After the premiere in Chennai last September and a tour of the United States, Magic, Ravi Shankar Ki Jaan, a play on Pt. is coming to Bengaluru this month. Written and directed by Gauri Ramnarayan and presented by JustUs Repertory, the play ‘steps into his inner world of doubts, regrets, struggles and the fierce determination that took him from a boy dancer in Paris to one of the most influential composers of the 20th century.’
Attraction Explores four stages of a sitar player’s life. Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
AttractionExplores four stages of the sitar player’s life: as a young boy in Paris, acclaimed as a dancer in his brother’s troupe; A disciple undergoing continuous music training in a remote Indian town; As an artist struggling to establish his career; And global icons who put Indian music on the world map.
Gauri says, “I was commissioned to write a play by the Academy of Fine Arts in San Diego for his birth centenary celebration. Pandit Ravi Shankar was a godfather at the academy, and I was thrilled with the idea of writing a play on his life.” “I was not apprehensive about the project, but was conscious that I was writing about a personality whose life was largely publicly recorded.”
The play moves between theatre, dance, archival material and music. Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
That’s why Gauri says she had to “find a way to shape her character in a way that didn’t contradict what people knew about her, and also brought in an exploration factor. I had to create something new that would still resonate with people who knew her.”
To this end, she leaned toward her “human side” which she says people liked about her. “I wanted to see him as a person with vulnerabilities; and this challenge excited me.”
Magic, It was staged at The Hubba Fest in Bengaluru earlier this year, moves between theatre, dance, archival material and music and stars Yohan Chacko, Arabi Veeraraghavan, G Narendra and Anjana Anand.
Gauri says, “I have read two of his autobiographies and a few profiles. But to get an insight into the man and his mindset, I think I relied more on the interviews I did with him over the years. Also, Kamala Chakraborty, a family friend who was his partner for 24 years, always spoke at length about Raviji with admiration, respect and some amusement.” Dear.
from still Attraction
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
For example, the fact that he was “open about his life. What attracted me to him was that he faced so much adverse criticism on his performances in the West, which hurt him deeply. With his roots in tradition and spirituality, how could he not be surprised by the hippie audience at the Woodstock Festival? But he had a bigger goal in mind,” says Gauri, “Pandit Ravi Shankar saw how his elder brother Uday introduced India to the West. Jana, and he wanted to take Indian classical music to the global stage. He did it in his own way, and who am I to question it?”
It is this “missionary zeal to put Indian music on the world map” that Gauri praises. “And he accomplished what he set out to accomplish; everyone else followed.” “Attraction It is not about Pt. Ravi Shankar the musician, but the person he saw himself as, with all his weaknesses. Most importantly, how he saw the world becoming his stage. And that was always my focus,” says Gauri.
from still Attraction
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Ultimately, what will Pt. do? Ravi Shankar tell me whether he was watching the play? “He would have been astonished by how someone else saw him. He might have nodded or shook his head at different moments, or simply smiled. But since his entire life is a testament to his conviction that artists are free to express their truth, he would not have questioned my right to depict him.”
On September 17 at Bengaluru International Centre. Admission is free; To RSVP, visit bangaloreinternationalcentre.org/
published – September 10, 2026 09:40 AM IST