People Tree

The Bangalore-based director and actor 8212; whose career spans over 20 years and includes productions like Amadeus, M Butterfly, Other People8217;s Money, and Kiss of the Spider Woman 8212; attributes his yen for grandeur to his formative years as a drama student, actor and director in the US. quot;Working with contemporary American directors taughtme all about staging an extravaganza and the elements that have to be included in order to make the production a complete experience. And for better or for worse, my productions kept getting progressively larger in scale.quot;

In fact, it was this larger-than-life feel of Sajnani8217;s productions that attracted playwright Girish Karnad to the former8217;s style. quot;When Girish saw my production A Day In Hollywood and A Night in the Ukraine, he was convinced that my theatrical vision suited the epic framework of his play, which is adapted from a relatively unknown tale in The Mahabharata.quot; As for Sajnani, he was totally floored by Karnad8217;s play. quot;When Girish sent me the script in 1994, I was ecstatic. Here was an exceptionally strong, fully mature piece, which had tremendous potential to be realised on a grand scale on the stage. I was also drawn to the strong emotional content of the play, the fact that it was based on an epic. Yet the treatment was so modern, so contemporary.quot;

Set in a land deprived of rain forseveral years, the story of Fire and Rain revolves around two sages, Raibhya and Bharadwaj, both vying for supremacy in the Brahmanical order. The appointment of Raibhya8217;s son, Paravasu, as chief priest during a yajna, being performed in honour of Indra, God of Rain, incurs the wrath of Yavakiri Bharadwaj8217;s son who retreats into the forest to perform extreme austerities. The return of Yavakiri upon the scene, inspired by revenge, sets in motion the denouement of the play which ends in a startling climax. quot;The play examines the various means by which to connect with divinity, by ritual, by performing austerities, by approaching god as an equal, or through emotional sacrifice.quot;

Choreographed by modern dancer Daksha Seth, and set to an elevating musical score with Vedic chants, the production holds the promise of an audio-visual extravaganza. But what makes the play, set in ancient India, thematically relevant to a contemporary audience? quot;The search for god and for love is a constant human quest thattranscends time. I imagine the film Eyes Wide Shut examines the same questions in its own way. Of course they don8217;t use shlokas the same way as I do! Besides, the presence of strongly etched women characters who express themselves freely, gives the production a very modern feel. At the same time, the surreal landscape evokes the undercurrents of our emotional life. All these elements are exciting and have a cathartic effect on the audience. And this, essentially, is the very purpose of theatre.quot;

The play also marks the director8217;s first foray into Indian English theatre. A production that Sajnani regards as his finest and most challenging work so far. quot;Fire and Rain ranks as the high point of my career as a director. Amadeus and Kiss.. were Broadway productions, which I had seen, so I had a certain format in mind. But with Fire8230;, I had to make the play work. Everything had to be gleaned from the script.quot;

Now that it has been done, Sajnani is raring to go. Next stop: New York, May 2000. And a filmversion of the play, due to be shot in Hampi.

At Nehru Centre, Worli. On Oct 8 amp; 9. Time: 8.00 pm. On Oct 10. Time: 4.00 pm amp; 8.00 pm.