

A scnen from Nitthalle Ki Diary Photo Courtesy: IIT Delhi

Nitthalle Ki Diary by CCET, Chandigarh

Andhe Hain Hum by PCTE, Ludhiana (Runner-Up)

Blind Spot by Gargi College, DU (2nd Runner-Up)

Best Direction:

Nitthalle Ki Diary by CCET, Chandigarh

The Nerd by SRCC, DU (Runner-Up)

Best Design:

Mamtazbhai Patangwale by Dyal Singh College

Best Actor:

Character of ‘Ramsevak’ from Nitthalle Ki Diary and Character of ‘Bhola’ from Andhe Hain Hum’

Best Actress:

Character of ‘Pregnant Woman’ from Blind Spot and Character of ‘Wife’ from Nitthalle Ki Diary

Special Mention Best Story:

Picture Perfect by IIT Delhi

This article was first published in My Theatre Cafe on October 22, 2013

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Stage Play Competition at IIT Delhi’s Rendezvous 2013- Day 2

The second day of the stage play competition at IIT Delhi’s Rendezvous 2013 resumed from where we have stopped a day before. The selected teams which cleared the preliminary round performed for the final competition. Out of six teams, four teams performed on Day 2 and two teams were asked to perform on October 20, 2013- making the stage play competition stretch to Day 3, which we shall report here as well.

The teams which performed on day 2 were PCTE Ludhiana, Gargi College, SRCC and CCET Chandigarh. All the plays were extremely well received by the students of IIT Delhi who also acted as a wonderful audience.

Performances:

‘Andhe Hain Hum’ by Punjab College of Technical Education

The play Andhe Hain Hum is written by Dr Sahib Singh and talks about the status of blind beggars in the society. It is a satire on the present society which ridicules handicap and gives importance to the people who essentially do not worth it. They play tries to explore a lot of problems present in the society through the ‘eyes’ of the blind beggars.

The two beggars Shekhu and Bhola live near a bus stand of Ambala and while away time by weaving different stories to entertain them. They make stories for each other to support their loneliness. Both of them had been ridiculed by their own families and have taken refuge near the bus stand as beggars. In a dramatic development Bhola meets a small girl Neha, who is very rich but lacks love in her life from her own family, suggesting that money cannot buy love. She looks for love from Bhola uncle. Shekhu, who always wanted to become a rich man tries to save money to buy a lottery ticket. But they meet an old man who does not have money to reach his home as his own son has not accepted him. Shekhu gives him his savings- part of his dreams- to reach his home.

They play was laced with outstanding live music- credit of which goes to the wonderful singer in the team. The play at times appeared to be preachy and had an outsider view into the lives of the beggars.

‘Blind Spot’ by Gargi College, Delhi University

The play establishes the various stages of a person’s mind after trauma leading into insanity- from denial, to becoming crazy, to finally giving in to the urge of madness. The 6 characters in the play share their experiences with the audience which the society understands as ‘crazy’. The 6 women include a rape victim, an agoraphobic woman, an old star stuck in the time, a woman who believes she is 11 months pregnant, a girl who believes she is being stalked and a hypochondriac.

A scene from the play Blind Spot

The actors tried to portray all the characters with as honesty as possible but looked struggling with the space given to them on the stage. The performance was decent but lacked nuances. The actress who performed the character of the supposed pregnant woman did justice to her character.

‘The Nerd’ by Shri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi University

The Nerd is a comic tale of young architect Ayaan who is monotonous and hopeless. On his birthday his friend and girlfriend plan a surprise party which is crashed by quirky characters descends into a night of total ruin. He loses his job and happens to host two unwanted guests Jamnadas Parekh and Jhingur who live in his house for coming days. He and his friends plan every bit to make them leave the house, but they do not. Many interesting developments follow only to give a happy end to the play.

What this play lacked was a storyline. The actors did justice to their characters and there were few nice comic moments as well. The audience of IIT loved the performance and showed it through a full house and continuous claps.

‘Nithalle Ki Diary’ by Chandigarh College of Engineering and Technology

Nithalle Ki Diary is an adaptation from series of short stories by one of India’s finest satirist Harishankar Parsai. Haria is a caricature of a village boy, indecisive to any profession and hence choosing to be a village idler. The plot is a portrayal of various chapters from his diary. Each chapter is a sarcasm on the myriad aspects of our inefficient public administration system. The drama highlights the deteriorating ethics, corruption, and the superstition prevalent in the present society. It represents the way our narrow understanding of religion makes us less unaware of the world as it is.

The play was a classic example of using a bare stage as a set in itself and making it a property for actors. The design of the play was brilliant. The play starts with a high energy and involves the audience with the songs and subsequent comic sequences. The play uses the classical ‘nautanki’ style of Indian theatre and does justice to it. The acting was far above the bar set by other actors with the character Ram Sewak taking away all the love of the audience by imitating multiple mythological characters in his act. The best part of the play was the fact that it starts on a light note, raises all the valid political questions and takes the drama to an extremely serious and sensible end. The IIT Delhi students loved the play and it was evident from their continuous claps and hooting!

The day three will witness the remaining two performances from Dyal Singh College and IIT Delhi, as well as announcement of various prizes.

This article was first published in My Theatre Cafe on October 20, 2013

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Stage Play competition at IIT Delhi’s Rendezvous 2013- Day 1

IIT Delhi is known from producing one of North India’s biggest Annual College festival Rendezvous, where thousands of students from multiple colleges come to explore the ‘fun’ side of the college life. The fun which the festival offers to the students is to be cherished for a long time. This writer too has his nostalgic moments at Rendezvous! This year’s stage play competition saw a wide range of performance from the theatre groups of various colleges from North India- just like any other year!

