Musings: The diary of a scribe

Monday, August 2, 2010

A tribute to Tagore

Renowned artistes paid homage to Rabindranath Tagore on his 150th birth anniversary at a cultural fiesta

Nobel Prize winner Rabindranath Tagore has been loved and revered by Bengalis. Apart from growing up listening to Rabindra sangeet (songs penned by the legend), natives of West Bengal have also been avid followers of his literary works. But the same cannot be said about the young generation of probashi Bengalis (who stay in other parts of India and across the globe). To mark the 150th birth anniversary of Tagore, Mumbai-based Katha Group organised Homage to Tagore, a cultural extravaganza to introduce the bard’s literary works to Gen Next. Renowned artistes like actress Rituparna Sengupta, tabla player Bickram Ghosh, dancer and actress Sudha Chandran, sarod player Sanjay Chakraborty, actress Srila Majumdar came together to pay homage to the litterateur at Ravindra Natya Mandir.

Krishnendu Sen, chairman Katha Group said this event was a precursor to several such programmes that his group would be organising across Mumbai throughout the year to promote the legend’s works. He said, “Tagore and his philosophies, thoughts and dynamism have inspired me. As a group, we want to introduce the new generation to Tagore’s wisdom and acquaint them with their cultural roots. Tagore is the ideal icon for the youth.”

The group is also planning to produce a movie on Tagore that will span the last days of his life after he won the Nobel Prize. Penned by lyricist and scriptwriter Javed Akhtar and directed by Ujjwal Chatterjee, the film titled Sound Of Silence is currently in the research stage. “The film will be set in Shantiniketan. We decided to make a movie on Tagore’s life after he won the Nobel Prize as this phase of his life has not been chronicled in any film. It’s likely to release on Pochishe Baisakh (April 25) next year on his birthday,” said Sen.

As for roping in reputed actress Rituparna Sengupta and dancer Sudha Chandran for Homage to Tagore, he says, “Rituparna has always been known for her acting prowess but very few people know that she is an excellent dancer. Similarly, Sudha is an acclaimed dancer, so it’s interesting to see how she enacts a dance drama written by Tagore. The audience gets a chance to see these artistes in a different avatar,” Sen added.

This was the first time Rituparna was paying a tribute to Tagore in Mumbai. Clad in a simple top and a flared multi-coloured skirt, the actress enacted Tagore’s famous poem Sadharan Meye (An ordinary girl) that narrates the tale of an ordinary girl who falls in love with a foreigner. She later performed classical dance on few monsoon songs penned by the bard. “Like every Bengali, I have also been truly inspired and influenced by Tagore. He was a powerhouse of talent and wisdom. I have grown up listening to Rabindra Sangeet and performed in a lot of dance dramas written by him in Kolkata. We wanted to make his works contemporary and present it to Mumbaikars too,” said the actress.

Her performance was followed by a recitation from Gitanjali by famous host Sujay Prasad Chowdhury and actress Srila Majumder. Sarod player Sanjay Chakraborty provided the perfect background score for the recitation. Sudha Chandran enacted Tagore’s famous dance drama Chitrangada, the princess who fell in love with Arjuna and forsake everything. Sudha said, “This is the first time I’m enacting Tagore’s work. Culture knows no boundaries. I’m an artiste from the South who is performing on songs composed by a literary figure from the East who made India proud. It’s truly an honour.”

Renowned tabla player Bickram Ghosh enthralled the audience with his performance. He performed some numbers from his forthcoming lounge album based on Tagore’s songs. “The bard’s biggest rythmic contribution to music was the rupakra taal, which is a low end deep bass taal. We have taken this taal and presented it in a new fashion. We have taken the seven most popular songs penned by Tagore and added a contemporary touch by interjecting different frequency levels. For instance, we have taken a song and given it a sufi mode. We have added an electronica backdrop to another song that has a ’60s blues feel,” the musician said. When asked, what prompted him to come up with this album, Bickram said, “The current generation is very reticent to Tagore’s works as they feel it’s very retro. The whole idea is to reach out to them through this album. This is my way of paying a tribute to the bard.”

