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WHATS HOT, THE TIMES OF INDIA

THEATRE

Mahabharata with an international twist

REVIEW OF THE WEEK
Play: Battlefield
Director: Peter Brook & Marie-Hlne
Estienne
Duration: 65 minutes
Cast: Carole Karemera, Jared McNeill,
Ery Nzaramba & Sean OCallaghan
Language: English
Rating:
Purvaja.Sawant@timesgroup.com

ven today, France-based

English theatre director
Peter Brook is most famously
known for his critically-acclaimed,
nine-hour long piece on the ancient
script Mahabharata, which he
staged more than 30 years ago. And
rightly so, because it was the first
time this Indian epic was presented
on the world stage and as one international newspaper review stated,
it (the play) did nothing less than
attempt to transform Hindu myth
into universalised art, accessible
to any culture.
Resting on this laurel, the awardwinning director is revisiting the
Mahabharata with the play
Battlefield, written by Jean-Claude
Carrire. This piece showcases the
aftermath of the Kurukshetra war,
fought by the Pandavas and
Kauravas.
Yudhisthira,
who
emerged victorious in the battle,
laments that though theyve won,
the millions of lives lost makes the

victory feel like a defeat. It talks

about how the tormented king
struggles to live with himself, knowing he was also responsible for
the devastation.
If youve read the Mahabharata,
youll concur that its one of the
most interesting and magnificent
epics written, with innumerable
subplots, fables and tales that come
with their own set of morals and life
lessons. Battlefield weaves a few of
these in its narratives.
But this play is more of a recital
than an acting piece. Somehow, the
stories dont come alive on stage, as
the international treatment to the
narrative is lacklustre and not dramatic enough. Also perhaps because
audiences here have been exposed to

this Indian epic in pop culture.

Though it does have biblical shades,
you wish the makers had added
something new and different to
the story.
On the positive side, its heartening to see an international cast perform an Indian mythology, and
theres some fantastic live drumming too. Also, the play relies very
little on props or costumes and a lot
on imagination. Though it begins
on a sombre mood, there are a few
light moments, like in the snake
story. Of course, the humour is misplaced, but at least its entertaining.
A short performance minus any
heavy drama, this is a play strictly
for those who want to experience
Brooks style of theatre.

POOR l AVERAGE l GOOD l VERY GOOD l OUTSTANDING

Aniruddha Khutwad; It is the story of

Juliet who chose love at every turn,
who refused to let the anger and impulsiveness of those around her change
her heart, who knew what she wanted
and went for it with all her might
and the story of her Romeo.

Irawatis
Gandhari
(English/Hindi), Prithvi Theatre,
Juhu, Mar 17, 9 pm; Directed by
Sanjukta Wagh; The play is a
retelling of the entire Mahabharata
from Gandharis point of view.

Anything But Love (English), St

Andrews Auditorium, Bandra,
Mar 13, 7.30 pm; Directed by
Vikranth Pawar; A comedy for adults
with cut-throat humour, blended
with stilling poignancy. Starring:
Mandira Bedi and Samir Soni.

A Magical Tale Of Cinderella

(English), Canvas Laugh Club, Lower
Parel, Mar 12 and Mar 13, 2 pm;
Directed by Vishal Asrani; Come find
out, as Cinderella, her mean stepmother, silly stepsisters, hilarious fairy godmother and animal friends show you
that nothing is impossible.
but not imaginary. What follow are tales
The Vagina Monologues (English), of spectral and metaphysical phenomCanvas Laugh Club, Lower Parel, Mar ena. What follows is true. Listen care12 and Mar 13, 6 pm; Directed by fully. Starring: Akriti Singh.

Karmnu Kurukshetra (Gujarati), Tejpal

Hall, Gowalia Tank, Mar 13, 7.45 pm;
Directed by Mehul Buch; The play promises to shake up your conscience and
make you question whether ones family or ones integrity is more important.
Starring: Rajendra Butala, Bijal Mehta,
Payal Thakkar and others.

Vani Ganapathy

We are so engulfed in
negative emotions that our
mind is blocked. We have to
cross many doors before we
finally realise our inner self
tions bottled up, she smiles.
While Vani is busy working on the concept of her next production, her dance
school in Bengaluru is also keeping her
occupied. And when she isnt doing any of
these, she spends her time decorating her
home. I am a house proud person. I potter
around the house, rearranging artefacts.
Till a few years ago, I used to cook a lot.
Now, I enjoy working on my bonsai,
she reveals. Vani is quite content with her
life. My hands are full, doing stage shows
and teaching an entire generation of
youngsters. Dance is my only love; it has
been and will always be, she signs off.

waiting for the right opportunity.

