Don't let distance keep you from catching a play. Because the arts are coming to your neighbourhood with a travelling fest
Siddharto Poddar
When one's commute to work or college involves an unfair number of hours in the local train or traffic, there is little time or energy left for much else, let alone a trek to a far-off venue to catch a performance. Malls or cinema halls, on the other hand, are the lowest auto rickshaw fare away in most suburbs of Mumbai, which perhaps explains the high footfalls on weekends, come rain or shine. Would things change if the arts were brought to your neighbourhood, so you could dive straight into a theatrical experience without having to worry about the arduous commute?
Karan Chauhan
That's the thought which propelled Abhishek Krishnan to start Jhamela, a "portable, recurring, arts-driven, caravan microfest", as he likes to describe it. A performing artiste, who has trained as an actor, dancer and musician, Krishnan wanted to combine his background in the arts and degree in business and management to start a company that pushes the boundaries of creativity, and Jhamela is its first artistic property. "Our aim is to engage with hyper-local communities through experiential live content and we do this by catering to smaller groups of people at a higher frequency, thus upping the intimacy and engagement factor," he says, elaborating that the intent is to take the fest to different areas of the city every month.
Naquita D'Souza
The first edition starts with Versova, where a two-day event will see performances split into two categories. Under Art Expo, improv acts by artistes specialising in Shakespearean and Urdu recitals, clowning, movement as well as fine arts will be spread out across the venue such that the audience can watch as they walk around. The next segment called The Show will feature performances such as Kachra, a nukkad natak by Theatrewaalas, a kathak performance by Pooja Pant Company, retro-pop by Naquita D, and a show by stand-up illusionist Karan Chauhan among other performances. Food stalls - including those by Versova's roadside chaat and vadai vendors - and pop-up shops offering trinkets, designer diaries, khadi garments, etc, will keep the atmosphere carnival-like.
"Shakespeare has weaved in a lot of audience interaction in his writings. So, it would be interesting to incorporate that into the improv act and see how people engage with it," says theatre artiste Ankit Lal, who is trained in Shakespearean plays and is passionate about using the original language of the Bard. "Where do people get to hear Shakespeare these days? The idea is to expose audiences to names and art forms they may not come across often," adds Krishnan. Which is why some of the performances have been specially devised to make the art forms accessible. "Yakshagana is not something most people have witnessed. So, we created a Yakshagana-influenced performance so they don't feel distant," shares Abhinav Grover of the Betaal group.
Krishnan says, "We wanted Jhamela to be something like NH7, where the creators don't really tell the artistes what to do because they trust their artistic judgment. At the same time, there is a strong sense of community among the artistes. So, the fest has an NH7-meets-Thespo kind of feel to it." The artiste line-up, and food and shopping stalls will change with every new area the festival enters, with most artistes, chefs and vendors being roped in from the area itself. "We also hope to collaborate with local schools, and work with kids to devise something with them," Krishnan informs.
How is he factoring in the challenge of finding a venue in every locality the festival ventures into? "The idea is to keep it a flexible project, so it can be scaled up or down. Even a bare ground lends itself perfectly to the nature of the festival," Krishnan replies, adding that Bandra is the next suburb he is looking at for the April edition, before moving on to Dadar, Borivali and Powai, among other areas. "My 10-year goal is for Jhamela to be your event next door that happens on the last weekend of the month in every metropolitan city of India," Krishnan sums up.
On: March 31 and April 1, 5 pm
At: OverAct Alternative Theatre Space, Aram Nagar Part II, Versova, Andheri West.
Log on to: insider.in
Entry: Rs 599
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