A tribute to Tagore

Cultural carnival

Eighty-nine artistes and technicians staged 12 performances in a first-of-its-kind three-day Gujarati theatre festival, Ek Ooncha Maylo Parogram

When Gujarati theatre stalwart Manoj Shah would travel to various parts of the country with his theatre company Ideas Unlimited, he was always fascinated by the tremendous response to his plays. Motivated by the impetus, he realised it was time to organise a first-of-its-kind three- day Gujarati theatre festival, Ek Ooncha Maylo Parogram, to create an awareness about the great works of Gujarati litterateurs amongst the younger generation. It was also the perfect opportunity for Shah to highlight the alternate theatre movement pioneered by his company by incorporating various art forms like poetry, essays, short stories, painting, music and folk traditions in its productions and analyse their plays in the last decade.

Shah chose the six best yet culturally-diverse productions of his company for the festival that was held from June 25 to 27 at Prithvi Theatre, Mumbai. “It was a great opportunity to showcase the works of writers like Chandrakant Shah’s Master Phoolmani, where you see the glory of Gujarati theatre in a Bhangvadi style musical, Shishir Ramavat’s Jeete Hain Shaan Se, a play that shows animals in a lab laughing on humankind, Bharat Naik’s Amarfal, the eternal story of Raja Bharatheri in which we had introduced Ahlam Khan, the daughter of legend Amjad Khan on the Gujarati stage. Then there’s Vinit Shukla’s Mareez, wherein you witness the dramatic life of a well-known Gujarati poet, Mihir Bhutta’s Jal Jal Mere Patang, a biopic of a Vedantic scholar M.N. Dwivedi, whose work was hidden for more than 80 years, Gujarat Ni Ashmita Hello Gujarati, a work of medieval era presented in a musical format,” says Shah.

The writer-director also felt that these productions catered to the classes and masses and were the perfect productions that depicted the various facets of the diverse Gujarati culture. These plays also used paintings as a visual medium and heightened the creative experience of the audience. Works of artistes like Bhupen Khakkar and Atul Dodiya were showcased in Master Phoolmani and Jal Jal Mare Patang. He explains, “Today’s generation is unaware of our rich and vast Gujarati literature and culture. These six plays were created between 1999 and 2010. They had the ability to create an awakening of the rich Gujarati cultural heritage among the younger generation. In theatre, as in other walks of life, there is the dichotomy of class and mass, these productions have the power to encompass both.”

Six platform performances were also staged by writers as an alternate means of entertainment that helped the audience to warm up for the main plays. When Shah approached acclaimed writer Uttam Gada to direct one such performance, the latter chose to make a satire on Gujarati writer Shri Gunvantrai Acharya’s novel Dariyalal and named it Red Sea. While the original story is set in the 17th century and narrates the adventures of sea-farers, Gada’s script revolved around the dialogue between the writer and a modern-day director who wants to film the novel.

“I chose Dariyalal firstly because it’s a masterpiece and the younger generation is not too familiar with it. Secondly, through my satirical take, I wanted to depict how literary classics are manipulated for commercial filmi ventures today. While Dariyalal means sons of the sea, in my take, the director translates it literally as red sea. That in a way depicts how he’s unable to understand the true meaning of a literary work,” says Gada.

Not only was this performance lapped up by the audience, but over all, the festival proved to a be a huge success with as many as 89 artistes and technicians participating in it. Inspired by the huge success, Shah is now keen on organising such festivals more often and spreading cultural awareness.

A tryst with theatre

Money makes the world go round. But what happens when there are many contenders vying for some easy cash while hiding some secrets of their own? Actor-director Imtiaz Khan’s new Hindi play Loot, that opened recently at Mumbai, takes a humorous look at this issue. Produced by actor Gautam Chaturvedi, who was last seen in Ekta Kapoor’s Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii as the reticent Gautam Bhaiya, Loot also marks the debut of television stars Mazhar Sayed and Chhavi Mittal. Amit Verma, Chaitanya Adib and Shishir Krishna Sharma comprise the rest of the cast.

The play revolves around two men, Freddy and Denny, who loot a bank. But after reaching home, they come to know about Freddy’s mother’s demise. Mr Mascarenhas, Freddy’s father, is attracted to Fay, his wife’s caretaker. The booty is stacked in the same house where Mrs Mascarenhas’s coffin lays waiting to be buried. To add to the chaos, a cop lands up at the house to investigate the case. Who finally gets a share of the booty forms the crux of the play.

