"Drama Dhamaal" presented by NCPA and Rage in Mumbai on 27.3.2019

The show other way around

Captivating motley of drama and micro-interviews

(Other new posts in Snall Bites page : Dr. Rama Das - Click here / /  Artist Kalpna Madhukar - Click here)

Two actors came on the stage and sat on two of the chairs kept in rows. Then, the light on stage was turned off and the focus of the light was made on the audience. The two actors watched continuously the audience as if the audience themselves were presenting some drama. Moreover they were murmuring "the play seems to be highly experimental as there is no dialogue at all". The audience kept on laughing loudly throughout this ten minute item. Some twenty interesting pieces were presented. Some were skits, some drama and some comics mixed beautifully with micro interviews of veteran artists.

The program presented on World Theatre Day (27 March) at Tata Thatare, NCPA, Mumbai was anchored by Rajit Kapoor who kept the audience amused during three and half hours duration of this event. They way he asked questions with the living legends of theatre was respectful, appealing and affectionate. Though most of the part was presented in English still the items in Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati etc. being the blood in the veins of Indian theatre were also applauded by the audience with full pride. The actors didn't forget as always to pass their witty remarks on contemporary political scenario though without an offending insinuations. 

In the beginning of the program before and after the interval two pieces of husband-wife bickering were presented. In one moment it looked like they will wage a full fledged war more terrific than even an atomic war. They startled. petrified and kept the whole audience on the hook seemingly on an endless fight. Though they suddenly transformed themselves into an irresistible fervent lovers to such a level that they forgot that people were watching them taking their clothes off  and all that they were doing. The viewers were astounded whether the couple was going to show their wild love in full steam that too in a broad focus light and that before the thousands of viewers. Ultimately the anchor had to intervene to control the extreme sort of the lover couple. The actors in this item included Anahita Uberoi.

In a Marathi item, two actors presented a very interesting skit that was full of message.

In another piece, a singer sang a Gujarati love song earlier sung some 65 years back by Motibai. The audience were immersed in the melody that had been performed with dancing steps by that veteran.

Nancy said that theatre is the biggest lie that takes you nearer to the eternal truth.

Ruby Patel repeatedly took the name of her husband and said that  all credit of what she could do in drama goes to him. 

Rohini Huttongadi of 'Gandhi' fame also shared her experience about how she faced various challenges throughout her acting career.

Nadira Babbar said that it always so happened that whenever she was supposed to perform on stage her children were becoming unwell because of some minor health problems. In jest, she told that the cook to a female actor is more important than her husband because it is he who lets her act. She further said that there is a big scarcity of scripts in Hindi theatre so she has done many translations and also written some eight or nine original scripts in Hindi.

A lady veteran said that she came first time on stage at 22 and till then she had become mother of three children. 

Dolly Thakore, Sabira Merchant, Saraita Joshi, Shanta Gokhale, Sulabha Arya and Dr. Vijaya Mehata were also among those veteran females who were honoured on this occasion.

Set designer Paresh Bhai who has set stage for 850 plays and some 50 films was also honoured. Krishna , light designer and Ayaz Ansari , production manager were also honoured. 

A group of young singers presented a sonorous song  "Somewhere off the rainbow the skies are blue".

The special feature of this program was that all proceeds were meant to be spent in the benefit of the unsung heroes of theatre who never come in limelight.

For one night only the theatrewallahs of Mumbai took centre stage with plays and songs that celebrated the lives  of artists in the theatre – on stage and off. A long list of renowned guest artists participated including Ajitesh Gupta, Akarsh Khurana, Anahita Uberoi, Anuvab Pal, Bomi Dotiwala, Bhavna Pani, Burjor Patel, Danesh Irani, Danesh Khambata,  Deepal Doshi, Drama School Mumbai (DSM), Faezeh Jalali, Gagan Dev Riar, Gerson DaCunha, Geetanjali Kulkarni, Jim Sarbh, Kunaal Roy Kapur, Kathryn Doshi, Mallika Singh, Mansi Multani, Meher Mistry, Meherzad Patel, Mohit Takalkar,  Nadira Babbar, Quasar Padamsee, RaghavDutt, Rahul DaCunha, Rajit Kapur, Ruby Patel, Rytasha Rathore, Sandesh Kulkarni, Sarah Hashmi, Shantanu Ghatak, Sheena Khalid, Shernaz Patel, Sonali Kulkarni, Sukant Goel,  Utkarsh Mazumdar and Zafar Karachiwala.

This event will be remembered for paying respect to the older generation of theatre community in Mumbai that included not only on-stage artists but from off-stage. NCPA and Rage should get applause for the purposeful manner they celebrated World theatre Day in 2019.

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Report by - Hemant Das 'Him'

Photographs by - Bejod India blog

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