Head to this play on desi Robin Hood at Prithvi Theatre on Feb 16

The cast rehearses a scene of (fourth from right) Charandas Chor being caught stealing

A simple story about a petty thief, who did not lie and had a strong sense of integrity, took the audience by storm when it first opened in India, and then at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1982. Based on a classical Rajasthani folk tale, Habib Tanvir interpreted the story of Charandas Chor as a play. It marked the beginning of Naya Theatre, helmed by him and Moneeka Misra Tanvir. The play was presented in the Chhattisgarhi language, and used a creative dialogue between Tanvir and Chhattisgarhi folk artistes. It used Nacha, a popular folk form from the central Indian state that integrates music, dance and drama into a theatrical performance.

Director Shivdas Ghodke (right) explains a scene to Rani; (Right) The protagonist with the hawaldar

The play will now be directed by Shivdas Ghodke and presented by IPTA (Indian People's Theatre Association) Mumbai, in collaboration with the Academy of Theatre Arts, University of Mumbai. "Back in the day, it wasn't common to have modern theatre being performed in a regional language, but Charandas Chor was performed all across India, and even in Europe in Chhattisgarhi, and yet, the audience loved it. They had no trouble understanding the play," Ghodke reminisces. It is the emotions in this satire that make the play special. The humanitarian aspect always makes Habib Tanvir's plays stand out. He tried to reduce the difference between the rich and the poor, the director shares.

Habib Tanvir. File pic

"Musical plays also became popular around the time, and Girish Karnad's Hayavadana in Kannada, was also successful. Apart from regional stories, Habib Tanvir later also presented Western plays in this unique folk theatre style," shares Ghodke. "Habib Tanvir was an important part of the IPTA around India's Independence, and we wanted to bring this play back to commemorate his centenary," he adds. The two-hour-long play has a 20-member strong cast, which includes the students of Academy of Theatre Arts, University of Mumbai. It stars Ujwal Tathe, Vishesh Bajpai, Neha Raut, Epsit Ghodke, Shivraj Malik, Gajanan Devtale, Goral Pohane, Ajinkya Tekale and Ashok Sangale in key roles. The music has been composed by Bipin Vartak.

Ujwal Tathe as Charandas in a scene with (left) Rani; (right) Actors rehearse a scene

"In this play, since students were involved, I decided not to tie the presentation down in a single format. It's a bit of a free form. We continue to use the Chhattisgarhi dialect and have adapted the folk style in both music and dance along with other styles. The idea was to offer a flavour of the region. For example, in the original play, whether it is a village street, a house or the queen's palace, there is no change of sets. Here we have divided the space for each location and created sets. We have also kept the lighting simple and not colourful like the traditional form," Ghodke explains adding, "It's a great opportunity for students to perform at Prithvi. It helps them experience professional theatre. It is also a great way to understand intimate theatre."

On February 16; 5 pm
At Prithvi Theatre, 20, Juhu Church Road, Janki Kutir, Juhu.
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Entry Rs 500