It’s that time of the year when all roads lead to the Mandi House square of Delhi’s Broadway to celebrate the world’s biggest theater festival. In its 25th edition, Bharat Rang Mahotsav (BRM) is bigger and more diverse than ever, and its in-charge Chittaranjan Tripathi is leading the way in delivering the tagline: ‘Dialogue of Cultures’. Director of the National School of Drama says, “The idea is to provide a platform for democratic exchange of ideas, cultures and creativity. For the first time, BRM is being organized in every state and union territory. From Leh to Lakshadweep, we are taking theater to the most remote parts of the country.”
Underscoring the diversity and inclusivity showcased at the 25-day event, Tripathi said the festival featured 277 productions in 228 Indian and foreign languages and dialects, from Nishi and Tulu to Sindhi and Maithili. “Being a milestone year, we have integrated the children’s festival Jashn-e-Bachpan into BRM. The Adirang segment focuses on traditional practices in tribal communities. Puppet theater and dance dramas, segments which are often ignored in the festival, have been given their due.”
Firoz Abbas Khan Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
For Tripathi, the crux is to create a “non-elitist” platform that focuses not only on big names and groups but also folk theater artistes from remote centres. “We have representation from marginalized sections like sex workers, transgender people and physically challenged artistes,” says Tripathi.
Talking about the diversity of voices, Tripathi says that street theater is an important component of the festival. “Then we have Sanjay Mishra performing Ghasiram Kotwal. From what I have seen, this is a very interesting way of presenting Vijay Tendulkar’s game at this time.
An alumnus of the 1996 batch, Tripathi describes himself as a person who can accommodate different generations and viewpoints. He said that veterans take time to emerge and one must be patient with young talents.
In a “world full of information”, NSD students still stay focused because of the spiritual environment they get from a place like a gurukul, says Tripathi. “Yoga is part of the routine as it aligns the body and soul of the young artists.”
Ek lamha zindagi mein juhi babbar soni Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Active as an actor-director, Tripathi reminds that at the core of cinema is still a script. “Theatre cannot close its doors to other forms. These are the four pillars of Bharat Muni, Angika (affective), Vachika (verbal), Aharya (costume), and Satvik (emotional), Mentioned in DramaturgyWhich forms the basis of all performances, be it OTT, cinema or reel. As an institution, we need to expand our reach to different platforms where theater is practiced.
on the cards
hind 1957
after A spectacular stage adaptation of Mughal-e-Azam who controlled the capital, this Friday, Firoz Abbas Khan returning to “more intimate spaces” hind 1957Adaptation of August Wilson’s Pulitzer-winning play fence. With Sachin Khedekar in the lead role, Khan says, “It centers around a Muslim family grappling with the image of the community after Partition.”
Looking back, Khan remembers that Salesman Ramlal This was the first play he staged at the festival with Satish Kaushik in the lead role. “It was one of the most enjoyable experiences. Satish entered as a tired old man unable to understand the world around him, and the audience applauded loudly.”
Ek lamha zindagi mein juhi babbar soni Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
one moment life
Interestingly, it is in its 25th show this Saturday. Ek Lamha Zindagi – A Love Story: 1938-1979, The gets personal universal As Juhi Babbar, Soni Sajjad and Razia Zaheer bring to life the deep bond between their maternal grandfather and grandmother. Set against the backdrop of the independence movement, it follows the struggles of Sajjad and Razia, a pillar of the progressive writers movement and leader of the Communist Party of India, who balanced family duties with their love for literature and emerged as a strong feminist voice in Urdu literature.
She is inspired by her mother Nadira Babbar my mother’s hands, The one-act play has become popular in the last year due to Juhi’s flexibility as a performer and depth of writing.
“I decided to do a dramatic recital, but once I started, I started performing the recital. Every part of it resonated with me. The performance was a hit, but it made me uneasy.” With enough research material available in the family collection, she told her husband, Anup Soni, that she would develop it further and perform it at Prithvi Theater within a fortnight. “With the changes, it was no longer a daughter watching her mother and father’s journey. It suddenly evolved into the universal love story of Razia and Sajjad. I reached out to Makrand Deshpande, who directed my mother’s hands, To help me decide what to keep. After four days of rehearsal, we performed and since then God has been kind.”
Chittaranjan Tripathi addressing young actors. Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Juhi has fond memories of NSD, where she has performed since 1999 jewish girl Under the direction of his mother. “Though I have not studied in NSD, I feel that I have done a full-time course as my father, mother and husband are from the prestigious institute. This is a new height because this time I have also composed and co-directed the play.”
Kaumudi
Playwright-director Abhijit Majumdar, who was well-liked Kaumudi The play starring Kumud Mishra will be staged on February 10. Remember that, as a teenager, Abhimanch used to guarantee an air-conditioned experience for a ticket of Rs 10. “My earliest memory of BRM was watching Asif Ali Haider Khan (seen recently) stalwart Babu performs as the dacoit. One night, he was a monk Anamnath’s potha, And the next day, he played the role of a transgender person in Vaman Kendre’s film Go-Dude. I didn’t recognize that he was the same actor I had seen the night before until the curtain bell rang. It’s the magic of theater that stayed with me“
With caste discrimination becoming headlines, Kaumudi, which presents the story of Mahabharata From the Dalit perspective it becomes relevant once again through the metaphorical dialogue between Ekalavya and Abhimanyu’s ghost. “For me, Mahabharata A myth that represents the social realities of its time. The experience of caste discrimination has remained constant for Dalits for centuries. It’s to the system and to others that it becomes latent and sometimes comes to the surface.” He says people have had their own versions of it over the years. Mahabharata And its characters are suited to their environment.
Farce: As it is Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Majumdar believes that institutions like NSD should help maintain the distinction between culture and art. “Culture is about celebrating systems, rituals and traditions, while art is about criticizing them. If art starts celebrating everything, it stops serving its purpose. Kalidasa distinguishes between celebrating and staging a day of Ashadh he questions him.“
Playwright and senior theater critic Anil Goyal, whose latest work is There was a girl, aka those few moments, The story of an unrequited love spanning three generations in which the suspension of civil liberties during the Emergency plays the villain, was released during the festival, cautioning against falling for quantity over quality to protect the heritage and integrity of the festival.
Goyal, who is on the festival’s selection jury, says there has been a rise in ready-made plays that lack focus and says his study shows that theater is losing talent writing for OTT, even in remote areas. “After the demise of stalwarts like Habib Tanvir, Bansi Kaul, KN Panikkar and now Ratan Thiyam, there has been a crack in the intellectual tradition of various forms of theater and the new generation is taking time to fill those big shoes,” says Goyal.
Bharat Rang Mahotsav is till 20th February