Flowers by Girish Karnad

The play premiered as the opening show at the prestigious Ranga Shankara Theatre Festival in Bangalore, India in October 2006. Since then the play has completed over 50 performances in Bombay, Bangalore, New Delhi (opening the National School Of Drama Festival) and Kolkata to packed and appreciative audiences.

Written by - Girish Karnad
Directed by Roysten Abel
Performed by Rajit Kapur
Light Design & Execution– Arghya Lahiri
Sound Design – Amit Heri
On Sound – Nadir Khan
Production Controller – Shernaz Patel
Produced In Association with Ranga Shankara and Rage Productions

Destiny – I was to go see the play with Hrishabh, but the Mr Late Latif was in Bandra at 8 45 – he would never make it to the closing bell. And hence – in the nick of time Aakash Shah – the play enthusiast grabbed the opportunity and 2 mins before the close we walked into Prithvi Theatre. Tickets were sold out – Wednesday night in Juhu ?? There is no logic except it’s a Karnad play after all. We would have thought getting front row seats would be impossible – but we did manage to get 2 – only to realise that the mid-level this time, as Arundhati Nag advised to those early birds standing in line, because of the unusual set design.

There was the smoky fragrance of dhoop around us, and long ropes of blue light, as we waited for the play to begin. Not that we had to wait any more than 50 secs. This Rangashankara and Rage co-production has been directed by Roysten Abel with Rajit Kapoor performing the 90-minute monologue. The visually breathtaking set design, by Roysten Abel and executed by Shashidhar Adapa and Selva Kumar, consists of an elevated platform, such that the solitary character seated on it appears almost suspended in the air. Below him, on a stage scattered with tiny white jasmines, is an urli decorated with flower garlands. Just visible, in the shadowy darkness behind the urli, is a heap of jasmine flowers sloping gently over a Lingam.

The man sitting on the platform stands up, turns around to face us and begins to speak. The setting is a temple, and the man is standing above the temple tank. He is the temple priest who has been worshipping the Lingam for years, decorating it with fresh flowers every day, softening the black stone with daily worship, talking to it, even discussing contemporary politics with it. A married man, he lives with a devoted wife, children and old parents. One day a courtesan, Chandravati, comes to offer prayers at the temple. The priest is attracted to her. After a few silent interactions, when she does not appear in the temple, he goes to her house to find out the reason for her absence. She tells him that she is having her menstrual period. When he visits her house again, after two days, she has had her cleansing bath. She invites him to decorate her naked body with ropes of flowers, the way he has always been decorating the Lingam. Their affair continues like this, but one day, on the night of the play, the priest must confront his powerful conflicts - the pull of love on one side, and duty on the other; his love for Chandravati, his love for the Lingam, his loyalty to his chieftain, and his loyalty to his wife.

It’s not Karnad’s most powerful play - my favourites are Tughlak and Taledanda. I also felt that its English title, Flowers, didn’t quite fit for a play with such a serious theme. Nevertheless, it’s a beautiful, moving work, with some superbly crafted sentences, a rising sense of conflict, and a fine, controlled plot - the hallmark of Karnad’s best work.

But for a 90-minute monologue, Rajit Kapoor’s performance was disappointingly lacking in feeling and energy. At times, he seemed to bereciting his lines, rather than enacting them with the passion of a conflicted, desperate man. I thought the play deserved better.

But ofcourse – Aakash and I didn’t like it at first. While walking out we did try to make conversation – because the last 20 mins of the play were stretched. I had to sleep over my thoughts and when I woke up this morning I decided I still have mixed feelings for the play. We wouldn’t recommend this play, had it not be for the amazing concept of the central plot perched high up – as though suspended in mid-air.
The conversation after the play was rather more interesting – as it always is with Aakash Shah - my soul brother !

