If movies are your thing generally, try out some quality theatre with rang --u00a0A Festival of Indian Art, starting today

Weekend is just round the corner and if you haven't made up your mind already about what you are going to do, here is some food for thought. The Films and Theatre Society (FTS) is organising its first Annual Arts Festival Rang -- A Festival of Indian Arts. The four-day festival will showcase theatrical productions of some of the popular works of writers like Premchand, Jhumpa Lahiri, Hermann Hesse and others. Each play promises to have a separate appeal, content and message. A live performance by the folk fusion band Bramhanaad is also lined up on Friday. Let's have a look.


Siddhartha

To asceticism and back
Based on one of the most influential novels of Hermann Hesse of the same name, Siddhartha, directed by Ashok Chhabra is the story of a son of Brahmin who sets out in search of enlightenment with his companion Govinda.
Life takes a turn as he sways from asceticism to worldly life as a trader with a lover and back. Sahil Malhotra who plays the character of Govinda said: "This play is subtle with no exaggerations. The character of Govinda demanded a calm nature. In reality I am short tempered and impatient but with this play I have rediscovered myself."

Pre-independence blues
The play Jamuna will refresh the memories of pre-Independence turmoil faced by the common man. This play shows commotion and confusion of an ordinary Indian family mired in social beliefs and bondages in the backdrop of the greatest migration of the century. Staying closer to the true picture, the play is in Punjabi and Urdu and live folk and Sufi music adds to the drama.u00a0 Jamuna, a mother of three sons, tries to keep her family together during the time of partition. Akhilesh Arora who plays the role of one of the sons said: "It was a dream come true to play such a heroic character. Now I can completely understand the pain the families suffered during freedom struggle."

Bravado Abhimanyu
Inspired by the epic The Mahabharata, Arjun Ka Beta is a poetic rendition of a conversation between king Yudhisthira and the great warrior Bheeshama. "It was very challenging to stage this play," said the director of the play Atul Koushik who has also directed three other plays in Rang. "There is a full-fledged war scene that will be staged. Besides the whole concept is explored in a poetic form and it was a task for the characters to deliver such long poetic phrases," he added.


Koobar aur Kaaki