Andha Yug - a fusion, Ranga Theatre's most ambitious project brings together a music band, a painter and a Hindustani classical vocalist to contemporise the classic by Dharamvir Bharti
Andha Yug - a fusion, Ranga Theatre's most ambitious project brings together a music band, a painter and a Hindustani classical vocalist to contemporise the classic by Dharamvir Bharti
Actor-Director Bijon Mondal has rarely been this confident before the opening of a new play. The confidence seems a little out of place, especially with a play like Andha Yug which has been adapted by almost every Hindi theatre group worth its presence on stage. Yet, Bijon is calm. That's because Pushpa Bharti, the playwright's wife, recently saw a rehearsal, and approved. "She has seen almost every version of the play, so it boosts our confidence that Pushpaji saw it and certified that our play is different and interesting," says Bijon.
Andha Yug is considered a contemporary classic in Hindi Literature, and theatre stalwarts like Ebrahim Elkazi have directed the play. As for Bijon, he has been dreaming of working with the script for 12 years. It's his "dream project" and the young director is going the whole hog to make sure it turns out exactly the way he envisaged it over the years. "This is one ambitious project," he states, with nervous laughter.
With nearly 35 cast and crew members, it has one of the largest teams working for any experimental play in recent times. Fusion is the keyword that makes Bijon's version stand apart. So there's fusion in musicu00a0-- contemporary band, Translucent perform alongside Priyaankaa Mathur, a Hindustani classical vocalist. Fusion reflects even in the costumesu00a0-- harem pants, T-shirts and jackets made from jute bags. The play also has two female actors (Aarifa Bhinderwala and Kanak Khanna) playing male characters Vidur and Sanjay. "Vidur and Sanjay talk about the futility of war. When we read for the parts, I thought that the girls could convince the audience better because women are inherently against wars," says Bijon.
The reinterpretation of the text, Bijon says, is important since the concept behind the play is relevant even today. "Andha Yug is based on the last day of the Mahabharata war, when everything is in ruins. With terror striking Indian cities, we are living in similar times."
On: February 23 to 27, at Prithvi Theatre, Janki Kutir, Vile Parle (W).
Call: 26149546 for tickets
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