Ranjit Kapoor, alumnus of the NSD and winner of the Sangeet Natak Academy Award to present HUM RAHE NA HUM at the N.C.P.A. on 20-21 May 2006...

Mumbai Theatre lovers may recall Ranjit Kapoor�s EK RUKA HUA FAISLA that travelled to the city in the early eighties with the then NSD alumni �ready to storm Mumbai�- the likes of Pankaj Kapoor, Anu Kapoor and KK Raina. Film lovers may remember him as the one whose dialogues created the magic of what is now considered a comedy classic of Indian Cinema, �Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron�. This film helped establish Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, Pankaj Kapur, Satish Shah, Ravi Baswani, and Bhakti Barve on the film scene. In the ensuing years while Delhi and northern India periodically continued to be treated to his handiwork, Mumbai audiences had to be satisfied with his contribution to good screenplays or dialogues in Hindi films like �Bandit Queen�, �Khamosh�, �Lajja�, �Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho�, �Woh Saat Din�, �The Legend of Bhagat Singh� and �Mangal Pandey�.

HUM RAHE NA HUM is Ranjit Kapoor�s contemporary adaptation of British playwright J. B. Priestley�s play TIME AND THE CONVOYS. This adaptation sets the drama in a small town in India, and takes the audience on a roller-coaster journey of a family�s life, with a very effective use of time. The present and the future merge in this play to create an involving drama that keeps the audiences glued to their seats. The intimate nature of the play requires viewing by small groups of audiences at a time; hence the selection of the venue as the NCPA Experimental Theatre.

This play was performed, as part of the NSD curriculum, under Mr Ranjit Kapoor�s direction in the winter of 2004. The play immediately bore the unique signature of Mr. Ranjit Kapoor, a 1976 alumnus of NSD and a veteran theatre director.

HUM RAHE NA HUM is planned as a new production in Mumbai, with a fresh 10 member cast consisting mainly of the NSD alumni. The play is scheduled for 20-21 May 2006 and is produced under the banner of Sanjiv Chopra�s Nakshatra Cineaste Pvt. Ltd. In March 2006, the Sangeet Natak Academy conferred the prestigious award for �Direction� to Ranjit Kapoor.