Plays by IPTA

IPTA was a cultural organization that I hadn’t heard of till I got into the theater scene, and even then (& now) know pretty little about.

The Indian People’s Theater association, from what I could gather was part of a movement that seemed to be grassroots driven to encourage talent, and spread awareness (or some such lofty ideal).  However like all good honest intentions it seemed to wander off eventually into territory far away from what it was meant to be.

The Vagina Monologues

No two shows of the Vagina Monologues are the same, and its definitely worth watching several times preferably in different cities.

I saw only the Indian version in English of the Vagina Monologues.  This was created by Mahabano Modi Kotwal a prominent theater artist and producer in Mumbai, who saw the original show in the US and got in touch with them to produce an Indian version.

Seema Biswas on stage

“Can you please take your seats, Seemaji has a back ache and cannot be in this position for long” tells us an usherer addressing this to the attendees of her play.

This is a double act - two single act plays both performed by Seema Biswas for Tagore's centenary celebrations. Both are based on stories by Rabindranath Tagore. The first is directed by her friend and the second one is directed by herself.   I have purchased tickets for both plays and just happy that I have got this rare chance to watch one of the finest actresses from India perform on stage live.

Maa Retire Hoti Hai

I had the fortune of watching the premiere of the play “Maa Retire Hoti hai” starring Jaya Bachchan.

This was in Dubai, and there was no chance in the world that i could even dream of attending this, and not just because I couldn’t afford it.

Munich, Fauda and The Bridge of Spies (& Badlapur)

There’s a common thread to these (& Badlapur too).

The movies Munich & The bridge of Spies come from Steven Spielberg, while the TV series Fauda comes from Israel.

RIVER – BBC TV Series, possibly the best cop drama

I have just completed watching the entire six episodes of the BBC  TV series River and was just blown by how superlative this series was.

TV series are the new addiction replacing books and cinema (and also given that for me, good or actually any theatre is not easy to access right now). TV series are easily accessible and every episode not just one as the earlier appointment viewing format did. Thus binge watching is more the norm and can be satiating too.  

The craze nowadays is to find out a TV series that’s good - Kind of like waiting for the next book from a renowned author.  You are on the lookout for a series that one can watch over the weekend or savour over a few days, say, while travelling. So one is following opinion leaders for ‘leads’ – mine include folks like Poonam Saxena, Vir Sanghvi, and of course Twitter where the new young  millennials initiate the trend on the latest TV series craze.

The reason for this ambling is to highlight the fact that despite this being a past time for the last few years, I have missed the RIVER TV series, and a search in my social media also suggests most haven’t seen it.

Which is a pity, because RIVER  beats them all and IMHO one of the best well produced series that I have had the pleasure of viewing.

Pedro Almodovar’s TALK TO HER

Pedro Almodovar ‘s one of the best film makers of modern times, and put Spain and its films and industry right in the spotlight.    

The first film of his that I saw was TALK TO HER, and one viewing of this (of several many times) and I fell in love.

Samovar.....

Funny - I keep postponing writing about my favourite city Mumbai - and then I hear heartbreaking news about places I like shutting down - like Samovar.

Samovar café which was squeezed behind the Jehangir Art gallery at Kaala Ghoda and oversaw the unkempt lawns of the prince of wales museum (now called... yes, you guessed it)



I cant think of anyone not liking Samovar

Broken Images: Shabana Azmi at her best

There are such gifted playwrights and actors on the Indian stage (we are indeed very lucky to live during their times) – its hard to choose one best performance out of so many.


However if I had to choose the second ten best  – this would be one of them. (I think top ten would be hard for me... and just to rub it in - I just recently read Naseeruddin Shah's excellent memoir "And then One day" where in the photos section he lists the ten greatest performances on theatre he has ever seen - and each of them stellar actors. The closest I have come to the list is - to see a few of the actors live, or a couple of performances from other actors - not exactly fulfilling - close but no cigar...)

Broken Images is a play written by Girish Karnad and the English version directed by Alyque Padamsee and stars Shabana Azmi.

                             

I had watched Shabana before in Tumhari Amrita where it was fairly staid and not really the best showcase of her talent (I think!).  But Broken Images is truly a testimony to her enormous talent.  Even better – it pits her, against herself.  So she’s competing with the very best – herself!!

Theatre - One of my true loves

Watching a good play is possibly the most unbeatable experiences, and the BEST way to spend an evening. And mix this with great friends, lovely food and you are living life to its best

But for me, even more special and the best experiences I have had have been in my favourite city Mumbai (yes, that one's coming soon)

For me the theatre scene in Mumbai is possibly the best (though I suspect Delhi gets better thanks to the NSD) and the absolutely lovely ambience.