PANCHATANTRA (HINDUSTANI) play review , Hindi play review

	Direction : Rupesh Tillu Cast : Kalyan Choudhry, Priyanka Charan, Yash Yogi, Sonali Bharadwaj, Amrita Bagchi, Neeraj Kushwaha and Satish Trivedi.
PANCHATANTRA (HINDUSTANI) Play Review

Ayushi Shah	Host-A-Performance \| Schedule

PANCHATANTRA (HINDUSTANI) Review

Most of us, one way or the other, have memories associated with the fables from "Panchatantra". As Rupesh Tillu's staged adaption of these popular stories begins, adults and children around me in the audience lean forward to watch this theatrical spin.

The two chosen stories for this stage version are commonly known: 'The Blue Jackal' and 'The Monkey And The Crocodile'. The first one deals with a jackal who accidentally pours blue dye over himself and manages to become the king of the jungle thanks to his strange appearance. The latter deals with the friendship between a monkey and a crocodile and how the crocodile's husband and brother coax her to trick the monkey because they want to devour its heart. The characters have fun names and the stories end with them playfully narrating the moral of the story.

The stage is almost bare. Lines of marigold flowers form the play's backdrop. There is live music with three musicians (including a dholak and a harmonium player). The costumes of the four actors are colourful - much like the play itself. Both these tales have the actors transform into multiple characters, and changing roles gracefully. They jump, laugh and run on stage - using exaggerated gestures and quirky voices to make children successfully giggle and laugh. The stories are supplemented with commentary and songs by the musicians. Some of the younger kids get up and dance - an element that makes the performance more fun and interactive.

The folk songs and regional accents expose city kids to a side of the Indian diversity they may not be familiar with, even as some of the scenes catch children and parents off-guard, unable to understand and/or relate to the languages and the songs. The scene where the male crocodiles intimidate the female crocodile are however cringe-worthy to watch in this day and age. The play needs to pay more attention to the message that this particular scene sends out to its younger audiences. Moreover, choosing tales that are so widely known, albeit with the director's own minor tweaks, takes away the element of surprise that a lesser known tale would perhaps deliver. Some of the older kids occasionally lose interest for the same reason. That being said, the play is entertaining and pleases the younger kids (ages between 4-7 years), especially.

*Ayushi Shah has a Bachelors Degree in Mass Media with a Major in Journalism. She has worked in various media and in public relations. She enjoys theatre and has acted in and directed inter-college festival plays.

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