The stage play competition at IIT Delhi is divided into two parts- Prelims and Finals. Different colleges have to perform a maximum 15 minute portion from their play in the preliminary round and if selected they get to perform the entire play in the finals in the Seminar Hall of IIT Delhi, which can be termed as a decent auditorium as well! The preliminary round took place on October 19, 2013 between 6:30pm to 11:30pm. A total of 13 teams from 12 colleges participated in the competition. Six teams were selected to perform in the final round of the stage play competition- scheduled on October 20, 2013- 7pm onward in the Seminar Hall.

The teams and the Plays:

1. Kamla Nehru College, Delhi performed Godavari- an adaptation of Samuel Beckett’s ‘Waiting for Godot’.

The short presentation of the play could not meet the expectation of what one expects from a Samuel Beckett adaptation. The play very interestingly adapted an all-girl avatar contrary to Beckett’s all male version.

2. Shivaji College, Delhi performed ‘Kutte’.

The play could nicely deliver the inner conflict of a widow and a salesman in a remote village. The short presentation could highlight few good performances as well.

3. Gargi College, Delhi performed ‘Blind Spot’.

A scene from the play ‘Blind Spot’

The play was a tale of the so called ‘crazy people’. The play delivered the idea that what often appears for the world may not be what actually the ‘crazy people’ think or feel. Different individuals have different stories to share, which may not be shared at many occasions.

4. Netaji Subhash Institute of Technology, Delhi performed a self-scripted play ‘Pagdandi’.

The play shared the story of an old couple in a village in Uttar Pradesh, and the father’s relation with his son.

5. Shri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi performed ‘The Nerd’.

The play was a tale of a surprise party which takes few interesting turns and results in even more surprises for the characters! The play had few nice comic moments, slapstick in nature.

6. Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, Delhi performed ‘Six Characters in Search of an Author’ by Luigi Pirandello and ‘Peele Scooter Waala Aadmi’ by Manav Kaul.

A scene from the play ‘Six Characters in Search of an Author’

Both the plays belonged to great playwrights in their own respect, but sadly, the college theatre group could not match the expectations.

7. Delhi Technical University, Delhi performed ‘Fandi’.

The play shares a story of a truck driver who is jailed for the charge of the murder of his own father, whom he once loved so much. The actor who performed the character of Fandi did a great job, and was as real as possible.

8. NIEC, Delhi performed ‘The strange Case of Doctor J.’

The play presented a story of a scientist who is obsessed with his findings. They presentation failed to communicate well with the audience.

9. PCTE, Ludhiana performed ‘Andhe Hain Hum’.

A scene from the play ‘Hum Andhe Hain’

The play was a tragic tale of two blind beggars in Ambala, who discuss their mundane life with each other. The play was beautifully laced with live music and brilliant acting. The play was able to raise many questions, though it appeared a bit preachy at times as well.

10. Dyal Singh College, Delhi performed Manav Kaul’s ‘Mamtazbhai Patangwaale’.

A scene from the play ‘Mamtazbhai Patangwaale’

Mamtazbhai Patangwaale is Manav Kaul’s most cherished work and is loved by all. The college team did justice to the brilliant script.

11. IIT Delhi performed ‘Picture Perfect’.

The host team presented a decent play in form of ‘Picture Perfect’. The play was marked by good acting of IIT Delhi students.

12. CCET, Chandigarh performed ‘Nitthalle Ki Diary’.

The team from Chandigarh started with a bang. The play which had a flavour of the ‘nautanki’ style did strike the chord with the audience with its comic pieces.

The finalists:

The teams which were selected to perform in the final round on October 20, 2013 were:

Gargi College

Shri Ram College of Commerce

PCTE Ludhiana

Dyal Singh College

CCTE, Chandigarh

IIT Delhi (in a special performance)

Best wishes to all the competing teams!

This article was published in My Theatre Cafe on October 19, 2013
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The Company Theatre is celebrating 20 Years of excellence- an interview with Atul Kumar

Twenty years must be a long time- a long time to walk the journey of creating newness, of living excitement, of listening to claps and expressing yourself the way you want to. It has been a journey worth celebrating for The Company Theatre, which was founded by ace theatre person Atul Kumar in 1993. Here Atul shares his memories and vision for the celebration called The Company Theatre.

Nihal: Twenty long years of a journey called The Company Theatre! Who better than you can describe it, Atul. How would you like to sum up these twenty years?

Atul: 20 years full of excitement, life, ups and downs, but no regrets- only gratitude to hundreds of fellow artists and thousands of audience members all over the world, especially people who believed in our madness and joined hands in some way or the other.

Nihal: Which is that one moment which comes to your mind when somebody says ‘The Company Theatre’?

Atul: When I was sitting with Raza Sahib (the great Indian Artist) in Paris once at his flat and he was very angry with me that I did not chose a name that was Indian or Hindi for that matter- that I chose a name that reminded him of the British occupation! I could not say anything to him… I just went numb!

A scene from ‘Piya Behrupiya’, much acclaimed production of TCT

Nihal: In past decade or two you have occasionally collaborated with Rajat Kapoor as an actor and also as a director. How has it been working with Rajat, who is also your old friend, and also other friends?

Atul: Not only Rajat, but all artists one works with in TCT, are my friends. I don’t think it is now possible for me to work with people only professionally and not have an emotional personal bond with them. That is why we don’t really audition. We allow everyone to join us and then whoever becomes a part of the family and on whom we can trust and keep faith and agree to fail with, becomes a part of the family. So its not only Rajat, it’s many-many more people who are first friends then fellow artists. And to work and make theatre with friends is always a big party!

A scene from ‘Noises Off’ by TCT

Nihal: Is Atul Kumar a voracious reader as well? If yes, then what does he loves to read and what was the last book he read?

Atul: I used to read voraciously. No more. Now I watch a lot of cinema. I read a lot of non-fiction and mostly books on theatre. My most favorite these days and the last one is ‘An Actor’s Tricks’ by Yoshi Oida.

Nihal: Was there a plan ever in your mind when you were in college to create a workspace as you have created one in Kamshet? Was Kamshet accidental or well planned?

