Dec 8, 2022
Charandas Chor: Jagriti Theatre brings the Habib Tanvir classic back on stage
Directed by Rebecca Spurgeon, the student production is all set to premiere this Friday at the theatre hub in Bengaluru
By Reema Gowalla
Celebrated theatre personality Habib Tanvir’s beloved play Charandas Chor is having a rerun in Bengaluru — this time as a student production under the Jagriti Theatre Arts Programme. Originally a Rajasthani folktale written by Padma Shri awardee Vijaydan Detha, the narrative follows the life of a thief who, thanks to his wit and charm, manages to escape the police every time, until he meets a guru and takes a vow to never tell a lie. Such was the popularity of Charandas Chor that in 1975 filmmaker Shyam Benegal made a movie based on this play, featuring Smita Patil and Habib himself. Over the years, there have been several stage adaptations of the classic and a few films inspired by the comedy.
“A story of hope, survival and fate, it’s a great script for children to explore and understand theatre,” says Rebecca Spurgeon — the Artistic Director of Jagriti Theatre who has helmed the new English adaptation of the classic. “Filled with colourful, clever characters, the story of Charandas Chor challenges the idea of right and wrong; countering our understanding of human psyche and behaviour. Brimming with antics, movement, music and plenty of ensemble work, what’s not to like about this buoyant play. Often seen as a bedrock of classic Indian theatre, the play fascinates you with its characterisation and style of storytelling. It engages young minds with its quirky yet poignant plot and, at the same time, allows them to enjoy the artistic freedom in the process of making the play,” she elaborates. The new adaptation is translated by Anjum Katyal.
The outcome of a nine-month intensive performance training programme for children and young adults at Jagriti, the 70-minute comedy is premiering on December 9 (at 7.30pm), followed by more shows on December 10 and 11 (at 3.30pm and 7.30pm).
Teaching performance and theatre-making to children for several years now, Rebecca considers “being believable and telling the story on stage” as the ground rule to become a theatreperson. “It’s interesting to note that youngsters today are willing to invest their time and energy in learning theatre not only to grow up and become actors, writers or directors. Instead, they are embracing the craft as a way of life — to be more imaginative, expressive and creative in whatever they do in life now or later,” says the director, adding, “At Jagriti, we aim to provide a congenial environment for youngsters to learn the nuances of theatre. Contrary to the conventional one-size-fits-all approach, we allow children the freedom to change things around in a non-threatening environment. Their contribution to the creative process is acknowledged and appreciated, which I think is very important. In fact, we have students who have been a part of this programme for several years. One among them is Paarth Maheshwari — who will be seen as Charandas in the play. Having senior students as part of the programme consolidates the faith of the younger ones in the craft, while it also adds to the hands-on experience for them.”
The other actors of the play are Vishnu Sargur (as havaldar), Saanika Jain (as peasant), Sahaana Chitrapura (as woman), Shivani Sridharan (as guru), Erica Joseph (as disciple), Nadia Aravind (as disciple and maid), Arjun Choudhary (as gambler), Devadath Nair (as Wastrel, Sentry), Devang Ravi Kumar (as drunkard, Sentry), Bhaskar Ghildiyal (as landlord), Maya Aprajit (as Tetku), Amelia Joseph (as priest), Maya Dwaraka (as minister), Agastya Mohanty (as minister), Mihir Tandon (as munim), Lasya Mohan Verma (as queen), and Sashwath Sundararajan (as disciple and purohit), along with Akhila Dayasindhu and Daisha Sardana (as part of the chorus and ensemble).
You can book your tickets for the show here.
