NCPA revives Gujarati theatre festival with language version of Farooque Shaikh-Shabana Azmi's 'Tumhari Amrita'
MUMBAI:
Farooque Shaikh
and
's awe-inspiring play '
Tumhari Amrita
' was the Urdu adaptation of A R Gurney's English theatre production 'Love Letters'. It ran to full houses for no less than 21 years from 1992 till Shaikh Sb's passing in 2013.
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'Patra Mitro', a Gujarati version of 'Tumhari Amrita')
Connoisseurs say 'Tumhari Amrita' quite surpassed the original thanks to its exquisite script, deft direction and stupendous performances.
Now a Gujarati play 'Patra Mitro -- A Story Told Through Letters', which is Naushil Mehta's Gujarati adaptation of 'Love Letters', will be staged at NCPA this week.
A popular Gujarati theatre festival 'Vasant' returns to the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) from April 25-27.
"Since its inception in 2011, Vasant has championed unconventional Gujarati theatre, becoming one of the NCPA's flagship initiatives to celebrate regional theatre and connect with the Gujarati-speaking community," said a press release.
This edition marks the festival's return after a break of several years. The schedule will include new plays, spoken word performances, poetry and workshops.
Vasant 2025 will open with the premiere of 'Clean Bold' by director Manoj Shah.
It is a Gujarati adaptation of Valerie Solanas's radical feminist text 'SCUM Manifesto'.
Day two will bring a poetic and musical evening with 'Thodi Kavita Thodu Natak Thoda Geeto', presented by
Saumya Joshi
. And day three will begin with 'The Fundamentals of Writing', a workshop by playwright and screenwriter Amartya Goradia.
The festival will continue with 'Three Men', written and directed by Ankit Gor, a dark comic play that explores masculinity and sibling tension as two estranged stepbrothers meet after their father's death.
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'Vasant' also presents powerful female narratives. Saumya Joshi's 'Ohh Womaniya!', a solo performance by Jigna Vyas, is set on a Mumbai-bound train, where an ordinary conversation takes a chilling turn. Inspired from a story by noted Urdu writer Ismat Chughtai, it includes choreography rooted in Kalaripayattu. The festival concludes with 'Eklavya' by Vipul Mehta.
"Theatre is the heartbeat of India's cultural expression, and it is our responsibility at the NCPA to preserve, champion and elevate these vibrant traditions," said Bruce Guthrie, head of theatre and films at NCPA.
"We are delighted to bring Vasant back as part of our regular theatre programming, celebrating Gujarati language and stories. The past and present of Gujarati theatre intersect here. We hope Vasant continues to inspire new generations of Gujarati theatre makers."
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