Jaipur. 9 jan 2018 Mughals and British social values adversely impacted the traditional Indian societal norms, ultimately leading to assigning the status of second class citizens to women. History tells us that the proud Indian traditions have always desisted such abhor able segregations, right from the days of Harappa civilization. Men and women were the two wheels of the chariot of society who would both support as well as give strength to each other.
Chitralekha, Paap Punya aur Prem ki Katha (story of sin, virtue and love) without ever encountering any episodes of explicit carnal or erotic nature describes the man-woman relationship. The story is only of love and the journey of love. Chitralekha – the protagonist is a truly empowered woman: beautiful and strong from within, materialistic by choice, large hearted by nature and honest to the core. She firmly holds the reins of her own life and does not let society/ social pressure influence her. The play is a beautiful & bold presentation of “नाट्योत्सव” where you will find confluence of language, culture and contemporary music. It will be a feast for the theatre lovers and has never been staged in the Delhi-NCR theatre circle before.
Sunil Chaudhry the script writer, director, lyricist and music composer of the play describes, “the play “Chitralekha, is the enactment of literary work that explores the very essence of the universal truths of human life in a social set up. Woven around an intense love story that reflects on and fleshes out not just the various aspects of human nature but also the myriad dilemmas faced by us in our lifetime. It deals with a pivotal question we all face in the journey of life – Paap Kya Hai? (what is a sin?) Like all journeys, this journey also has many co-travelers, some close, some not so close. But story provides space to them all and comes to an indefinite end for the viewer to decide as it says “We commit neither a sin nor a virtue. We do deeds according to the circumstances that befall us in our liftime. Whether what we commit a sin or a virtue, is decided by the existing dominant society”
Madhu Kandhari, the lead actor of the play describes this as something that has touched the core of her heart and mind as an actor. “I have never come across such various shades of oddities of human character and of the everlasting duel between the selfishness and the morals, on the other hand it also brings forward the vivid and various dimensions of the nature of a woman. I had to prepare myself and work really hard in many ways to portray this extremely diverse and strong character not just physically but mentally for over a year – be it dances, or language, or internalizing the character.”
All the dances are directed by Nibha Narang, a trained Kathak Artist. She is the disciple of Dr. Shashi Sankhla of Jaipur Gharana.The play has already received houseful shows and rave reviews in Delhi. It is now being staged on 30 December in SNA, Gomti Nagar at 6 pm. More shows are planned all over India. Tickets are available on bookmyshow and box office on 12th onward.
