Tag: NCPA

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Watch: ‘Three women’, at the NCPA

Lavish costumes, live electronica and folk pop music and three fascinating characters make this production a must watch this weekend.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

Avid Learning, in partnership with NCPA, Neerupama Properties and Godrej Properties will present Isheeta Ganguly’s, Three Women,  a musical theatre production based on three iconic women that represent Rabindranath Tagore’s Bengali Renaissance, two of whom are fictional and one who is from his own life. ‘Bimala’, the female protagonist of Tagore’s novella The Home and the World and ‘Charu’, her counterpart from his work The Broken Nest, are seen from the perspective of ‘Kadambari Devi’, Tagore’s sister-in-law and lifetime muse, as they instigate change from patriarchy towards  progression and freedom.

Set to electronika and folk-pop beats and laced with pathos and edgy humour, MeherAcharia Dar, AvantikaAkerker and IsheetaGanguly play urban, educated women of the 21st century, who are negotiating their notion of identity and self-worth in relation to the times that they live in, voicing issues relevant to the global gender empowerment discussion. With customised costumes by TarunTahiliani and live accompaniment by Sunita Bhuyan on the violin and Suchet Malhotra on percussion, this production, written, directed and musically composed by Isheeta Ganguly is a sensorial treat with gravitas.

After drawing a crowd of over a thousand people at the Kala Ghoda Festival in February 2014, this show’s national tour kicks off from the NCPA on Saturday, May 10, 2014, in Mumbai. 

(Pictures courtesy NCPA)

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Of mothers, through dance

Dr Anita Ratnam performs ‘Circles of Love’ at the NCPA tomorrow, where she presents the mother in all her forms.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

A mother is a fascinating creature – she is everything and everywoman. Noted danseuse Dr Anita Ratnam will present the ‘mother’ in all her terrific and terrifying forms tomorrow at the NCPA, through her new work, Circles of Love.

Anita RatnamPart of the Mudra Dance Festival 2014, Circles of Love focusses on mothers usnig ancient and contemporary poetry, spoken word interludes and familiar references from cultural memory to trace the outlines of what it means to be a mother who is eternally fragile and part of a cycle. Anita will portray the woman as mother, giver of life, psychic gardener, caretaker of lives and terrifying protector.

The performance will weave story, diary, movement and life into a living tapestry. As daughter, wife, mother and grandmother, the various shades of maternal joy and grief will be shared in an interdisciplinary performance informed by myth, memory and humour. Known for her attention to visual design and new movement aesthetic, Anita Ratnam will illuminate her ideas with familiar maternal images from Indian myths. Yasodha and Krishna, Devi with Ganesh and Murugan and a specially composed spoken word poem about her grandmother, mother and daughter, will be presented during the performance.

Guest artiste Malavika Sangghvi, well known writer, columnist and poet, will  complement the kinetic template with her words and personal imagination to the evening. Poetry and prose that weave ruminations about motherhood and womanisms, Malavika will add texture and tone to the dance and spoken word production. Both Anita and Malavika will give a talk right after the show.

Head to The Experimental Theatre, NCPA, Nariman Point, at 7 pm on Saturday, April 26, 2014.

 

(Picture courtesy Dr Anita Ratnam, arangham.com)

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Film screening: ‘Pitruroon’ at NCPA

The critically-acclaimed Marathi film marked actor Tanuja’s comeback to the silver screen after three decades; is directed by Nitish Bharadwaj.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

We all love a good mystery, and if that mystery is portrayed on celluloid by able actors, it’s a good combination to watch out for.

Today, the National Centre for Performing Arts’s (NCPA) Little Theatre presents critically-acclaimed Marathi film Pitruroon. The film stars renowned Marathi actor Sachin Khedekar in a double role, and marks the much-feted comeback to cinema of yesteryear actor Tanuja, after nearly three decades of her last film.

