[ad_1]
Dr. SL Bhairappa Festival It will be staged in English in Bengaluru this weekend. The book has been adapted for the stage and directed by Prakash Belwadi. It features live music by Ravi Murur and the troupe, costumes by Prasad Bidapa and sets by Sashidhar Adapa.
Prakash, who is recognized nationally and internationally in the world of cinema and television, started his career in theatre. He comes from a theatre family. His mother Bhargavi and father Make Up Nani were well-known theatre artists. Prakash says, “I started doing theatre at the age of 15 and never left it despite films and television.”
Some scenes from the play | Photo courtesy: special arrangement
“I recently returned after doing 28 shows of an Australian play and will soon be going to the US for a 20-day show. I turned to cinema and web series to do theatre and sustain myself. Credit also goes to my wife Chandrika, who supported me. I don’t want to judge people who quit theatre, I am sure they must have had their own reasons.”
FestivalIt was originally performed in Kannada at the Mysore Rangayana and received a standing ovation. The English adaptation will be staged in five acts with four intervals by the Centre for Film and Drama. The Centre of Film and Drama was started in 2004. “We are hoping to travel abroad with this play. We are a small amateur theatre group and wanted to celebrate our 20th anniversary with this work,” says Prakash.
Festival Reinterprets Mahabharata and explores a tangled web of emotions, power struggles, and moral dilemmas. “I first read Festival 10 years ago in English. I immediately called Bhairappa and asked for permission to adapt it for stage. He was curious how I would adapt it and worried if I would give it a modern interpretation or politicise it. I was happy, nervous and clueless at the same time and I dropped the idea.
Prakash had directed three plays for Rangayan and was asked by Addanda Kariappa, then director of Rangayan, if he would stage one of Bhyrappa’s books. “I immediately thought that FestivalBut he chose another story by Bhairappa for adaptation.”
Lighting customized Festival for the stage during the first lockdown.” Bhyrappa approved the adaptation. Bhyrappa, who has seen the play several times, explains Festival ‘20% Mahabharata And 80% his perception’. In March 2021, we announced three shows. It was a 10-and-a-half hour long show and I am still amazed at how the audience watched it.”
Prakash says all three shows were full houses. “The audience suggested that we stage one play a day. We tried doing this with shows on Friday, Saturday and Sunday too, but this format was not well received. The audience’s response was that they prefer to sit and watch all the plays together. It makes sense. Don’t we watch one-day matches all day? Or watch web-series? So why not theatre?”
Prakash says it is nothing new for Indian audiences to sit for long hours for a play. Ballata, Who It runs all night long.” Despite the success, the Kannada version is being repeated Festival has not been without challenges.
“Most of the original artistes left and we were working with a completely new cast. They watched videos of the original play for reference. Despite these challenges, Cariappa managed to stage 57 shows Festival.,
Festival, Prakash says, Mahabharata which “represents the voice of a woman and her anger at injustice or crime wrongdoing I am deeply hurt by the things men do in my life. I wouldn’t call it feminist because that word has many meanings and it is about equal rights. Festival Ask about religion. Women talk about men and how things were not done harmoniously or correctly.
For example, Prakash states that Gandhari rebels against her father, who married her to the blind Dhritarashtra out of greed. “Kunti’s anger is because she is unable to live a life of her own choice as she is committed to maintaining the dignity of the kingdom, which binds her even though she is a young widow. Draupadi attacks the Arya Dharma.”
Prakash says the play begins with the declaration of war. “The first part is a scene where the characters debate whether they should go to war or not and who will fight for whom. The second part is about Krishna’s intervention which complicates the situation, the third part questions dharma, the meaning of life, death and the role of an ascetic. Then comes the story of Eklavya. You get to see Eklavya from a different perspective. The fourth and fifth parts focus on the war.”
Prakash says there are no blackouts on stage in this eight-hour play. “Scenes flow into the next. Bhairappa’s writing is amazing. He has created an interesting character in Krishna and has not spared Vyasa either.”
Prakash says the play in English will never be as poignant as in Kannada. “There will be a lot of loss in translation, and English as a language cannot have the tone or emotion that Kannada has.” Sound in Kannada, yet we made it in English as an experiment. We want this concept of the great epic to cross the borders of Karnataka and showcase it to a crossover audience. It may or may not work, but one can be adventurous only in theatre.”
The play has been produced by his daughter Meghana Belawadi and her husband Nikhil Nanaya. “They have also managed the production. It was a huge task for all of us to pull it off. We are very grateful to the audience who made the effort to buy tickets and watch our play. This is what will keep us going.”
The gala will be staged on August 24 and 25 at the Prestige Centre for Performing Arts, Konanakunte. Tickets are available on BookMyShow.
[ad_2]
Source link