| Shakespeare in Hindi |
| By Prerna Gauba |
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| The Company Theatre Workspace, a Mumbai-based theatre production company, recently performed the Hindi version of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night at The Globe to Globe Festival which was as a part of World Shakespeare Festival in London, UK. The play was applauded by house full shows of press and public alike. |
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| This August 2012 (20th to 23rd) the show is opening in New Delhi at the Kamani Auditorium. We spoke to the director, Atul Kumar to know more about the play Piya Behrupiya |
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| Why did you choose this particular play to direct? |
| It is a commissioned piece by globe theatre in London. I did not really choose it; it chose me. Globe offered me Shakespeare’s All’s Well That Ends Well, Othello and The Tweflth Night. All's Well is a problem play of the great dramatist, so I decided to go with The Twelfth Night. |
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| Tell us something about the adaptation of The Twelfth Night in Hindi? |
| It is has been translated by Amitosh Nagpal - He is star when it comes to giving the text a rhythm, the spaces for song and dance seems as if Shakespeare wrote it for this idiom only. The play is more of an edited translation than an adaptation. The language has a Punjabi ting to it but the essence and linearity of the original is maintained. |
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| Do you think something was "lost in translation"? Was Shakespeare difficult to bring to life in Hindi? |
| Not at all. According to the feedback we got from the audiences, the translation is the strongest part of the performance. |
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| Is there some interesting fact you'd like to share about the female characters in this adaptation? |
| Neha Saraf plays the fool or a jester, which was originally played by a man; while Geetanjali Kulkarni plays Viola, who is a cross-dresser in the play. Interestingly, Mansi Multani plays a Punjabi woman with a strong masculine laughter that surprises all and Trupti Khamkar plays an extremely masculine maid servant who bosses everyone around. The play is basically all about cross-dressers and influence of sexes. |
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| How has the response been to this play, here and abroad? |
| It has been endearing to see audiences loving it and applauding the show- both here and abroad. |
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| Would you like to share some interesting anecdotes about your performance at The Globe with our readers? |
| It was raining and the weather was cold during both the shows. Though the costumes of our actors left them freezing to their bones, they performed with élan and sang with such aplomb. |
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| What are your future plans for this play? |
| Well, we will now be touring Singapore, Amsterdam, Delhi, Bangaluru, Pune, Chennai, and Mumbai. |
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Piya Behrupiya
Directed by Atul Kumar
The Company Theatre Production, Mumbai, India
Duration- 120 minutes with interval
Schedule:
20,21,22,23 august 2012 at 7:30 pm, kamani theatre New Delhi
Tickets: |
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www.indianstage.in, www.buzzintown.com
home delivery- 080 42064969, 09880036611
also at Teksons south extension -1 and kamani theatre |
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