Padatik Theatre from Kolkata will present a season of five plays at Prithvi Theatre
Padatik Theatre was established in 1972 by Shyamanand Jalan, Kulbhushan Kharbanda and Chetna Jalan. Over the years, it has produced 70 plays in Hindi, English and Bengali, and 25 directors from across the world have worked with them. They are also known for innovative productions.
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A scene from the play Atmakatha
Now, they are all set to stage a few popular plays alongwith the newest ones at Prithvi Theatre. The line-up includes the acclaimed play, Atmakatha, where an ageing writer dictates his memoirs to a young scribe. The play features Kulbhushan Kharbanda and is directed by Vinay Sharma. Of the newer lot, Har Marz Ki Dawa, directed by Mahmud Alam, is about a rich father who believes that love is a disease while the play Kya Tum Mujhse Pyaar Karte Ho, directed by Vinay Sharma, is about love and its deepest worries.
A Woman Alone (English), directed by Mahmud Alam, is about a housewife in an abusive relationship. Camera Obscuras, directed by Vinay Sharma, imagines what happens when God switches on the TV.
Actress Anubha Fatehpuria, who has been associated with Padatik Theatre for 14 years, shares, “Padatik means traveller or wayfarer and refers to the journey as an artiste as well as the travelling involved as a theatre group. We often perform in other cities and travelled extensively earlier. After Shyamanand Jalan passed away in 2010, we have taken time to develop a new body of work and have begun to travel again.”
A scene from the play Har Marz Ki Dawa
The plays by Padatik are known for being staged in intimate spaces and most of them require minimal props. The plays are also based on the choice of the resident directors. “As an actor, Padatik Theatre is my second home. It’s a liberating space and there is a lot of openness. Youngsters are encouraged to have dialogues with senior members; it’s not a hierarchical space. It makes you think and not just follow instructions. It allows you to develop your own language,” Fatehpuria signs off.
On April 2, Atmakatha (6 pm, 9 pm); April 3, Har Marz Ki Dawa (3 pm, 7 pm) and Kya Tum Mujhse Pyar Karte Ho (5 pm, 9 pm); April 4, A Woman Alone (3 pm, 7 pm), Camera Obscuras (5 pm, 9 pm); April 5, Atmakatha (5 pm, 8 pm)
at Prithvi Theatre, Janki Kutir, Juhu Church Road.
Call: 26149546