Atul: It has been a dream since last 15 years or more. I think it was always well planned. Only plans don’t go as they are planned. So lots of compromises and obsessive chasing the dream, but voila- it is finally there!

Nihal: What are your future plans for The Company Theatre? Can you tell us about the plays you plan to direct in the coming time for TCT?

Atul: We are working on the idea of Heer, also on Midsummer Night’s Dream, then again playing with the idea of object theatre and Haroun and the Sea of Stories- and a thousand more plays and texts and ideas which will only remain ideas in the life time!

This interview was first published in My Theatre Cafe on September 21, 2013

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Theatre Review: ‘Post Mortem’ by St. Stephen’s: Dario Fo given a new interpretation

There is no blinking to the fact that Delhi University still has one of the most vibrant University theatre culture, and various colleges put shows which can very well be compared to the supposedly professional theatre productions in the country. The productions by undergraduate students may lack certain nuances, but then this is the time when one must commit mistakes.

A scene from the play

The Hindi Dramatics society of St. Stephen’s College, The Shakespeare Sabha, presented ‘Post Mortem’, an adaptation of Dario Fo’s ‘Accidental Death of An Anarchist’ in the college Auditorium on August 23, 2013. The director claimed that it was Amitabh Shrivastava’s version, but this audience doubt this claim and feel the director and the entire team had helped in bringing out the Stephanian version of the play! There were few fundamental differences in this version and the play written by Dario Fo few decades back.

The play is set in modern day Delhi and the famous manic of Dario Fo, plays the different characters in the Police Station of Chanakyapuri. The play, being a college production, was full of college humor spread across the presentation, which at times gave few reasons to smile. The director of the play, Rahul Jain, cleverly used various dramatic tools to enhance the beauty of the play. The production saw many tools of alienation used by the director. The director intentionally broke the fourth wall at various points to tickle the audience. At times I felt many of those could have been done away with to add the element of ‘Crispness’ in the play. Initially the play was able to bring out the soul of Dario Fo, but towards the end it simply lost it.

Accidental Death of an Anarchist is essentially a political play and raises many relevant questions which are apt for our part of the world as well. But there is a difference between being ‘preachy’ and being ‘subtle’. Post Mortem was preachy. The soul of the play lies in being subtle rather than superficially romanticizing it. An adaptation is a tricky area to play in. One needs to understand the political stand which Dario Fo wanted to establish in the play, which the college group portrayed as an Ultra Left motive. Theatre when combined with activism can be beautiful, but then theatre has its own craft. The director wanted to raise so many issues in one play, which stole the essence of the original play as well. But then we all want to say so much in our Undergraduate days!

A scene from the play

There was a particular point during the change of scene, when the stage managers were changing the set and the voice over gave the audience an understanding of what ‘Theatre of Reality’ means, which was not required. These jargons are not for the audience, and they’d enjoy more without them. It may say that it was to while away the time of the audience, but then whatever you do on stage is never to while away the time!

The St. Stephen’s version of the play takes a very strong political stand against the status quo, which must be appreciated. But it was so obvious that it lost its impact. Towards the end of the play, after listening to the unnecessary and long discussion regarding RTI and romanticizing the Naxal movement, one felt it was a mediocre performance by a particular student political wing of an ‘Ultra Left’ organization (which the protagonist himself says!). But if I remove certain parts then it wasn’t a mediocre performance at all.

The actors were pretty decent and did a great job indeed. Soutik Banerjee who played fanatic did justice to his character, but he was too refined to appear as Fo’s fanatic to me. Mutahhar Amin who played the character of Inspector Khan stole the show as an actor. Another actor Saif Rashid who otherwise had a small character to play did justice to it. Divya Kapur as the journalist Fatima Abbasi lacked physical stability on stage and her unnecessary movements simply deviated the strong points which her character was dying to put! Others actors did a good job. The play also saw a very good stage set up.

The weakest link of the play, which any Dario Fo admirer could not accept, was the interpretation that the maniac was a journalist from Tehelka, who may be on his another sting operation! There is a reason why everybody loves maniac of Fo. This interpretation which came only as a shock must have been avoided.

A scene from the play

Though the play, it seemed had a very romantic notion about the violent history of the Naxal movement, was only able to deliver the age old logics and obsolete debates. It was good to see that a Delhi University college theatre group was taking relevant issues with great enthusiasm. It is only the educational institutions where one can talk about serious political issues using theatre as a tool, sadly not the professional theatre circuit.

The team deserves more than applause for putting a brave show.

This review first appeared in My Theatre Cafe on August 26, 2013

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Theatre Preview: Experience the ‘Nine Parts of Desire’ in Delhi

Poster of the play ‘Nine Parts of Desire’

Saanjha Sapna, the Delhi based theatre group is all prepared to present its latest production “Nine Parts of Desire” on August 24 and August 25 at Akshara Theatre in the National Capital. The play has been directed by Kanchan Ujjal Singh.

The play is essentially based on the 1994 non-fiction book by Australian Journalist Geraldine Brooks on her experiences and time spent among the Muslim women of the Middle East. In her book, the author tries to explore the major issues concerning not only the idea of desire but goes beyond it and talks about critical cultural practices related to oppression of women.

The play is an attempt to understand the issues raised by Geraldine in her book. The director of the play, Kanchan Ujjal, when asked why she chose this play to direct, says, “Since the time when I first read the script, I knew this is the story I wanted to tell. The plight of women all around the world is same, be it Iraq or India. Women are constantly in a state of argument and fight for liberation. All these 9 stories and 9 women are a study in contrast, but they cohere to form a powerful collective collage of suffering and tolerance. They demand the world to stop and look at them, after all women are not the second sex, they are HUMAN.”.

