From Page to Stage

Abhijeet Choudhary

Thursday evenings at Swatantra Theatre, the group that Choudhary has founded in Pune with Dhanashree Heblikar and Yuwaraj Shah, are spent reading important writings of Indian literature before bringing some of these on stage. Jaag Utha Hain Raigad was among the four plays they had picked up of Kanetkar. “I was curious about Kanetkar, who is a legend of Marathi literature. He has given us a great treasure trove of stories and we wanted to introduce his writing among Hindi theatre audience,” says Choudhary. Arun Kanetkar, the nephew of the playwright, lives in the neighbourhood of Swatantra Theatre and watches them practise. “He inspired us to make the play on Jaag Utha Hain Raigad,” says Choudhary.

Born and raised in Bihar and trained in theatre in Delhi, Choudhary knew little about Kanetkar until he arrived in Pune in 2005. “Theatre in India falls back on popular names such as William Shakespeare. There is also a number of new, experimental scripts being written but it is my belief that we should learn about the writings that already exist,” he says. Last year, he had worked on another play of Kanetkar, Dhai Aakhar Prem Ke, a light-hearted drama about events in a professor’s family after his daughter falls in love.

Scene from Jis Lahore Nai Dekhya O Jamyai Nai

Choudhary’s theatre is driven by a social consciousness. He aspires to make works that will compel audiences to reflect and react. His plays range from Asghar Wajahat’s Jis Lahore Nai Dekhya O Jamyai Nai, about an old Hindu woman who stays back in her home in Lahore during the Partition, only to realise that it has been assigned to a Muslim refugee family from Lucknow; Ajay Shukla’s Tajmahal Ka Tender, a satire on bureaucracy, corruption and red-tape; and Dario Fo’s An Accidental Death of an Anarchist, which revolves around political corruption. “I am curious about the Marathi culture,” he says, explaining recent productions such as Dadasahb Phalke: The father of Indian Cinema and Characters of PL Deshpande.

The first play that Choudhary wrote and directed was for Teachers’ Day when he was in Class III. The 10-minute skit was untitled, unless “Drama by Class III” is a name. The script revolved around a jailbreak and had a happy ending. Choudhary had drawn upon conversations he overheard at home between his mother, who worked as a jailor, and his father, who was a farmer. “Once, some inmates of the prison had escaped and brought the administration to its feet,” he recalls.

Scene from Kabira Khada Bazar Mein

Artistically inclined, he sang, mimicked and painted in secret. “My family did not permit it. They wanted me to focus on studies,” he says. After Class X, he escaped to Delhi and landed at the National School of Drama (NSD) to learn theatre. “I was told that we need to be graduates to qualify for NSD,” he says. He spent the years learning direction and editing at the Asian Academy of Film and Television in Delhi and working with Asmita Theatre, an activist group of youngsters who are directed by Arvind Gaur. He assisted Gaur, while observing how actors and crew were taught.

Choudhary came to Pune in 2005 and began to create a Hindi theatre group. His treatment of plays is bold and political. “I refused to have a shining throne for Shivaji on stage. My argument is that he is at home, not in court. Somebody suggested that we decorate the sets with swords and shields, which I shot down on the same ground,” says the director. Instead, he put up a large picture of Rajmata Jeejabai, the mother of Shivaji and an important influence in his life. Choudhary prioritises acting over stage design. In Kabira Khada Bazar Mein, he had no sets and 44 actors. Another production, Komal Gandhar, unfolded around four pillars on stage. The group is finalising a new production, Khajuraho ki Shilpi, by Shankar Shesh, which evolves around a sculptor’s loyalty to his art, even at the face of social turmoil.