Tag: Connoisseur Corner

Gauhar

The biographical musical play is about the life of Gauhar Jaan, one of the first Indian performers to record music on Gramophone. Her life was adorned with professional achievements, and also scarred with repeated deceits by the people she trusted. The play answers many questions which may seem confounding to the TikTok/YouTube generation where recording and streaming is the norm. What was so special in being the first recorded female singer? The play not only takes the audience to the street of Calcutta where she was celebrated, but also inside her heart which was repeatedly cheated by everyone she trusted.

It is a great play and talks volumes of the capabilities of the director Lillette Dubey. The live performances – live singing by Zila Khan and the dance by Rajeshwari Sachdev, the music – themselves are worth of the ticket prices. The amazing portrayal by Rajeshwari (young Gauhar) and Zila Khan (old Gauhar) are powerful and memorable. Rajeshwari, who also gets the most opportunity among all the actors, shines in her role. The setup is also done well.

Talking of biographies, Bollywood styled masala-added bio-portrayals mutate the original lives so much that the end-product is pure fiction. This play steers clear of that crime, and suffers partly because of it. You see, like any other true biography and anyone’s life, the play has its dull moments. After all, in our like also we don’t achieve one milestone after another every year or every month!

The slow-paced, honest portrayal with great live performances is a must-watch for connoisseurs and theater enthusiasts. For others, please take note of the last paragraph.

AglaPlay Verdict: A must-watch for  connoisseurs and theater enthusiasts
AglaPlay Rating: 3.5/5
Language: Hindi / Urdu
Duration: 2 Hours+ 
Writer: Mahesh Dattani 
Director: Lillete Dubey
Cast: Zila Khan (Old Gauhar),
Rajeshwari Sachdev (Gauhar)
& Others

Below are a few relevant links.

Other Links
Trailer at YouTube 
Gauhar Jaan Wikipedia
Review at IndiaWest

Shabd Leela

An experimental venture, this presentation is part biography, part tribute to award winning novelist, poet and playwright Dr. Dharamvir Bharti. First half is an impactful reading of the extracts from ‘Ek Sahityik Ke Prem Patra’ a personal collection of letters between him and his wife. These letters, written in chaste Hindi, takes the audience to the life of Kanta, Pushpa and Dharamvir. The second section has performances from extracts of his works ‘Andha Yug’ and ‘Kanupriya’.

This is an absolute masterpiece on several fronts. The research, the narration, the performances are all top-notch. Luckily for us, Ms. Pushpa Bharti was also with us as audience that night and her praises for the research done for the play knew no bounds. On performance front, Ila Arun’s take on Gandhari is something that audience will not forget for long time to come! One can buy the ticket solely for her portrayal of Gandhari, such is the act! Rajeshwari, Varun and K K Raina also suited their roles to the perfection.

An amazingly researched piece, this falls short from being a must watch for regular audience on two fronts. First, the language – the Hindi used is in pure definitive form, which at times became tough to understand for me as well (I am a regular Hindi reader and still continue to grab a Hindi novel once in a while). Secondly, the pre-interval part with the letter narration seems dragging a bit. What also disappoints a bit is that (unlike Ek Mulaqat where Dipti and Shekhar memorize all words and dialogues), Ila and Varun read the letters on the stage from printout/notes.

Overall, it is a must-watch for the fans of Dharamvir Bharti ji, but the audience with challenges in understanding Hindi can find it little tough to understand the performance (first half in particular). 

AglaPlay Verdict: A must watch for Dharamvir Bharti's fans
AglaPlay Rating: 3.5/5
Language: Pure Hindi
Duration: 2 Hours
Writer: Ila Arun 
Director: K. K. Raina
Cast: Ila Arun (Narrator / Gandhari), 
Rajeshwari Sachdev (Radha / Mrs. Bharti), 
Varun Badola, KK Raina, 
Abhishek Pandey

Below are a few relevant links.

Other Links
Full Performance on YouTube
Dharamvir Bharti Wikipedia
Ila Arun Wikipedia

Ek Mulaqat

The poetic play Ek Mulaqat (a rendezvous) explores relationship of two eminent authors of the era – Amrita Pritam and Sahir Ludhianvi. The unrequited love is presented through a fictional meeting between Amrita and Sahir at the terrace. They discuss the unspent moment, the content of the letters and the many challenges on their ways to be together. This is a biographical play where the lives of the characters is dramatized and presented in theatrical presentation, with many poems orated through the performance.