Kanchan Ujjal Singh

The play will see an ensemble of an all women team coming together to strongly put what it is to be like a women in a “man’s world”! When asked how it was to work with an all woman cast, Kanchan says, “Working with all female cast is a soul strengthening experience. We had such intense and long Discussions while researching for the play. It is a beautiful yet complex to direct women. It was a web of nine different mindsets, who came together to tell their story to the world. Their strength grows 9 times, so now they are more hard hitting than ever.” Kanchan believes the strong women cast will portray Iraq realistically. She adds, “Audience will feel as if the female half of Iraq has come to India. Its intense and persuasive precisely making its point through 9 women, each telling her story, stories of Hostility, Revolution, Freedom, Suffering, Love, Innocence, Loss, Helplessness and Hope. All 9 women are 9 mirrors reflecting into the psyche of women in a male dominant World.”

We at My Theatre Cafe wish Saanjha Sapna all the glory ahead!

When: August 24 and 25

Where: Akshara Auditorium, Baba Khadak Singh Marg, CP

Time: 6pm and 8pm on both days

Tickets available at Bookmyshow.com

This preview first appeared in My Theatre Cafe on August 21, 2013

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Atul Kumar: ‘Noises Off’ will bring madness, energy, happiness, fun and laughter to Delhi

Atul Kumar and The Company Theatre need no introduction in contemporary Indian theatre. There is no blinking to the fact that Atul has been able to give a new definition to theatre in India with his extremely honest plays. Here Atul talks about his life and his upcoming shows of Noises Off in Delhi, which is scheduled on August 16, 17 and 18 at Kamani Auditorium.

Nihal: Delhi loved your play ‘Piya Behrupiya’. And believe me, we still talk about it with great enthusiasm. Now you are coming with your latest production ‘Noises Off’. What shall the Delhi Junta expect?

Atul: Same madness, energy, happiness, fun and laughter but without live music this time. It is a play within a play and invites the enthusiastic and curious eye to peep into backstage of a disastrous play put up by an even more disastrous ensemble played by our actors. It is a famous and typical English farce so expect loud and exaggerated acting styles and over the top humour.

Nihal: What lead you to select Noises Off, which is undoubtedly a great play and has been performed numerous times throughout the globe? As a director what is that you have played with?

A scene from Kumar’s Noises Off

Atul: I love the 2nd act when the set turns around and you see backstage business of a theatre company as they perform over the other side to the cyclorama. I like cheap farcical act constantly broken by the real actor rising forth and then a constant in and out- creating and breaking the illusion. And

my God it does have some of the funniest lines I have read-seen in theatre. Ever. We did this play in Mumbai in 2003. This is a revival after 10 years. With some old and some new cast members. Why a revival. Well, its just outright fun to do this play- each rehearsal day was a party and we would do it again and again- everyone in the team is on a high.

Nihal: You have stayed in Delhi for a long time. Can you share with us a bit about your relation with Delhi?

Atul: I was born here, studied here in school and university, fell in love here, had heart breaks here, got into fights here and walked the long roads in winters here, saw the 60s and then 70s and then 80s and even 90s in Delhi- so you can imagine I am in many ways a Delhite still. This is where it all started –this love story between me and theatre.

Nihal: What is your take on the theatre culture of Delhi?

Atul: It produces less and less theatre than in 70s, 80s and 90s but it still produces some of the best in the country. Delhi has theatre makers like Maya Rao, Anamika Haksar, Anuradha Kapoor, Amal Allana, Zuleikha Allana, Arjun Raina, Neel Chawdhary, Amitesh Grover and many more who are still making work that the entire country admires and looks forward to seeing. Audiences have been coming to see our shows of Hamlet, Lear, Piya, The Blue Mug in great numbers so I am assuming we have managed to create our own audience in Delhi- hope that is true and we can keep coming back. Delhi still has theatre poster culture with theatrewallahs going around all over Delhi and putting up posters in hundreds- such fun! Something that is not a culture in Mumbai Bangalore Chennai- at least not in such great numbers!

Nihal: As a recent trend, we have seen many comedies in our city. The newer production houses prefer performing comedies than any other genre. What is your take on this?

Atul: Everyone must do what they feel strongly about- it’s a free world- more so in the arts. So no complaints. We dabble in tragedies like Hamlet and Lear but also do 12th Night and Noises Off- then again within each of creations you will see a nice balance of not only tragedy and comedy but also of other sub-genres. We try to listen to our instinct and if we do comedies only for the next ten years does not mean we have discriminated another genre. Each to his own.

Nihal: How has been the journey with The Company Theatre?

Atul: This is our 20th anniversary year. The Company Theatre was formed in Delhi in 1993. This year we celebrate 20 solid years of all kinds of performances and shows all over India and abroad. We celebrate it in form of performances all over India including Chennai, Mumbai, Baroda, Delhi, Bangalore and finally at our newly built theatre residency in Kamshet, Maharashtra.

Get more info www.thecompanytheatre.net

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Company-Theatre-Workspace/190441537678004

This interview first appeared in My Theatre Cafe on August 7, 2013

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Review: ‘Big B’, a true tribute to Munshi Premchand

Samta Prasad and Kamta Prasad

Photo Courtesy: Pierrot’s Troupe

Munshi Premchand, the iconic figure of Hindi and Urdu literature was way ahead of his time. He could comprehend the flaws of the education system which has been ruining generations over the decades. His short story “Bade Bhaisahab” not only critically analyses the education system which gives more importance to marks above anything but also brings forward the emotions of human minds like none other. ‘Big B’, Pierrot’s Troup’ adaptation of Bade Bhaisahab is as magical as the story by the veteran!

Big B is one of the most successful ongoing productions of the Troup. This review is of the show at Stein Auditorium, IHC, on July 14, 2013.

Ten minutes into the play, and you are in love with the three characters on the stage! This is how one can sum up the performance. The play has its own flavor and one can say that it only borrows the storyline from the short story. The adaptation by Dr. M. Sayeed Alam and Niti Sayeed is a brilliant piece of literature in itself. Sayeed Alam and Niti Sayeed are also the directors of the play. Sayeed Alam also plays the character of Kamta Prasad, the Big B or Bade Bhaisahab.