Starring: Siddharth Randeria, Tejal Vyas,
Mukund Panchal and others.

Battlefield (English), Tata Theatre,

NCPA, Nariman Point, Mar 11 and
Mar 12, 7 pm; Directed by MarieHlne Estienne and Peter Brook; A
revisit to the great Indian epic
Mahabharata 30 years after Brooks
legendary production took world theTrue Ghost Stories (English), The atre by storm. Starring: Carole
Hive, Khar, Mar 12, 6, 8.30 and 9.30 Karemera, Jared McNeill, Ery
pm; Truth, the quality of being in com- Nzaramba and Sean OCallaghan.
plete accordance with reality. Reality, Juliet Aur Uska Romeo (Hindi),
being the genuine character of these Marathi Sahitya Sangh Mandir,
occurrences. Occurrences imaginative, Girgaon, Mar 12, 7 pm; Directed by

Baa Tane Hu Kya Rakhu (Gujarati),

Zaverben Sabhagruha, Ghatkopar,
Mar 13, 9 pm; Directed by Vipul Mehta;
After her husbands death, a widow is
forced to shuffle between the two houses of her sons. She finds her happiness
despite the daunting nature of her two
daughters-in-law. Starring: Rohini
Hattangadi, Parag Shah, Tulika Patel
Thakkar and others.
Khissa Khali Bhapka Bhari (Gujarati),
Aspee Auditorium, Malad, Mar 13,
8.45 pm; Directed by Imtiaz Patel; A
middle-class man with decent income
wants to live life with simplicity but his
family is spendthift and causes a chaos
in his life. Starring: Vipul Vithlani, Kalyani
Thakar, Nilesh Joshi and others.

Ek Selfie Sajode (Gujarati), YB

Chavan Auditorium, Nariman Point,
Mar 13, 7.45 pm; Directed by Vipul
Mehta; The play is about a series of
emotional somersaults between a couple who has been married for 35 years.
Starring: Darshan Jariwala, Alpana
Buch, Vinayak Ketkar and others.

Mera Woh Matlab Nahi Tha

(Hindi), Tata Theatre, NCPA,
Nariman Point, Mar 13, 7 pm;
Directed by Rakesh Bedi; The play is
about two lovers Preetam Kumar
Chopra and Hema Roy, who drifted
apart for no apparent reason. They
meet 35 years later, in the autumn
of their lives and try to discover the
truth behind their separation.
Starring: Anupam Kher, Neena Gupta
and Rakesh Bedi.

Khus Raho Yaar, Life Is Beautiful

(Gujarati), Aspee Auditorium, Malad,
Mar 13, 3.45 pm; Directed by Rasik
Dave; Two families are at logger-heads
with each other as the son of one family
and the daughter of the other have
eloped and gottem married. Starring:
Dave, Amit Devatia, Meera Acharya
and others.

Code Mantra (Gujarati), Bhaidas Hall,

Vile Parle, Mar 13, 4 pm; Directed by
Rajesh Joshi; It is an unusual story of a
court martial case of a young army officer, set against the background of the
Indian Army; it promises to challenge the
very notion of patriotism. Starring:
Pratap Sachdev and Sneha Desai.
Gujjubhai Banya Dabangg (Gujarati),
Bhaidas Hall, Vile Parle, Mar 13, 7.45
pm; Directed by Siddharth Randeria; It
revolves around Jagdish Pandya, who is
constantly nagged by his wife and son
that he has not achieved anything in life
to which he calmly replies that he is

Pappa Aavaj Hoye Chhe (Gujarati),

Prabodhan Thackeray Auditorium,
Borivali, Mar 13, 9 pm; Directed by
Dharmesh Vyas; This is the journey of a
middle-class father, who suddenly
realises that his son has a dream of his
own... a dream that is way bigger than
his own. Starring: Dharmesh Vyas,
Chitrak Shah, Neha Pakai and others.
Ek Anokho Karaar (Gujarati),
Bhartiya Vidya Bhavans Auditorium,
Chowpatty, Mar 13, 7.30 pm; Directed
by Viral Rachh; This is a tale of two people from different strata of society
whose destiny changes when they
accidently meet. Starring: Sanjay
Goradia and others.

Waiting
For
Naseer
(English/Hindi),
Brewbot,
Andheri, Mar 13, 7.30 pm; Directed
by Sapan Saran; The play is a celebration of theatre, acting, passion
and life itself. Starring: Jamini
Pathak, Debtosh Darjee and
Siddhesh Shelar.