Pitruroon is based on a short story by Sudha Murthy. Written in Kannada, the story describes the life of Venkatesh Kulkarni (played by Khedekar) who has recently lost his father and is keen to fulfil his father’s last wishes. In doing so, he travels to Konkan and finds his lookalike and namesake, and also befriends the latter’s mother, Bhagirathi (played by Tanuja). As he hears about the other Venkatesh and his life, he begins to wonder if the two men have more in common than just looks and a name.

The film was acclaimed for its stellar performances by its lead actors, and also marked the directorial debut of actor Nitish Bharadwaj, who we last remember as Lord Krishna in BR Chopra’s television adaptation of Mahabharat.

Admission for the screening is on a first-come-first-served basis. The film begins at 6.30 pm. 

(Picture courtesy www.fridayfirstshow.com)

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Chitresh Dash performs in Mumbai tonight

Known for the ‘fastest feet’ in Kathak in the world, the dance exponent will perform at NCPA with Vikku Vinayakram.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

If you’re in the mood for some divine dancing tonight, make your way to National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) tonight.

World renowned Kathak exponent Chitresh Das will perform at the NCPA tonight, with musician – Vikku Vinayakram. The show, titled ‘Dynamic Feet, Dynamic Rhythm’ is bound to create artistic history with two doyens from two ends of the world representing two corners of India (North Indian dance and South Indian percussion) as the two come together on stage for the first time. Das has very recently arrived in Mumbai – he works and teaches Kathak in the USA – and a documentary film made on him and Emmy Award-winning tap dancer Jason Samuels Smith was recently aired on PBS National Television in the USA on January 20. 

The show is bound to be an extraordinary one, what with Das dancing to the reverberating beat of Grammy Award winner Vikku Vinayakram’s ghatam. Three generations of percussionists – Vikku Vinayakram on ghatam, son N Ramakrishnan on mridangam and grandson Swaminathan on the kanjeera will play as Das’s performs his legendary take on the Draupadi vastra haran. Add to this the terrific Hindustani quartet, Biplab Bhattacharya and Satyaprakash Misra on tabla, Jayanta Banerjee on sitar and Debasish Sarcar on vocals, and the audience is sure to have a fabulous evening.

A representative for Das also revealed that while he is in India, there is also “a scientific study about to begin on him, to measure the parameters in his body that make him cross boundaries of age and race to achieve unparalleled speed and power in his dance technique.” Das is 70 years old and holds the distinction of having the ‘fastest feet’ in Kathak in the world.

Head to NCPA, Nariman Point at 7 pm. Tickets are priced at Rs 1,000, Rs 700, Rs 500 and Rs 300.
(Picture courtesy www.iup.edu)
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Film and social media in Mumbai

Two events – one on films and the other on social media – will keep you entertained this Friday evening.
by Medha Kulkarni

Guru Dutt in PyaasaPyaasa, reloaded

In its 100 years of existence, the Indian film industry has produced some fabulous gems in terms of cinema. Today, make your way to NCPA, Mumbai to relive one of Indian cinema’s most iconic films, Pyaasa.

The NCPA Flashback Series, in collaboration with the NFAI, commemorates 100 years of Indian cinema. Every month, Indian cinema’s glorious past will be revisited through a selection of rare classics.

Guru Dutt’s classic melodrama was the first in a series to address the state of the nation and the displaced romantic artist. Vijay is an unsuccessful poet whose work is sold by his brothers as waste paper. Unable to bear the reigning philistinism, he chooses to live on the streets where a young prostitute, Gulab, falls in love with him and his poetry, while Vijay’s former girlfriend Meena marries an arrogant publisher for comfort and security.

When a dead beggar to whom Vijay gave his coat is mistaken for Vijay, Gulab has his poetry published in a book which becomes a bestseller. Everyone who had rejected Vijay now gathers to pay tribute to the dead poet. Vijay disrupts the celebration with a passionate song denouncing hypocrisy and calling for the violent destruction of a corrupt world.