It is a simple narration of the lives of two brothers Kamta Prasad and Samta Prasad. Samta is the narrator of the story and shares stories related to his times in Banaras where the two brothers were sent to study in school. The story has a background of pre-independent India. This setting gives the liberty to play with the usage of English. The brothers, who have a rural background, always talk in English because Kamta Prasad had realized the importance of English in order to pass the examination. This plot gives rise to extremely witty situations and not for a moment the audience feels anything has been exaggerated. Actors playing Kamta Prasad and Samta Prasad do justice to the characters created by Premchand with utter honesty. Samta Prasad’s character has been played by Ramnaresh Diwakar who brings life to Samta, a student of class 6 (and later class 8).

Special mention goes for the actor who played Samta Prasad, the narrator, aged 80 years. It was played by Ajay Sharma, who stole the show at least for this audience. Ajay breaks the fourth wall and enters the stage from the audience. Not for a moment anybody can doubt his age! His dialogue delivery was impeccable, and seldom does Delhi theatre see such a performance. A particular sequence of a joke on Ashish Nehra and Samta Prasad’s brief career in cricket was outstandingly humorous- perfect timing!

The dialogues of the play, written by Sayeed Alam and Niti Sayeed, have serious political connotations attached to them which are relevant for the present era as well. Primary focus of this production was to bring out the emotional and witty side of the character of Kamta Prasad, which it does. But at the same time, in a very subtle manner, it also brings out the aspect that he is also a victim of a flawed education system. At the same time Samta’s character comes across as a younger brother who respects his Big B, but like any average tier 2 Indian boy can never tell this to his brother. Same goes for Kamta’s character.

It was a flawless performance and is a must watch for everybody who loves good theatre!

This review was first published in My Theatre Cafe on July 16, 2013

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Review: ‘Ghalib in New Delhi’, a comic take on Ghalib’s return to his city!

Ghalib: In search of Delhi

Photo: Nihal

Ghalib’s contemporary poet Zauk once wrote, “In Dinon Garche Dakan Me Hai Badi Qadr-E-Sukhan, Kaun Jaaye Zauk Par Dilli Ki Galiyaan Chhod Kar”. We are not sure if Ghalib approved of these lines or not but Pierrot’s Troupe must believe so, that’s why they bring Ghalib back to Delhi with each performance of “Ghalib in New Delhi”. The successful play of the troupe has been staged over more than 300 times. This review is of the performance on July 12, 2013 at Sri Ram Center, New Delhi.

The play, written and directed by Dr M. Sayeed Alam also features him in the lead role of Ghalib. It is a comic take on what will happen if Ghalib returns to Delhi in the present era. Certainly he will have to face problems in terms of the language, the change in the geography of the city and also the inflation over the years! Sayeed Alam does justice to the character of Ghalib with his own interpretation of old man Ghalib would have been. Highlight of the play are the supporting actors from the troupe, especially Hareesh Chabbra who beautifully plays the character of a Bihari UPSC aspirant who lives in Laxmi Nagar and takes Ghalib as his room partner! Hareesh looks even better in the initial Chandni Chawk market scene when he takes the character of an autowala, the Sardar Ji, who gets angry at every matter and is also prepared to fight with everybody despite his old age. Hareesh looks fabulous in this small character and there is no blinking to the fact that people remember this character long after leaving the auditorium. He perfectly dons the gesture of an old Sardar Ji. Later he does equal justice to the character of ‘Jai Hind’, the Bihari UPSC aspirant.

Arguing with the room partner

Photo: Nihal

The director chooses to play different songs of Ghalib during the change of scenes, which add to the beauty of the production. The play exhibits numerous rehearsal room improvised jokes, which also work occasionally. There are few very distasteful jokes as well in the play. One joke is related to Shahnaz Hussain whom the Actor addresses as “not so beautiful Beautician” (‘Aap beautician ho sakte hain agar aap beautiful naa ho’). But audience laughs at every joke, and it seems that was the only purpose of the play, which it has been able to accomplish. Playwright also has a take on homosexuality and men who ‘look like women’. The concluding scene of the play, when Ghalib talks on phone, seems too dragging and gives very less reason to laugh.

All the jokes together make it a mediocre play when compared to the Troupe’s other productions. Without doubt, still there are few outstanding performances to witness. Hareesh Chabbra steals the show, and his real life wife Anju Chabbra gives him equal competition in form of Chhada Aunty. Sayeed Alam succeeds as an Actor but fails to impress as a playwright in this particular production.

The modern Ghalib

Photo: Nihal

This review was first published in My Theatre Cafe on July 16, 2013

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Theatre Review: Ek Akeli Aurat

‘Ek Akeli Aurat’, Hindi adaptation of ‘A woman Alone’ by Dario Fo, was presented by Sehar, a creative group, at Akshara Theatre on July 1, 2013. The solo performance by Savita Kundra, a 2008 NSD graduate, was a decent performance with few good moments to celebrate the great work by the playwright Dario Fo. The performance was directed by the performer herself. The opening performance of the play was marked by a good audience response in an intimate space.

With the Men

The story is about a woman in her 40s, who has been ‘imprisoned’ by her husband in their home after discovering her adulterous relation with a young man, her English teacher who is 15 years younger to her. This set up marks a brilliant piece to express a woman’s situation trapped not only in a ‘home’ by her husband but also by the larger society. Akshara is known for its intimate space and brilliant architecture. Savita used the space beautifully and there can be no blinking to the fact that the performance was theatrically beautiful to a great extent. The moment she enters the space there was a huge possibility of creating a beautiful relation with the audience. But over exaggerated dialogue delivery alienated the performer from the character, at least for this audience.