Interestingly, Loot was written and directed 15 years ago by Khan where he had cast his brother, renowned actor Amjad Khan, as a cop. Imtiaz has decided to revisit the play and present it in a new avatar and a different language to theatre aficionados. “All of us have certain beliefs about the various institutions like the bureaucracy, the police, the nursing fraternity. But what happens when these professionals are quite different from what we believe? For instance, we believe that nurses should serve the common man, but what happens when a nurse deliberately kills a patient to earn some money? Loot is a black comedy about these institutions,” says Khan. The current political and social scenario prompted him to revisit the play and make it more funny and contemporary.

Chaturvedi, who makes his foray into Hindi theatre with Loot, is upbeat about his new venture. He admits it was the love for stage that prompted him to produce a play. “I have been an actor for the last 14 years, but never got a chance to do theatre. I always wanted to be associated with theatre. So I thought I should realise this dream by producing a play. Imtiaz, who is also part of my company, Pinetree Pictures, and I discussed few scripts. Finally, we chose Loot as it was a comedy play that could prove to be a perfect stress-buster for theatre lovers,” he says.

Chaturvedi, had earlier produced a Marathi musical Jallosh in 2007, wherein 14 television actors had narrated a love story in a live stage performance through the song and dance routine.
For Loot, he decided to give a break to his friends from the television fraternity. Quiz him if it was a cost-cutting measure and he says, “Not at all. We were looking for senior, good actors who were keen to do theatre. Moreover, all of them suited the roles and would be seen in a different avatar. Mazhar is playing an effeminate character, Chhavi is portraying the role of a sexy nurse, while Chaitanya is seen as a cop who always goofs up, someone on the lines of Inspector Jacques Clouseau of The Pink Panther.”

Sayed, who has always been seen in serious roles in Kaahin Kissii Roz and Saat Phere, is glad to do comedy for the first time. “I play a pansy who is in love with his male friend (played by Amit Verma). Initially I was a little apprehensive but eventually I agreed. Amit and I have been best friends since 10 years so we were very comfortable. I had earlier played a nachya (an effiminate character) for a dance number in Nach Baliye with Mouli Ganguly. It was just a three-minute sequence. But for the role in Loot, I had to be in character in front of a live audience for two hours. That was tough,” says the actor.

Mittal, who is best remembered as the simple girl next door in Tumhari Disha, is seen as a slutty nurse in the play. Rather than getting stressed out about the medium and the role, she decided to enjoy the experience. She says, “I followed the script and just went with the flow. Since the other actors had acted on stage before, they guided me. All of us gelled together as a team,” she signs off.

The age of love

Divya Palat’s new play takes a hilarious look at relationships and urges people to loosen up

Everyone, who has ever fallen in love, will agree that it’s the strangest yet the most universal emotion that makes you do a lot of crazy things that you wouldn’t do otherwise. Despite the light-hearted tiffs, serious quarrels and bitter-sweet arguments, you soon realise that you can’t live with or without that special someone. Actor and playwright Divya Palat highlights this fact through the lives of three couples in various stages of relationships and a man on an eternal quest of love in her new play Let’s Talk About Love. The couples comprise two teenagers who are dating, a duo living in together and a married couple.

Palat, who always wanted to write a romantic play, decided on this topic as she wanted to take a light-hearted look at relationships. “In general, I find people funny. But I find people in love funnier. Sometimes when I rewind in my mind the fights that I have had with my husband (actor Aditya Hitkari) I find it hilarious. And that’s the same across ages. When teenagers fight, they keep asking each other to hang up, which is quite silly but true. These small things make relationships hilarious. Let’s Talk About Love actually captures how people change over the years.”

Palat introduced a single man searching for love so that people who are not in a relationship can identify with him. “He’s a hilarious character who has a fixed idea about love and his searching for his ideal woman. Even in our every day lives, we have friends, who are single and those who are married or dating.”

The playwright, who likes to laugh at herself, encourages people to do the same through Let’s Talk About Love. “The audience can see themselves in these characters. It’s a real comedy based on people whom I know and the situations that I have been in. We tend to take ourselves seriously. But at times we should laugh at ourselves too,” says Palat, who wrote the first act this February after much prodding from her husband. She also performed along with the actors in a preview at the Kala Ghoda festival. It garnered a good response. “After the preview, the audience was quite excited and kept asking me questions about what happens to the three couples. That actually prompted me to write the second act and tie all the loose ends. I have deliberately made the second part funnier than the first.”