Jeeya Sethi

Open Mic, The Hive, Khar,

Mar 14, 8.30 pm; This is Mumbais oldest running
open mic where you can see new and upcoming
comedians try out their new and tested material with
the host Rahul Subramaniam.
Popcorn And Improv Shots, Cuckoo Club,
Bandra, Mar 12, 8 pm and 9.30 pm; Catch the
experimental romantic improv comedy or classic
improv with the citys best improv group.
Live Stand-Up Comedy, Tap, Andheri, Mar 13, 7.30
pm; Gaurav Kapoor, Deep Chhabria and Mikhail
Almeida will perform classic comedy.
Johny Lever Live, Kashinath Ghanekar
Natyagruha, Thane, Mar 13, 8.30 pm; A modern
day Hindi stand-up show in which Lever incorporates
references and observations from all spheres of life.
The Best In Stand-Up Comedy, Blue Frog, Lower
Parel, Mar 12, 8.30 pm; An interesting line-up of
comedians Andy Reghu, Vinay Sharma, Hijas Moosa
and Prathviraj Purohit.
Open Mic Night, Canvas Laugh Club, Lower Parel,
Mar 14, 8.30 pm; An open mic for budding comedians in the city.

SCREENINGS

Unhen Kuch Kehna Hai (Hindi),

Prithvi Theatre, Juhu, Mar 15, 6
and 9 pm; Directed by Avneesh
Mishra; This play is all about poetry.
Actors will present a number of
poems to the audience that are written by great Hindustani poets.
Starring: Manish Tipu, Subrojyoti
Barat, Sashi Chaturvedi and others.

The Great Raja Master Drama

Company (Hindi), Prithvi Theatre,
Juhu, Mar 16, 6 and 9 pm; Directed
Avneesh Mishra; This musical is
about Raja Master, who is a tailor by
profession. However, he notices that
off-late his tailoring shop is not
doing too well and in a flash of
inspiration he decides that The
Great Raja Master Tailor Company
should now become The Great Raja
Master Drama Company.

Bharatiya Chinta Party, Andheri Base, Andheri,

Mar 11, 7.30 and 9 pm; A stand-up comedy, sketch
and musical parody show.

Comedy Open Mic Night,

The Jeff Goldberg Studio,
Bandra, Mar 13, 8 pm; This
is an open mic evening where
new and established comedians will do some kick-ass
material along with the host,
comedienne Jeeya Sethi.

Half Ticket (Gujarati), Bhartiya Vidya

Bhavans Auditorium, Chowpatty, Mar
13, 3.30 pm; Directed by Anil Kakde;
This is a social comedy. Starring: Bakul
Thakkar, Manisha Vora, Surya Govle
and others.

The God Of Carnage (English),

Prithvi Theatre, Juhu, Mar 11, 7
and 9.30 pm; Directed by Nadir
Khan; Two children have a fight in
a park. One suffers minor injuries.
Their parents meet to discuss how
to proceed. Theyre only looking
out for the childrens best interests. At least, thats how it starts
out. Starring: Shernaz Patel,
Sohrab Ardeshir and others.

STAND-UP COMEDY

Best In Stand-Up, Canvas Laugh Club, Lower

Parel, Mar 11 to Mar 13, 8.30 pm; Watch comics
Angad Singh Ranyal, Manan Desai and Varun Thakur
perform.

Jashn-E-Qalam:
Premchand,
Amritlal Nagar, Phanishwar Nath
Renu (Hindustani), The Hive, Khar,
Mar 13, 6.30 pm; This celebrates the
genius of eminent litterateurs with dramatic readings and performances of
their notable works. Starring: Ayesha
Singh, Manjeet Mahipal, Sonal Jha and
Shashwita Sharma.

Mahabanoo Mody-Kotwal and Kaizaad

Kotwal; This powerful play is an unusual blend of outrageous comedy and
heartbreaking drama. It tells the story
of a woman like you have never heard
before. Starring: Mahabanoo ModyKotwal, Dolly Thakore and others.