Savita plays the character of Seema who shares her story with the audience. In the beginning it appears that she is leading a normal life of a housewife but later she reveals her sad relation with her husband who has been abusing her in every possible manner. She also has a brother-in-law in the house, who is young and molests her. She has a baby boy to take care of. Her younger lover is madly in love with her body and creates many problems for her by coming to her house even when she asks her not to come. Savita very beautifully uses a house ladder to create a small window for her contact with the outer world- the outer world which also has the same kind of men. The set also comprises of the paintings on of three men by Arun Mallik. These three men (husband, brother-in-law and young lover) signify the patriarchal world from which Seema wants an escape, but there is ‘no-exit’ for a woman trapped in a man’s world!

Looking through the 'window'

The Hindi adaptation of the script could not match the brilliant language of Dario Fo and at times it appeared to have been marred by a bad translation and wrong usage of words. As a performer Savita was trying too much to make it a brilliant performance but this only made the performance look too loud and it wasn’t effortless.

There is still a scope to make it a great performance. We are hopeful that in the coming performances the audience could also relate with the character of Seema even more.

This review was first published in My Theatre Cafe on July 3, 2013

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Review: MANA- spectacular beyond imagination

Courtesy: Kingdom of Dreams

Mana is the latest presentation of Kingdom of Dreams in Gurgaon. The play has already been performed at various international locations. Mana is being staged at KOD’s Natanki Mahal. The play, originally from France, is in English and has used theatrical tools from various folklore; music tradition; dance tradition and of course CIRCUS!

The story of Mana can be told in a single sentence, in few words. But it is the power of theatre that a beautifully woven story unravels itself, laced by music, in front of the audience. The director uses powerful theatrical tools to engage the audience for the entire show and there are hardly any loose moments. Mana is a fine example of combining circus tradition with theatre. 

Mana is the story of mother Universe- Mana. It is a journey through a ‘fantasy tale’ of the creation of the world. There are surreal characters, all representing various elements of nature. In a single sentence we can sum up the story to the victory of ‘good’ over ‘evil’, like all our folklore teach us even in India. Interestingly all the major characters in this tale are women, to suggest that women are the base of the origin. Mana is the mother Goddess- founder of the Universe. She is the power behind everything that is positive. Volcania is the goddess of fire. Fire represents greed in the tale and Volcania dreams of becoming the most powerful of all elements of nature. She is helped by Viperia who gives her wicked ideas to accomplish her plans. Vanity is the innocent Earth, who falls in the trap of Volcania and Viperia and dreams for an ‘everlasting spring’. Volcania’s biggest enemy is Oceane, the goddess of Water and caretaker of gorgeous mermaids. Perfagor, Volcania’s trusted servant, and Eos, the god of Air, are two male characters who fight the great battle of the good and evil.

A team of some twenty people on stage help you understand the fine balance the nature has maintained. It has many metaphors from our lives, from the human existence. The song ‘Ever Lasting Spring’ is a beautiful piece of literature and one cannot forget it even after leaving the auditorium. There are numerous songs inserted in the play to enhance the beauty of the production. The production, a 4D presentation, also uses the graphics efficiently to create the surreal spaces for the characters. The entrance of Oceane, goddess of Water is extremely impressive. The song ‘Shaka Laka Baby’ is beautifully choreographed and the audience witnesses bubbles and sharks all over the auditorium to give a feel of the underwater life. 

The mermaids are the beautiful characters who represent love. They are innocent and manifestation of true love. The kidnapping scene of the mermaids is a beautiful piece of art and shows the struggle of the innocent in the world of wicked.

Most interesting character in the play was Vanity, the goddess of Earth, who is as ordinary as we the humans are! She longs for the ‘everlasting spring’ and an ‘ideal love’. The character is the representation of the race of the mortal humans who long for everything that they feel is essential for a ‘beautiful’ world not understanding the consequences of it.

Courtesy: Kingdom of Dreams

The climax of the play is the fight between Perfagor and Eos. This scene could have been more spectacular given that the fight was between a god and a demon. But the director chooses to reduce it to a boxing match. This particular scene looks out of sync in the larger picture of the entire production.

One must understand that Mana is not of the same genre as that of Zangoora and Jhumroo (the two ongoing productions at Kingdom of Dreams). It is a wonderful piece of literature and a fine example of synchronization of music, dance and circus with surreal mythological characters. This production gives a different option at Kingdom of Dreams apart from its two other productions.

If you want to witness a truly international production then you must go for Mana which will be staged at Kingdom of Dreams till August 18, 2013. A Thumbs Up from our side!

This review was first published in My Theatre Cafe on June 29, 2013

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Theatre Review: Bagia Bancharam Ki

A scene from the play

The play ‘Bagia Bancharam Ki’ produced by Sri Ram Center Repertory Company, tickles the audience to a great extent but also transcends to a higher level and raises critical questions about the society and its structure.

The play has been written by veteran Manoj Mitra, originally in Bangla as ‘Sajano Bagaan’ and has been directed by veteran thespian Bahrul Islam. The play has elements of humor, tragedy and alienation in certain parts.

The adaptation of Sajano Bagaan, Bagia Bancharam Ki, opens in what we can call a no man’s land. The plot of the play is obviously a village in any part of the country but has themes which can apply to any part of the world- any feudal society for that matter. The play unravels story of old Bancharam who is in his last days. He is also the owner of a fertile land, the Bagia (or Garden), which everybody wants to grab from him- from his grandson to the feudal lord, the Zamindar, of the village. He signs a contract with the Zamindar that after his death (which the Zamindar anticipates is nearby) the Bagia will go to theZamindar and no one else, but the Zamindar will give Bancharam Rupees Two Thousand till Bancha is alive. Different events take place and finally Bancha regains his health with the help of the money Zamindar gives him every month. The play ends with a dead Zamindar and healthy Bancharam.

The performance of Sameer Singh as Bancharam brings smile to the face of the audience whenever he comes on stage. He portrays the character of an ailing old man with ease. He also shows the change in his health without any exaggeration. As an actor he has brought many things in the play in form of his body language and accent. He proves to be a lovable old man.