Pyaasa

 

(B&W/Hindi/153mins/1957)

Directed and produced by Guru Dutt

Dialogues by Abrar Alvi

Cast: Guru Dutt, Waheeda Rehman, Mala Sinha, Johnny Walker and others

Head to the Little Theatre, NCPA, today at 6.30 pm. Admission on a first-come-first served basis. NCPA members will get preferential seating till 6.20 pm.

 

indiaculturelabOf social media and fashion

Social Media has been one of the biggest revolutions of this century. It has impacted every field and changed the rules. This Friday, September 27, The Fashion Funda panel discussion at the Godrej India Culture Labs seeks to explore this phenomena.

The discussion ‘Is social media the new front row?’ boasts of panelists such a Nonita Kalra (former Editor-in-Chief of Elle Magazine), Malini Agarwal (founder and Blogger-in-Chief of MissMalini), Pearl Shah (celebrity stylist and former Fashion Director of Marie Claire), Karishma Rajani (writer and blogger at the personal style blog Purple Peeptoes) and Parmesh Shahani (head of the Godrej India Culture Lab).

One of the highlights of the event is that the audience gets the chance to take a walk through  special ‘Fashionstallations’ made by Teach For India students – a look into the world of fashion as seen through a child’s eyes.

With a promise of ‘chic kababs‘ post the panel discussion, the event promises to be an engaging and interesting one.

Entry is free but seating is limited so make sure you reach the venue in time so as to not miss it. Get more information on the website www.indiaculturelab.org.

(Pictures courtesy urduwallahs.wordpress.com, 1linereview.blogspot.com, indiaculturelab.org)

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Saints and poets at NCPA

Two must-watch events happen in Mumbai today, both at NCPA, and both based on the lives and works of saint-poets.
by Medha Kulkarni

You know what’s so great about some Wednesdays? That you have the choice to attend one of two excellent events. Today is one such Wednesday.

Two great events will take place today in the NCPA premises. The first is a film that will screen at the Dance Theatre Godrej, NCPA, while the other is a talk and poetry session about the lives of Marathi saints and poets, followed by a play by Anahita Uberoi.

Scribbles On Akka, Dance Theatre Godrej, 4 pm

India has a long tradition of strong, fearless female poets who have used their art to push into the mainstream consciousness, with issues they deemed important. Unfortunately, our education system is such that most of us have never heard of them or had the opportunity to even get acquainted with their work.

In this scenario, it becomes important to support the people who work to get society acquainted with them, while we learn of our own wonderful literary heritage. The film Scribbles On Akka is one such effort – directed by filmmaker Madhushree Datta, the film is based on the life and work of the 12th Century Kannada saint-poet Mahadevi Akka, a strong personality who wrote radical poems using the female body as a metaphor. These works have been composed and given a visual form against the backdrop of a contemporary musical narrative. The film is a celebration of rebellion, the meaning of femininity and a legacy that’s over nine centuries old.

Mahadevi left the domestic arena in search of God and abandoned all the norms that society imposes, including that of clothing. The film tries to articulate the meaning of this denial through the work of artists, writers and people who have kept Mahadevi’s image alive and dynamic, whether through folklore or art.

The film screening is free but admission is limited and on a first-come-first-serve basis. Do reach early as NCPA has a strict punctuality policy.

Poetry reading and play, Theatre – Sunken Garden, 5.30 pm

It is known fact that India is home to a rich literary heritage that is centuries old. Each State in the country boasts of several saint-poets who have created stunning works in their quest for God.

A celebration of this very legacy is planned tomorrow evening at the NCPA, through a talk and poetry reading session centred around the works of Marathi saint-poets. Renowned poet Prabodh Parikh will introduce the work of several Marathi saint-poets with a specific reference to Dilip Chitre’s translations of the works of sant Tukaram.

This reading will be followed by an interesting play directed by Anahita Uberoi, in which a group of Mumbai theatre actors will read the English translations of poetry by Tukaram.

(Picture courtesy tedxgateway.com)

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