Politically Correct

The Hindi version of the play was showcased in 1996,but it wasn’t well-received till five years ago when things began to shift. “Since then it has been running successfully. Recently,we finished 250 shows. We have staged the play in Assam,West Bengal,Kerala,Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra,” says 48-year-old Joshi,who will be presenting two shows of the Hindi play Chanakya in the city under the banner of Manoj Joshi Creations on March 31. Other plays by the production house,which was launched in 1995,include Rangeelo (Gujarati),Ghashiram Kotwal (Gujarati),Rangeela Re (Hindi version of Rangeelo),Shobha Yatra (Hindi) and Chhotisi Kahani Se (Hindi).

Joshi says the country’s deteriorating political scene inspired him to go back to Chanakya and revive the Hindi play. “I wanted the message to reach as many people as is possible and Hindi as a language,has mass appeal,” he says. Joshi describes Chanakya as a contemporary play with a timeless relevance. “The play deals with the time when politics was pure,selfless and pro-society. The audience is compelled to think that the time has come for another Chanakya to rise in the country,” says Joshi,who not only plays the protagonist but is also donning the director’s hat.

Chanakya,says Joshi,was a scholar of practically all the traditional disciplines of knowledge. His ideologies on politics and economics may be more than 2,000 years old but are very much relevant in today’s world.

“He unified the nation and brought prosperity to India single-handedly. The success of his revolution most likely lasted the longest of all Indian revolutions. This play is an attempt to read those glorious pages from the past. Our endeavour is to present an opportunity for introspection towards the society and the leaders of the society,” says Joshi.

Other characters in the play are essayed by Ashok Banthiya,Bhuvanesh Shetty,Sanjay Bhatia,Geetika,Rajan Joshi,Dinesh Kanade,Charu Joshi,Sunil Shinde,Nilesh Trivedi and Dharmaj Joshi.

Incidentally,Joshi had also played the character of Mantri Shriyak in the popular television drama Chanakya,written and directed by Chandraprakash Dwivedi. The series was telecast on Doordarshan between 1991-92.

Talking about his film career,the actor who has played character roles in films such as Sarfarosh,Hungama,Hulchul,Devdas,Vivah,Khatta Meetha,Ready and several others,says films happened naturally to him like they do in the case of other theatre actors. However,he adds that his real passion since childhood has been the stage itself. Currently,he is working on Policegiri and a film by Anurag Kashyap.

Chanakya will be staged on March 31 at Yashwantrao Chavan Natyagruha at 12.30 pm and at Ramkrushna More Prekshagruha,Chinchwad at 9.30 pm