Sameer Singh as a ‘healthy’ Bancharam

The character of Zamindar, played by Shrikant Verma, is extremely critical in the play. Shrikant shows his great acting skills and is able to steal the show. He has many moments for himself in the play. His subtle acting on many occasions, the ease and understanding of not exaggerating the performance, brings him close to a perfect performance. His subtle acting can be seen when he says the dialogue, “Baap ka maal pee gaya baithe-baithe Maa ke saamne.”

The play is extremely well written by veteran Manoj Mitra and the time lapse is shown smartly with the help of well inserted dialogues and gestures of the actors. The high point of the play is a moment when a very serious sequence is going on stage and suddenly it breaks. It is when Zamindar is trying to kill Bancharam, Padma- wife of Gopi- comes out from her bed and changes the mood of the scene. A very subtle change is shown, which is also a fine example of alienation by Manoj Mitra.

Other characters also add value to the performance. The character of Gopi, grandson of Bancharam, played by Mukesh Bhati, is good to a certain extent. But the actor tried to put too much energy in the performance that it lost its charm. It is still a good performance though. The Jhola Chaap Doctor Govind, who has got relatively less time on stage plays the character given to him with utter honesty and brings smile to the audience’s face whenever he is on stage. Even the lights, operated by Ravindra Mishra, were very well used with a red backdrop throughout the play.

Over all, it is a good production of a very well written play. The repeat show of the play is not to be missed by theatre lovers of the city.

Concluding scene of the play

This review was first published in My Theatre Cafe on June 17, 2013

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Habib Tanvir and His Message for Contemporary Theatre Practitioners

They say he was great. They say he gave new meaning to Indian Theatre. They say no one can be like him. But what did he think?

He thought that there can be many like him, or even better than him, if people work with a simple ingredient- honesty.

Habib Tanvir: A true artiste

Habib Tanvir defines theatre to a great extent in India. He will be remembered for many years to come for the magic he created on stage. His iconic play ‘Charandas Chor’ has been adopted and performed innumerous times. Same goes for ‘Agra Bazaar’ based on the life and poems of Nazir Akbarabadi, a lesser known 18th Century Urdu poet. Another play, ‘Bahadur Kalarin’, has a universal theme but has a setting of tribal India. His stories had global connotations while still retaining the local flavor; they discussed extremely complex behavior of humans but in the most simplistic manner possible on this planet- trait of a true genius.

In the memoirs he wrote in one of the editions of ‘Charandas Chor’ (2004, Vaani Prakashan) he shared many untold stories behind the play. Like a true story teller he not only presented stories in front of the readers but also puts his thoughts on various aspects of theatre, society and life, in a subtle manner. The memoirs are extremely important and is a must read for any theatre practitioner. These are not words and sentences but treasured documents which will be the guiding lights for generations to come.

‘Charandas Chor’: When local went global

In one of the sections of the memoir, he shared his experiences of the first tour to Europe with Naya Theatre, the theatre group he founded in the year 1959.

It was August 1982. It was Naya Theatre’s first tour to any foreign country. They were invited at the prestigious Edinburgh Theatre Festival. There were 52 plays from all over the globe, ‘Charands Chor’ being the only play from India. It was called ‘Charan-the Thief’ in English. Surprisingly- for Habib Tanvir and the entire group- it was awarded Fringe First Award at the festival- one of the most prestigious awards for theatre.

People asked Habib Tanvir how this could be possible? The auditorium hardly had 10-12 Indians, most of the people were from Europe and other countries! They did not know Hindi,Chattisgarhi was an alien language to them! He answered back, “I was watching the play from the lighting booth till interval, after which I went to perform my part in the play. I saw theChattisgarhi Folk artists were playing their characters as if they were acting in their village and assumed that every human understands the language of other human. This confidence and attitude allowed them to create magic. If this is not the reason then I do not know the reason.”

The play had created a wave of newness in England. Everybody wanted to see the play again and again. The newspapers were full with reviews and praise for the play.

Habib Tanvir also shared with the reader how the play was called to England for the performance. Peter Brook, renowned theatre and film icon, had recently visited India and in one of the interviews he gave to London Times he talked about the great work Naya Theatre was doing in Delhi. He was in India for his research on the epic ‘Mahabharata’. He had attended few rehearsal sessions of ‘Charandas Chor’ and ‘Lala Shohrat Rai’ (based on Moliere’s ‘Bourgeois Gentleman’) by Naya Theatre group members. This contributed in another wave of publicity for Habib Tanvir and Naya Theatre in England. David Gothard, the then Director of Riverside Studios- one of the most prestigious theatre houses in England- after reading the interview decided to call Naya Theatre to England.

Government of India used to finalize the play to participate in ‘Festival of India’ organized in England, which had nothing to do with Edinburgh Theatre Festival. The government officials had decided to send a play from NSD directed by Ebrahim Alkazi. Because David Gothard was keen on calling Naya Theatre, he did not consider the play selected by Government of India. Ebrahim Alkazi’s play had to participate in the London Commonwealth Theatre.

Habib Tanvir wrote, “Some 30-40 people used to go for the NSD’s play every day in an open auditorium which could accommodate 500 people. As a consequence not a single newspaper wrote anything about that play.” At this very time ‘Charandas Chor’ or ‘Charan-the Thief’ witnessed back to back houseful shows in England.

Elitist Theatre vs. Local Theatre

Habib Tanvir elaborates the discussion and gives a very insightful take on the entire episode on why Alkazi’s play was discarded by the English audiences. He wrote, “People may think why I am sharing this for the first time after so many years? One of the reasons is that I was never fond of ‘Elitist’ theatre which has an element of ‘imitation’ in it. Performing in England what you have learned from England! Why? Alkazi and me, both studied theatre at England. He was comfortable with English but not with Hindi, which was not his natural language. This was evident in his theatre as well. And I had come to the conclusion ages before that any theatre which tries to imitate other culture is not a true theatre- it is false. Theatre needs to be presented in such a way, using the local flavors form the society and culture one belongs to, that people from other parts of the world think “this is also a kind of theatre which needs to be explored”! We may like theatre from other countries- it may have all the ingredient of a great theatre- but the moment we try to imitate it, it will lose its magic. It means the theatre which has the ability to transcend local barriers and go global is also the same theatre which never loses the local flavor.”

