Kolhapur theatre troupe hopes to take Marathi ‘Hamlet’ pan-India

By Radhika Bhirani

New Delhi, Aug 21 (IANS) Language is no barrier for William Shakespeare's work, avers Kolhapur-based Mandar Bhanage, who is trying to raise funds to take his Marathi production of The Bard's "The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark" to a wider audience. He says lack of funds is crippling the theatre industry in the country, where there's a pool of stage talent.

"Being a true lover of The Bard, I wish to take his work in the form of 'Hamlet' to the theatre lovers all over in Marathi which is my regional language. In my honest opinion, language is no barrier for Shakespeare's work, Hamlet for me is a never ending work of exploration," Bhanage told IANS in an email interview.

He is running a campaign on crowdfunding platform Wishberry to gather Rs 300,000 as it will take Rs 100,000 to stage the show in each city -- Mumbai, Pune and Goa -- for starters.

"But it's not just about the money. 'Theatre is dying down', 'Marathi plays don't have the same magic'... We want to bury all these misconceptions to the ground once and for all, and show everyone that Marathi theatre is here to stay. If we have a vote of confidence from the crowd, our statement is validated," said Bhanage, who conducted a preview performance of the production in May.

With his roots in a middle-class business family in Kolhapur, he studied at a boarding school in Panchgani and participated in theatre as a kid.

"My English professor in school always talked about Shakespeare and told us stories about Hamlet, Othello, King Lear etc.. and that fascinated me to read more Shakespeare. Since then, playing Hamlet once in my life became my dream," said Bhanage, who has also worked backstage as a lighting designer.

"Last year, I came across the Marathi translation of Hamlet done by Parshuram Deshpande, and that is when I found the opportunity to make my dream come true by not only playing Hamlet but also producing it," added the artiste, who also has a theatre company called MB Theatre.

He feels a lot of theatre artists are getting lured into filmmaking because there's more money and glamour in it.

"That's the biggest reason why theatre has been suffering for the past 10-15 years. But fortunately, the tables have turned. The audience now has started to appreciate the live, immersive and interactive medium of theatre.

"The only thing that the theatre industry is lacking in India is funds. Take MB Theatre for example. Since we're a theatre troupe from Kolhapur, our reach is restricted to the local theatres even though we've got some truly extraordinary performers. The only thing we don't have is funds to take our plays outside tier 2 and tier 3 cities," he said.

Given that the country's urban youth is consumed in consuming content from OTT platforms and the digital world, what is his hope for the survival of theatre?

"Kids love cinema and TV shows, but you must check out the many dramatic societies that exist in colleges all over the country, nothing can really replace the charm of an age old form of art. All that we need to do is remind the same people how much they like theatre, once they are out school and colleges.

"Yes, of course the youth likes easier consumption that the digital media offers. But I am also sure that if they are exposed to the best that theatre has to offer, they will be swept over to love it, too. This is why I feel theatre needs to embrace crowdfunding and other such new age methods to connect with the younger crowd more. We need more exposure."

Asked if he feels the regional Indian space is an incubator for theatre, he said: "Indeed, yes... The close knit nature of the regional space ensures audience and funds. Local communities support the art consistently. But as tastes are becoming more global, even regional theatre needs to grow. It must employ world class production techniques to stay relevant."

(Radhika Bhirani can be contacted at radhika.b@ians.in)

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