Palat has always presented previews of her works at the Kala Ghoda fest to understand the viewers’ reactions. “Over there, the audience has no illusions about what to expect. Their reactions say it all. It’s always a good yardstick for me to gauge my work and plan my plays accordingly.”

Palat is also acting in her new play with her husband. The duo is portraying a married couple. Quiz her, if the instances in Let’s Talk About Love, are based on her married life and she admits, “Some incidents are inspired from our lives.” Aditya Hitkari, who plays Palat’s husband, says sheepishly, “In reality, we argue but not as much as we do in this play. Let’s Talk About Love is unlike what our married life is. All the stories are interwoven and look at different stages of love.”

Karan Sagoo, who was last seen in fashion-based reality show Making The Cut on MTV and played a cameo in Rishta.com, makes his stage debut with this play. The actor, who has done theatre back home in the United Kingdom, is enacting the role of a man who is compelled to marry his girlfriend and becomes jittery after she gets pregnant. He confesses it took him some time to accept the different working style in India. “In London, usually the venue is booked for an exclusive performance and you get an opportunity to rehearse on stage continuously. That makes the performance natural. But that’s not the case in India. So I had to get accustomed to it. I also had to change my mannerisms to enact my character convincingly.”

Khushboo Hitkari, who plays a teenage girl in the play, sought inspiration from her own experiences. “In the first act, I play a college girl, while in the second act, I’m a working woman who shares a strained relationship with her former boyfriend. I observed people around me and thought how the concept of love has changed since the time I was in college. That helped me add a natural element to my character.”
Let’s Talk About Love will premiere at National Centre for The Performing Arts, Mumbai on July 24.

All About Friendship

Makrand Deshpande’s new play Poha Gone Wrong deals about existentialism and camaraderie

Change is the only constant in our life. But, over the years, the meaning of friendship has undergone a major transformation. A well-educated, naïve person is often termed as a bechara (poor fellow) and taken for granted by his pals. This basic thought proved to be a take-off point for actor, director and playwright Makrand Deshpande. He decided to highlight this issue in a contemporary setting with a mythological base in his new play Poha Gone Wrong that was staged recently at Prithvi Theatre.

The play revolves around three childhood friends - two sisters (an aspiring actress and a writer) of the Pohankar family and a Brahmin boy, Sudama, who is trapped in the epic times of the Mahabharata. He cannot snap back to the present because he strongly believes that he has an important mission to accomplish in that era, which would affect our mythological history. The sisters cannot relate to this unreal world he dwells in, and therefore find it difficult to accept him. This skirmish between the two worlds forms the basic premise of the play.

Deshpande says, “A poor Brahmin boy Sudama, comes to the Pohankar sisters for bhiksha regularly. But he suffers from a complex and realises that he can never become Krishna or the most revered friend of the sisters. As he grows older, he becomes a vidhvaan (the learned one) and starts dwelling on issues like why Krishna shared the Gita with Arjun when Sudama was his childhood friend and why wasn’t he given due importance by Krishna and asks him these questions.”

The play explores the trials and tribulations of a true friend (Sudama) who was never given due importance by Krishna. “If a book is written on Krishna’s life, Sudama will be mentioned only in a few pages. But his role was much bigger than that. In the play, I have also explored the possibility that if Krishna had told the Gita to Sudama, would it still be popular?” says the playwright.

Deshpande, who has always highlighted sensitive issues, wanted to explore how the meaning of friendship has altered. “Now, friendship which is a universal theme, is more about someone whom you take for granted and never realise his importance. Theatre is a strong medium to highlight it,” he adds.

The actor-director revisited the Bhagwad Gita to learn more about Krishna. It took him a month to pen his thoughts and turn it into a play. The biggest challenge that he faced was to ensure that the play communicates its message to the public clearly. “Poha Gone Wrong had to be unassuming to get the message across,” he adds. Deshpande is also portraying the role of Sudama. He admits that it has been an interesting experience to portray a mythological character in contemporary times. “I discovered more layers of Sudama while acting and learnt how it feels when you are sidelined by your friend.”

Poha Gone Wrong features Makrand Deshpande, Ahlam Khan, Raj Arjun, Neha Saraf, Sarika Singh, Bhupesh, Akash, Vinod Tharani, Mukesh Bhatt, Krishna and Ghanshyam.