He also wrote that he never shared this before because people in the same profession hesitate in speaking the truth about their friends and professional colleague who may not like criticism or, simply put, truth about them. This could also lead to many misunderstandings which he wanted to avoid that time, but years later it was the time to let the younger generation learn from the mistakes of older generation and create better plays.

Message for the Contemporary Theatre Practitioners

Habib Tanvir’s message holds extreme relevance for the theatre practitioners of the present generation. What Tanvir said was a result of what he experienced. He also said that there are good theatre practitioners in the present generation as well. We may have less ‘true theatre’, but the good thing is we are creating good plays which are original and relevant for the era in which we all are living.

Theatre, like any form of art- especially literature- is a reaction to the prevailing situations of a particular era. This reaction can be in form of absurdity, comedy, realistic- any genre for that matter. But if theatre practitioners react to the complexities of another era or culture or society, how will it be relevant in the long run? And more importantly how will they be able to react to complexities alien to them?

These are few questions Habib Tanvir puts in front of contemporary theatre practitioners who will not only entertain the present era but will present answers to the complex questions the future generations will have to understand our time.

We hope our answers are right, and only time can judge them.

This article was first published in MyTheatreCafe.com on May 25, 2013

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New Waves of theatres in Delhi

Gone are the days when Delhi junta had Mandi house as the only option for theatre retreats. Gone are the days when people longed to witness ‘Andha Yug’ at Kamani Auditorium or at Abhimanch in NSD. Delhi has new addresses for theatre lovers and performers- India Habitat Centre, Epicenter Gurgaon or even open air non-traditional venue like Zorba The Buddha.

Delhi theatre was always known for serious Hindi theatre. Theatre groups like Act One gave scintillating performances till late 1990s. NSD repertory had been extremely active and gave few great performances for a long time. But suddenly something has changed and we see a paradigm shift in the theatre culture in Delhi- change in language preference, change in venue preference as well as change in genre preference.

Delhi theatre’s new language

Because of NSD’s presence in Delhi, city always witnessed good Hindi theatre productions. NSD also inspired other theatre groups to perform better. For a long time many epic English plays were adapted in Hindi and also performed at various venues. But in last few years English theatre productions have taken prominence. It will be wrong to understand that Hindi plays are not produced. Hindi plays are being performed in far more number than English productions (bookmyshow will show this as a proof!) but the number of houseful shows are always in favour of English Productions. Saanjha Sapna theatre group recently performed Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple at Alliance Francaise and Stein Auditorium at India Habitat Centre. It witnessed three back to back houseful shows. Similarly, the very new theatre group Zorian Cross Productions witnessed back to back four houseful shows of its debut play Game Night at Akshara theatre.

A houseful show is not a parameter to judge any play’s quality, but it certainly justifies that there is a niche crowd which is willing to buy costlier tickets and is ready for some ‘new theatre’.

New addresses for theatre lovers

It’s an old past when Mandi house used to be the only option for spending an evening with theatre. Now venues are spread all over Delhi. There can be no doubt that Stein Auditorium at India Habitat Centre is the new favourite venue for theatre lovers. Deepak Dhamija, founder of Shoelace Productions, a prominent theatre group in Delhi, says, “As a director and producer, IHC costs me less, at the same time it has better ambiance than most auditoriums in Mandi House area. It is practically impossible to rent Kamani for independent theatre groups in Delhi without the support of sponsors or government. As a recent development, the experience of watching a film in multiplexes has changed the preferences of audience. Now they may not like LTG Auditorium, or Sri Ram Centre, because of the ambiance and facilities. We cannot ignore the fact that there has been a socio-economic change in the society. Sadly theatre is no more ‘people’s art’ in urban India. At the end it is economics which is playing the deciding role.”

Sandeep, a theatre enthusiast, puts forward another viewpoint, associating IHC and Epicentre with status symbol of urban Delhi. “Theatre has now become a fashion symbol. If you go for theatre shows you are progressive, you are elite and you have a better choice than others who go for ‘bollywood’ movies. Theatre is a luxury in Delhi. Mandi house doesn’t go well with ‘luxury’, but India Habitat Centre does and so does Epicenter Gurgaon” he adds.

Delhi loves to laugh

As a recent trend Delhi is witnessing more and more comedy plays, not only in English but also in Hindi. Mohan Rakesh’s Aadhe Adhure has lost its audience it seems; instead Neil Simon has taken over. Recently three theatre groups performed Neil Simon’s plays- Jai and Juliet by Desires Unlimited (adaptation of The Odd Couple), Laughter on the 23rd Floor by Atelier theatre group and The Odd Couple by Saanjha Sapnaa theatre group. Game Night by Zorian Cross Productions is also a comedy. Apart from these we have Hindi plays like Bhelpoori on the platter.

A scene from the play The Odd Couple performed at IHC 

Ishwar Shunya, founder of the theatre group Saanjha Sapna says, “There is a pressure of market. Professional theatre groups have always preferred comedy because the audience which buys tickets and come to witness a performance is not interested ‘serious-intellectual’ drama. They want to have a good time. Also the emergence of television shows like Comedy Circus and others have contributed in bringing comedy shows in focus. “

Creating a new Theatre Culture

Whatever be the change, it is a certain fact that Delhi’s theatre circuit is far more active when compared to the scenario a decade back. This city has witnessed most intense performances by veteran actors, and it is sure to produce some amazing performances in the future too. The change in the scenario is related to the change in socio-economic relevance of arts in the city. Every theatre group has its own audience. An Asmita audience may not like what Zorian Cross Productions will do. But it is only for better. This city, now, has more variety for different kind of audiences and this will only enrich the theatre culture in Delhi.

First published in MyTheatrCafe.com on May 17th 2013

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Post Script:

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