Back in 1999, when Laddoo Gopal went on stage and ran to packed houses for more than 50 shows, it filled a gaping hole in the entertainment scene for children
Back in 1999, when Laddoo Gopal went on stage and ran to packed houses for more than 50 shows, it filled a gaping hole in the entertainment scene for children. The kids back then, recalls director Om Katare, were so excited that they would jump on to the stage during the interval and sit all over the king's throne, which was a prop in the play. "In fact, during one show, kids started shouting so much that our lead actors got nervous and forgot their lines. Back then, the audiences had never seen a double role on stage and went wild when both the Laddoo Gopals were on stage together," he laughs.
Raajesh Shetty plays Laddoo Gopal in Yatri's play.
Pic/Anuja Gupta
Today will see a re-run of the Hindi play that derives its inspiration from the Jataka Tales. On stage will be Seth Laddoo Gopal (played by Raajesh Shetty), a miser who has exasperated everyone around him in Khajoorgarh. When the cunning Seth goes out of town, a behroopiya who looks just like Laddoo Gopal (Sanjeev Sharma) enters the scene, and gives away all of the merchant's wealth to everyone around, including his distressed wife and kids. What happens when the real Laddoo Gopal returns? Will the face-off get ugly, or does the stingy Seth learn a lesson? And who is this generous but fake Laddoo Gopal, anyway?
"We have tried to create a fairytale atmosphere for the play," shares Katare, who founded theatre group Yatri in 1979 and debuted as a playwright with Laddoo Gopal. He also plays the role of the king in the play. "With a cast of 20 people, it's not a small production. Though we have added songs and dance to this production, we have retained the structure of the play since it has all the ele-ments that a children's play should have. With this, we hope to do more shows for kids, rather than limiting them to summer specials."
On Today and tomorrow, 4 pm and 7 pm. At Prithvi Theatre, Janki Kutir, Juhu Church Road, Vile Parle (W). Call 26149546
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