The satyavadi chor

In this scene from Charandasdas Chor, Ujjwal Tathe and his fellow actor both depict different aspects of the protagonist’s personality

We meet many people in our lives, some nice and some salty. The common thread in both of them is the potential to be a hypocrite. It's this potential that the Indian People's Theatre Association's (IPTA) new yet old offering - Charandas Chor - in association with the Academy of Theatre Art university of Mumbai explores.

This iconic play is an adaptation of a Rajasthani folk tale by author Vijaydan Detha. It depicts the irony of how Charandas adheres to morals and dharma even as he goes about his everyday business of theft. When finally arrested by the police in an ashram, he says, "Guru, main toh andhere mein chori karta hoon; aap to din mein, bhare logon ke beech, chori karte ho."

The play was later adapted by the iconic playwright and director Habib Tanvir, credited with changing the landscape of modern theatre. He merged traditional Indian folk with contemporary drama to deliver more powerful stories. For his productions he resorted to his early recollections of songs sung in fields, temples, and ceremonies which he incorporated in his plays and performed widely with up to 72 musicians in the orchestra.

The play is adapted from a Rajasthani traditional folk theatre by playwright Habib Tanvir

Tanvir first became actively interested in theatre in Mumbai in the 1940s which were also intensely political times. Mumbai was one of the main hubs of revolutionary activism that pulsated through the atmosphere. Over time, the young Tanvir developed a strong affinity towards left-wing politics, and actively participated in the movement's spearheaded by the Progressive Writers' Association (PWA) and IPTA.

After joining the local branch of the IPTA, his theatrical career yielded an incredibly diverse body of work, encompassing both original plays and retellings of famous Sanskrit and Elizabethan plays by authors such as Moliere, Zweig and Tagore.

Habib was a humanitarian, a writer, a poet, an intellectual and a people's artist, with powerful political insights and satirical writing his play Charandas Chor is an oddly curated piece of art. His motive was to play with the contradictions of life, and deliver a social message through comedy. The result is a refreshing satire, with multiple nuances and perspectives.

Taking the form of a musical, it required an active and agile cast that was willing to step out of their comfort zone and undergo tough training. Ujjwal Tathe, the Marathi theatre actor who plays Charandas, says, "We started the script reading and workshops in Hindi initially, but soon shifted to the Chhattisgarh dialect and accent of the original adaptation by Habib. It's a folk musical, so we underwent 30 days of rigorous preparations of traditional dance, vocal exercises and adapting the quirkiness of the characters." While the hero is the script, direction by Shivdas Ghodke brings a contemporary touch against a background score by Bipin Vartak.

WHEN: 16 February, 5 PM
WHERE: Prithvi Theatre
PRICE: Rs 500 onwards
TO BOOK: bookmyshow.com