Theatrewallahs throng the Mandi House crossing in New Delhi as Bharat Rang Mahotsav returns in its 25th year with the promise to celebrate the best of Indian and international theatre. Fondly called Bharangam, the flagship event of the National School of Drama (NSD) will see over 200 productions from nine countries, staged across 13 locations in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka.Says Chittaranjan Tripathy, director, NSD: “In our culture, theatre is not seen as an extracurricular activity. It is respected as an essential ingredient for our physical and psychological growth.”Though the festival’s slogan is ‘One Expression, Supreme Creation’, Tripathy says Bharangam will see a confluence of different voices and traditions. It will also give space to the culture of disenfranchised communities — the festival celebrates the 150th birth anniversary of Birsa Munda by showcasing the folk theatre of tribal communities. “And, we pay tribute to Habib Tanvir in his centenary year by inviting his Naya Theatre to stage Agra Bazaar. The festival will culminate with a Ratan Thiyam production.”With more than 20 women directors showcasing their works in this landmark edition of the festival, the audience will get to look at issues from a woman’s perspective.As Bharangam takes wing, we speak to five eminent personalities to check the festival’s pulse.Manto in MalayalamRenowned theatre director Neelam Mansingh Chowdhry joins hands with Calicut University Little Theatre Group (CULT) to create Tamasha, an adaptation of Saadat Hasan Manto’s four short stories in Malayalam. Neelam took the challenge of breaking the language barrier after senior theatre practitioner Abhilash Pillai of the School of Drama and Fine Arts, University of Calicut, nudged her. “It was a wonderful journey through signs, sounds and words. What I found amazing was the young actors’ unusual energy, curiosity and capacity to take instructions.”Having picked Bu, The Dog of Tithwal, Hundred Watt Bulb and Paanch Din, the veteran says some stories are so specific that they become universal. “Manto talks about human nature, sex, jealousy, power, survival instincts, all fundamental to the human experience.”Neelam insists Manto never belonged to just Partition. “We can still see human chasms around us. As an artiste, everything is my business. Gaza is my business.”She remembers the days when Bharangam was a space for risk-taking works and had a much stronger international profile. “Queues would, sometimes, start forming late at night. Even if they were hungry, people wanted to watch theatre. I don’t see that madness anymore.”Revisiting Parsi theatre

Hema Singh will create a scene work of Agha Hashr Kashmiri’s Khwab-e-Hasti with srudents of NSD
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Special Arrangement
Seasoned theatre practitioner Hema Singh is revisiting Parsi theatre with students of NSD to create a scene work of Agha Hashr Kashmiri’s Khwab-e-Hasti. Over the years, Hema has envisioned the larger-than-life space of Parsi theatre with a contemporary lens and has imbued it with a feminine gaze by tweaking the text. She sees Parsi theatre as a combination of “Sanskrit, folk and Victorian theatre.” Agha Hashr drew from Shakespeare to create the complex emotional tapestry in his plays, and Khwab-e-Hasti carries the conscience of Macbeth.From Rajpal Yadav, the festival ambassador this year, to Pankaj Tripathi, Hema has trained a generation of actors. She remembers the days when she would play a 16-year-old during the day and, as an ageing woman in the evening, rub shoulders with Zora Sehgal. “I miss that commitment and control over language and emotions in the young actors, but then every generation is different.”Urban alienation

Lubna Salim and Harsh Chhaya in Hum Safar
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Salim Arif, a name for all seasons, brings Hum Safar, a sharp take on contemporary relationships and growing urban alienation among children of fractured homes.Written by Javed Siddiqui and starring Lubna Salim and Harsh Chhaya, the play follows the repercussions of divorce on children. The NSD alumnus participated in the first Bharangam as a designer on Naseeruddin Shah’s Ismat Aapa Ke Naam and, two years later, brought his ambitious production Kharashein, a collage of scars of communal riots, written by Gulzar. He recalls how sniffer dogs suddenly took the stage as former Prime Minister I.K. Gujaral invited himself to watch the production.A Kashmir love story

Nadira Babbar’s Farida
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Nadira Babbar, one of the doyennes of Indian theatre, returns to Bharangam with Farida, a contemporary love story set in Kashmir that she has written. Nadira says if falling in love was not easy for a woman yesterday, it is not easy today either. The play follows the poignant tale of Farida and Haider. Abandoned by her husband Sadiq, she finds companionship in her brother-in-law Mahmdu. Life again takes a turn when Haider, a wounded soldier, gets besotted by Farida’s resilience. As their bond deepens, Mahmdu becomes the third angle of the story. Nadira fondly remembers the generous applause that Begum Jaan, where she portrayed the title role of the legendary classical singer, received when it was staged in an earlier edition. Similarly, she recalls the excitement when Dayashankar Ki Diary, the first play she wrote, was staged. “It always provides a lajawab (excellent) experience. Since the festival attracts the best from across the country, the love and respect you get at the festival is gratifying.”Critic’s notesDiwan Singh Bajeli, seasoned theatre critic and a constant presence in the selection committee, says Bharangam started during the tenure of NSD director Ram Gopal Bajaj, as a platform for the institute’s students to express themselves. But, it has become a significant event in the international theatre calendar and provides a platform to voices from the remotest parts of the country.“Theatre can’t survive if it surrenders its anti-establishment tone,” says Diwan Singh. “This space is shrinking but Bharangam is steadfast in not providing space to propaganda, obscenity, and communally coloured narratives. Every year a small production from a remote part of the country surprises everyone.”While the festival promotes folk theatre, he says some folk traditions have not been given their due. Though its global footprint is spreading, and Diwan Singh talks highly of Polish productions, he spares a thought for the absence of plays from Pakistan and Bangladesh from the line up. He fondly remembers a Karachi production’s contemporary adaptation of Shakuntala. “Cultural ties should endure,” he muses. Published – January 30, 2025 06:09 pm IST