Dil Ley Ke Dekho

(Hindi), Rang Sharda
Auditorium, Bandra,
Mar 13, 7 pm;
Directed by Aditya
Dubey; The play
revolves around a
young doctor, his compounder and his beautiful nurse. In their
effort to make money,
they end up changing
hearts and the lives of various characters. Starring: Salma Sikandar, Aditya
Dubey, Vikash Singh and others.

he will be performing in Mumbai

after a gap of a year, and Vani
Ganapathy says she cant contain
her excitement. The danseuse will be presenting Dwaaram, her debut production,
for the second time in the city. It was 2006
when I thought of this concept. I discussed
the idea with my mother (Indubala
Ganapathy), but put it in the cold storage
after she passed away in 2007. It was not
until 2013 that I decided to bring it to life on
stage, after a friend insisted I revisit the
theme. I collaborated with Sathyanarayana
Raju; we worked together on the choreography, music, costumes and set. It premiered in Bengaluru, and since then, Ive
taken the production to Hyderabad,
Chennai and Mumbai. Im looking forward
to present it in Singapore soon, she says.
The theatrical dance performance,
which is an autobiography of doors, will be
presented at NCPA on March 17, at 7 pm.
Dwaaram is a musical dance theatre, but
has kept the essence of traditional
Bharatnatyam intact. Its not so stylised
that the aam janta cant understand. There
will be lines in English, Hindi, Sanskrit,
Tamil, she says, The concept revolves
around mankinds journey from the world
of illusion to the spiritual world. Humans
pass through so many doors literal, spiritual and even imaginary ones. Weve
woven the performance with a lot of stories from mythology, history and even
instances from human relationships. We
are all so engulfed in negative emotions
like jealousy that our mind is blocked. We
have to cross many doors before we finally
realise our inner self.
So, did it help open any doors for her?
Yes, I realised I shouldnt keep my emo-

Shah Ki Kanjari (Hindi), The Hive,

Khar, Mar 13, 8.30 and 9.30 pm; This
is an instance in the life of two women,
the wife and the mistress. Starring:
Akriti Singh.

Krishna Kidding (Hindi/English), Turf

Club, Mahalaxmi, Mar 12, 2 pm; Lord
Krishna was born on this earth to kill
the demonic Kansa. His many heroic
tales are told in funny way for kids to
enjoy in this play. Starring: Bharat
More, Aakanksha Gade and others.
Gadhha Aur Gaddha (Hindi),
Prithvi Theatre, Juhu, Mar 13, 5
and 8 pm; Directed by Naseeruddin
Shah; A series is a tribute to master
satirist Krishan Chander. The play
consists of selections from his celebrated works Hindi ka Naya
Qaida, Ek Gadhe ki Aatmakatha and
his famous short story Gaddha (The
Hole). Starring: Danish Husain,
Faisal Rashid and others.

Lakshmi.V@timesgroup.com

Raju Raja Ram Aur Main (Hindi),

Nehru Centre, Worli, Mar 13, 7.15 pm;
Directed by Kedar Shinde; This is a
Hindi version of the Marathi original,
Sahi Re Sahi. Its about an industrialist
who catches his second wife red-handed with her lover. The lover is none
other than his PA! Starring: Sharman
Joshi, Rajesh Bhosale, Rajesh Singh
and others.

Toba Tek Singh (Hindi), The Hive,

Khar, Mar 12, 6.30 pm; Sadat Hasan
Mantos famous short-story is set in
post-1947 when India and Pakistan
decide to exchange their mental asylum inmates on religious basis.
Starring: Mohit Sharma.

Parindon Ki Mehfil (Hindustani),

Prithvi Theatre, Juhu, Mar 12, 6
and 9 pm; Directed by Heeba Shah;
Based on the 12th century Persian
poem Mantaq-ut-Tayr by Fariduddin
Attar, the story documents a perilous and exciting journey undertaken by a collection of birds. Starring:
Anubha Goel, Anmol Joshi, Chandan
Bisht and others.

Ive learnt not to bottle up emotions

Aapnu To Badhur Golmaal Chhe

(Gujarati), Nehru Centre, Worli, Mar
13, 3.30 pm; Directed by Imtiaz Patel;
Bhushans wife leaves him because he
is unable to buy a house in Mumbai.
During that period of stress, he meets
with accident. His fraud brother-in-law
tries to encash his accident. Starring:
Muni Jha, Jaideep Shah, Pravin Nayak
and others.

Dear Father (Hindi), Bhaidas Hall,

Vile Parle, Mar 12, 8.30 pm;
Directed by Dinkar Jani; It delves into
the complexity of generation gap, differences of ideologies and the usual
middle-class family drama. The story
revolves around a family with many
laugh-out-loud moments. Starring:
Paresh Rawal, Chetan Dhanani and
Mrinmayee Godbole.

A Fairytale Of Rapunzel (English),

Andheri Base, Andheri, Mar 13, 6.30
pm; Directed by Rashmi Sharma; A
musical drama in a sing-song dialogue
form with comedy and action. Starring:
Vedika Bhandari, Eshaan Sharma,
Reshma Kotian and others.

