Immerse yourself in theatre with three plays being staged by a Delhi-based company
Kuljeet Singh
In 2014, an educational group with right-wing leanings did author and historian Wendy Doniger an inadvertent favour by successfully demanding a ban on her book, The Hindus: An Alternative History. But the bigger question here isn't whether this ban led to accidental publicity for the title. It is this: what sort of message are we sending out as a society when an archaic law regarding"hurt sentiments" is invoked to muzzle the creative arts? That is the subject of one of three plays that Delhi-based Atelier Theatre will stage in the city over this weekend, in association with The Jeff Goldberg Studio.
Kuchh Afsane, the play in question, deals with the issue through the context of Saadat Hasan Manto's writing."We wanted to address this practice of banning published works. So, we picked up four banned Manto stories — Bu, Dhuan, Kaali Shalwar and Thanda Gosht — to contest the idea of books being censored," says Kuljeet Singh, who's directed all three productions.
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A scene from Khusar Phusar
The other two plays are Project Antigone and Khusar Phusar. The former is a contemporary political take on the Greek tragedy, where the character of Antgone represents the individual while that of Creon is symbolic of the state."The state is a metaphor for suppression and the individual stands for defiance. And you will also find Indian protest poetry based on the country's current political context in the plot structure," Singh reveals.
He adds that of the three, Khusar Phusar is the only one that provides comic relief. It deals with a dinner party where the guests arrive to find the hostess missing and her husband dead, after he accidentally shot himself. Being upper class Delhiites, they do everything in their power to keep the police in the dark."We lampoon a lot of the characteristics of South Delhi people to add situational humour," Singh tells us, meaning that the three plays will involve something for everyone, whether it's an out-and-out comedy or a classic tragedy that you're looking for.
On: June 22, 8 pm (Khusar Phusar); June 23, 6 pm and 9 pm (Kuchh Afsaney); June 24, 6 pm and 9 pm (Project Antigone)
At: The Jeff Goldberg Studio, Links Building, Khar West.
Call: 7506906927
Cost Rs 250 for each show
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