Me Grandad Ad' an Elephant

Play : Me Grandad Ad’ An Elephant
Where : @ PRITHVI THEATRE
When : 9, 2011 a 9PM
With : Hrishab Sanghvi
Production : “HIGH-POT-IN-USE-TRI-ANGLE” and “NOT QUITE THERE” Productions
The Team : ADAPTED FOR STAGE BY AHLAM KHAN
Lyrics : RAMU RAMANATHAN, AHLAM KHAN, POOJA ASHER & SHIVANI SAVANT
DIRECTED : BY DIGVIJAY SAVANT
CAST : AHLAM KHAN, AYESHA RAZA, DILSHAD EDIBAM, TOM ALTER, ZAFAR KARACHIWALA
CHORUS : AJITESH GUPTA, ANSHIKA GOEL, CHAITALI BOSE, ROHIN PURI,RYTASHA RATHOD, PRATYUSH SINGH, SERENA WALIA, SHIVANI SAVANT,SOHELA JALALI, VARUN VAZIR
MUSIC : RITESH

I wasn’t expecting too much out of the play. For an odd title like that – I thought the Ragda pattice with Hrishabh Sanghvi to keep me company would be the high point of the evening. We talked about me being judgemental – it did tick me off a bit, but I care less about people’s opinion with ever passing day : )

2 bells down, he was still finishing the last of his mushroom sandwich and going gaga over the Irish Coffee which I promised we would drink after – we went inside. What I love about Prithvi Theatre is the size of it. Its small and cosy and rather welcoming. We sat on the stage left, and I did not regret it. From start to finish, this play has been adapted superbly.

If you are a theatre enthusiast like me, this is one which you definitely should not miss. Based on the Novella by Vaikom Mohammed Basheed and translated by R.E.ASHER & ACHAMMA COILPARAMPIL, “Me Grandad ’Ad An Elephant!” is the story of Kunjupattumma, an innocent and loving soul, who lives with her family in the Malabar region of Kerala. It revolves around the growing pains of this young Muslim – Malayali girl in a society of conflicts and is set against a backdrop of implied criticisms of outdated Muslim customs, an appeal to live in the present, an abundance of comedy.

Dilshad Edibam – playing Zafar Karchiwalla is simply outstanding !! Words cannot match her acting skills – her little snotty remarks of a 17 yr old.
The play attempts to understand a shy girl played by the beautiful Alam Khan, who is at the centre of human life, a community, a village in North Malabar. Lilting melodies and charming lyrics lend this story a delightful flavour that brings the region and time alive on stage. What emerges is an unexpected blend of laughter and tears, of mellow moments and sudden threat that are very intimately related to a fanciful legend about a Grandad Who Possessed an Elephant.

The story moves onto a then typical riches to rags story.. And then about a bickering household. The mother – Ayesha Raza beautifully portrays the blinded mother, fooled easily into believing folk-lore, black magic and a god that seems to not hear anything.
And ofcourse.. There is the comforter – The handsome Zafar Karchiwalla – He stole my breath away. With the depth of his voice and his poise and posture – this man surely did have women go weak on their knees. He steers this lost household into leading a life with modern day value systems.

If that was good enough for me – the girls singing in chorus – each one beautiful in their own right, danced, shook their neck in a story telling fashion and rolled their eyes to emphasize the GrandDad’s Elephant – The story was peppy, the people were amazing on stage and the audience instantly responded.

I have seen quite a few musicals on Broadway and in the West End – but this one – with the bare basics simply bowled me over… Tam tit a tam… tit a tam tita tam… The music is so well composed – in the end everyone was humming it while walking out.
Of course – The Irish coffee was not forgotten. And that was worth it too. The conversation between Hrishabh and I steered to childhood sweethearts and marriage – no no – not between the two of us – in general – that seems to be a flavour of the season for all 24 – 25 yr olds…! Even at the end of night, when we bid adieu – I couldn’t help but sing with a little neck shake and the big eyes .. Tam ti tam ti tam.. !!!