FRIDAY 11 MARCH 2016

CULTURE / TV MOVIES

10 short animated films will be

screened.

36 Chowringhee Lane (Hindi,

Bengali) (122 mins), Little
Theatre, NCPA, Nariman Point,
Mar 17, 6.30 pm; Directed by
Aparna Sen; Anglo-Indian schoolteacher Violet Stoneham lives a
lonely life in her single room flat
Pas Son Genre (French) (101 located at 36 Chowringhee Lane in
mins), Alliance Franaise Calcutta. Starring: Jennifer Kendal
Auditorium, Marine Lines, Mar and others.
14, 6.30 pm; Directed by Lucas
Belvaux; A young philosophy Liquid Borders (English) (38
teacher is sent to Arras for a year, mins), Little Theatre, NCPA,
where he meets Jennifer, a pretty Nariman Point, Mar 11, 6.30 pm;
hair stylist.The two try to overcome Directed by Barnali Ray Shukla;
the cultural and social divide The documentary explores existing
between them. Starring: milie geographical and political boundaries of India and juxtaposes them
Dequenne and others.
with human and spiritual bridges.
Gabrielle (French) (102 mins),
Alliance Franaise Auditorium, Love Comes Lately (German) (86
Marine Lines, Mar 11, 6.30 pm; mins), Max Mueller Bhavan, Kala
Directed by Louise Archambault; A Ghoda, Mar 11, 6.30 pm; Directed
young woman with Williams syndrome has an exceptional musical
gift. Since she met her boyfriend
Martin, at the recreation centre
where they are choir members,
they have been inseparable.
Starring: Gabrielle Marion-Rivard
and others.
Dead Man Talking (French) (101
mins), Alliance Franaise
Auditorium, Marine Lines, Mar
15, 6.30 pm; Directed by Patrick
Ridremont; An anonymous criminal
is sentenced to death for murder
and is soon to be executed.
Starring: Patrick Ridremont,
Franois Berland and others.

The Fortress (Documentary)

(French) (100 mins), Alliance
Franaise Auditorium, Marine
Lines, Mar 16, 6.30 pm; Directed
by Fernand Melgar; People from
Romania, Togo, Georgia, Kosovo
and Colombia are running from
war, dictatorship, etc., reach
Switzerland after life-threatening
struggles.

by Jan Schtte; Though approaching his eighties, Max Kohn shows

no signs of slowing down and pursues his love life with youthful
vigour. Starring: Otto Tausig
and others.
Memory Of A Light (English) (26
mins), Little Theatre, NCPA,
Nariman Point, Mar 11, 7 pm;
Directed by Sandhya Kumar; The
documentary is a visual essay on
nostalgia for the childhood house
and what makes the experience of
the first home so unforgettable.
Manon
Lescaut
(Opera
Screening) (188 mins), Godrej
Dance Theatre, NCPA, Nariman
Point, Mar 16 and 17, 6 pm;
Manon is on her way to a convent
when she meets the young student
Des Grieux, who fall in love and
escape to Paris.

Album (Persian) (92 mins), Little

Theatre, NCPA, Nariman Point,
Mar 12, 2 pm; Directed by Reza
Heydarnejad; Amir Dadashi is a 13Canadian Animation Films, year-old student who is greatly
Alliance Franaise Auditorium, affected by Pourya, his new classMarine Lines, Mar 12, 6.30 pm; mate and the son of an engineer.

TV MOVIES

Mar 11
ane the Virgin Season 1,
Episode 19, 6 pm; Cast: Gina
Rodriguez, Andrea Navedo, Yael
Grobglas; TV Series/Comedy
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
Season 13, Episode 19, 8 pm;
Cast: Ellen DeGeneres, Stephen
Boss; Comedy/Talk Show
Dumb & Dumber, 9 pm; Cast:
Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels;
Comedy

Knightley,
Mark
Ruffalo, Adam Levine;
Music
Home Alone 3, 11
pm; Cast: Alex D.
Linz, Olek Krupa, Rya
Kihlstedt; Comedy

Mar 13
Tin Cup, 6.35 pm; Cast: Kevin
Costner,
Rene Russo, Don Johnson;
Rom-com
One
Fine
Day, 9 pm;
Cast:
Michelle
Pfeiffer,
George
Clooney, Mae
Mar 12
Whitman;
Marmaduke, 7.15 pm; Cast: Rom-com
Owen Wilson, Judy Greer, Lee My Big Fat Greek Wedding, 11
Pace;
pm; Cast: Nia Vardalos, John
Comedy
Corbett, Michael Constantine;
Begin Again, 9 pm; Cast: Keira Rom-com