Ekjute at 30-plus

Back in 1981,a young couple,both National School of Drama graduates,laid the foundation of a theatre group,with a promise to entertain and educate people.

Back in 1981,a young couple,both National School of Drama graduates,laid the foundation of a theatre group,with a promise to entertain and educate people. They christened it Ekjute. Over the next three decades,Raj Babbar and Nadira Zaheer Babbars group kept its promise,and as more people joined in,it became one of the most well-known names in the Hindi theatre scene of the country.

For its 30th anniversary celebrations,Nadira,the co-founder of Ekjute,which is now based in Mumbai,has travelled back to the city where it was born New Delhi. Having already celebrated Ekjutes 30 glorious years in Mumbai last year,Babbar says she felt the celebrations would be incomplete without doing something in Delhi. The group has seen the likes of Anupam Kher,Kiron Kher,Tom Alter and Satish Kaushik perform under their banner.

Titled Ekjute Caravan,the festival was inaugurated on April 13 at Shri Ram Center for Performing Arts,with a classic tribute to painter MF Husain,called Pencil Sey Brush Tak,which will be staged again today. The play covers his journey from a small village in Pandharpur to becoming one of the most renowned painters in the modern world,to the last stages of his life. Then there is Operation Cloudburst,which will be staged on April 19. The play is based on an Army mission in Assam,where six tired and wounded soldiers momentarily transform into emotional human beings relating their thoughts and dilemmas to each other. We have done more than 70-odd plays over the years and have chosen eight of those for this festival,showcasing our best, adds Nadira. Dayashankar ki Diary,Footnotes of Life and Hum Kahein Aap Suney are some of the other popular Ekjute productions,which are part of the programme. We began as a small group of theatre enthusiasts and now,30 years later,we are still growing. The word,caravan signifies movement and thats exactly what we are doing moving on, concludes Nadira.

Ekjute Caravan is on till April 22 at Shri Ram Center for Performing Arts and Little Theatre Group Auditorium,Mandi House. Contact: 9868180877

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram