After a successful run in Gujarati, Sunil Shanbag's production MERE PIYA GAYE RANGOON will open in Hindi for the first time.

Aadyam, an initiative by the Aditya Birla Group, is bringing 5 new plays from reputed theatre groups, to coveted venues in Mumbai and Delhi.



Theatre group Arpana's acclaimed Gujarati rendition of William Shakespeare's ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL will debut in Hindi as MERE PIYA GAYE RANGOON on April 4 and 5 at the Tata Theatre, NCPA. This is the third new play to open to audiences in Mumbai and Delhi as part of Aditya Birla Group's Aadyam initiative that launched in February. The Gujarati play MARO PIYU GAYO RANGOON was lauded at Shakespeare's Globe in London in 2012 and 2014 and went on to become a runaway hit with Gujarati audiences. His Hindi outing, will open to a wider audience this time around.

T​he team has spent a fair bit of time and effort to translate the original for a Hindi-speaking audience, irrespective of any familiarity with either the Gujarati version or the Bard's. "We took a classic Shakespeare play and placed it in the context of a rich chapter in Indian mercantile history. So we replaced the original world of nobles and royals to one of trade and commerce between Saurashtra, old Mumbai and Rangoon at the turn of the last century. We incorporated the Bhangwadi tradition of performance that was popular in Mumbai in the 1900s. It is distinctive in its use of music, painted curtains and an old world playhouse effect," says Shanbag about what forms the crux of the play.

"The challenge with converting the play to Hindi was beyond merely switching languages. Mihir (Bhuta, writer) has found an equivalent language that addresses the Shakespearean spirit while keeping the Gujarati core intact and yet being accessible to the Hindi speaker. The Gujarati play was a huge success because there was a great deal of simplicity in the storytelling and a joyousness to the experience itself. We aim to recreate those fundamentals in the Hindi version too," Shanbag adds.

Says Shanbag, "The fact that Aadyam is providing a platform and a really wide exposure to the idea of theatre in India should, in the long run,​ ​reap dividends. As part of the theatre fraternity, I can only look at such an endeavor as much-needed encouragement."

Trailer Link: Mere Piya Gaye Rangoon | Trailer

Directed by Sunil Shanbag
Written by Mihir Bhuta
Music Composed by Uday Mazumdar
Cast: Meenal Patel, Utkarsh Mazumdar, Ketaki Thatte, Pratik Gandhi, Satchit Puranik, Avantika Ganguly, Hitesh Malukani, and Ajay Jairam

An Arpana Theatre Co Production for the Aadyam Theatre Initiative

About Arpana:

In 1985, Shanbag founded the theatre company Arpana. Its work is characterized by contemporary and original texts by Indian and international playwrights (in translation), strong performances, minimalist staging, and innovative use of music and design.

Premiere Shows: 4th ​April​ Saturday 7.30pm & 5th ​April​ Sunday 4 & 7.30pm at Tata Theatre, NCPA.

Mumbai Theatre Guide takes no responsibility for change in schedule.