Chai with Marathi drama's most famous cross-dresser

Here's why you should be heading to Prithvi Theatre this Sunday for cutting chai with Marathi theatre stalwarts Satish Alekar andu00a0 Mahesh Elkunchwar

With a play about a man trapped in a woman's desire, unfulfilled, pining for a vanished era, and several more that pushed the boundaries of regional Indian theatre in the 1970s and 80s, Satish Alekar and Mahesh Elkunchwar gave Marathi theatre audiences complex characters they loved or loved to hate. Now that their translated works are ready to be released in a comprehensive book, it's occasion for a day-long affair where English and Marathi theatrewallahs will come together for dramatised readings and short performances this Sunday morning.

Way back in the 1980s, veteran actors Naseeruddin Shah, Mohan Agashe and the late Mohan Gokhale lit up the stage as they brought the works of these two playwrights to life in productions directed by Satyadev Dubey and Vijaya Mehta. The Sunday event at Prithvi Theatre hopes to share some of that magic with the GenNext audience. "A play is not complete till it's performed on stage, which is why we didn't want to follow the regular book release format. Since the books carry English translations of their Marathi plays, we thought readings and performances in both languages would be a good idea," says Irawati Karnik, programme co-ordinator.