The characterization is detailed and both Deepti and Shekhar complement each other. The oration of the poems and songs is done extremely well. Instead of the Bollywood and popular versions, the play sticks to the original Urdu versions, which is tough to understand at many times. I can only imagine how tough it would have been for the performers to by-heart and orate them live with such intensity and emotions! Knowing Shekhar Suman from ‘Dekh Bhai Dekh’ fame, it was a mesmerizing and captivating experience for me. Dipti Naval was as flawless as ever.

This is an extremely well done piece of art and must be watched by those who have liked the duo’s literary works. In addition to giving a glimpse into the lives of the famous duo, the play also provides a rare opportunity to see two brilliant actors orating the iconic lines. The play would also intrigue those who are interested in understanding and feeling the society at large of the era – a lot of research must have gone in bringing alive the lives of the legends and it shows through the play. The duo talks not only about unrequited love, but also about the inequalities, Indo-Pak partition, marriage and more. And most importantly, all of it comes together beautifully as a complete package!

AglaPlay Verdict: An amazing experience, laced with beautiful Urdu poetry
AglaPlay Rating: 4.5/5
Language: Hindi / Urdu
Duration: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
Writer: Saif Hyder Hasan, Somana Ahmed 
Director: S H Hasan
Cast: Shekhar Suman (Sahir),
Deepti Naval (Amrita)

Below are a few relevant links.

Other Links
Amrita Pritam Wikipedia
Sahir Ludianvi Wikipedia
A good read on the play at HT
A take on duo's relation

Peele Scooter Wala Aadmi

The play is about Lal, a writer stuck in writer’s block. He is unable to finish his story because of unanswered questions from his childhood. Lal observes everything around him, from an eagle flying in the sky to a person in nearby apartment, but his thoughts get stuck to the yellow scooter. As the scenes show through Lal’s past and present and his relation with his father, the play gradually unfolds dark events which haunt Lal’s present.

The play is a masterpiece from the playwright/director Manav Kaul. The first half intrigues the audience with many open questions. In the second half, the audience gets absorbed in Lal as scenes come together beautifully, gradually lifting the drapes from the protagonist’s past.

The play is a rick theatrical experience, and a must watch for the connoisseurs. I would however, not recommend the play if you are looking forward to a simple play for a relaxed family evening. The play, particularly the first half, is convoluted and can be enjoyed only when one is engrossed and focused.

AglaPlay Verdict: A good play
AglaPlay Rating: 3/5
Language: Hindi 
(English version A man with yellow scooter)
Duration: 
Writer: Manav Kaul 
Director: Manav Kaul 
Cast:   Kumud Mishra,
Manav Kaul & Others

Below are a few relevant links, including the play script.

Other Links
Review at L'affaire
Manav Kaul Wikipedia
Script of the play

Constellations

This internationally performed play which explores possibilities. Roland the bee keeper, and Marianne the physicist meet at a social gathering, just like any two people meet. And just like any other such meeting, there are numerous possibilities to this. It can be their last meeting, or, they can go on for a few dates and then break-up, or they can get married and so on and on… The actors enact many of these could-have-beens, a spectrum of responses, a plethora of reactions from the same characters in the same situation.

The roles were played by Jib Sarbh and Mansi Multani at NCPA when I watched this performance. The setup by NCPA, which also was the producer, was elegant. Particularly the lighting looked very nice. The actors also performed well. And as I said earlier, this is an internally acclaimed play which demands the best from the best of the performers. Actors like Jake Gyllenhaal had donned the role of Roland earlier and it is far from an easy task to perform in a play like this experimental and it is a unique writing.

Sadly, beyond that experimentation and novelty factor, the play has nothing much to offer. In fact, it becomes boring. Mistake me not, the actors and the producers have put the best of the efforts and the show looks elegant. But the writing is so that it reduces to alternate line-readings to the audience. It ultimately becomes dull and monotonous many times, and annoying at a few instances.

AglaPlay Verdict: Avoid
AglaPlay Rating: 1/5
Language: English
Duration: 1 hour 10 minutes (Approx)
Writer: Nick Payne
Director: Bruce Guthrie 
Cast:  Jim Sarbh (Roland)
Mansi Multani (Mariane)

Below are a few relevant links. The web link to the library touring performance of the play is also provided (without lighting and sound effects). 

Other Links
Trailer Constellations
Full Performance of the play
Constellations Wikipedia
Constellations GoodReads