Festivities commence for National School of Drama’s 21st Bharat Rang Mahotsav

The parallel theatre festival, that will open with CHARUDUTTA,

written by Mahakavi Bhasa and directed by Bhupesh Joshi.

Dehradoon, 6^thFebruary 2020:The festivities have parallelly begun for the 21^st edition of the Bharat Rang Mahotsav (BRM), in Dehradun.The annual theatre festival organised by the National School of Drama (NSD)is all set to bring acollection of plays to the bejewelled city of Dehradun for the first time.

The inaugural function for BRM 2020 kickstarted at the New Auditorium by Dept. of Culture (Uttarakhand Govt.) in the presence of the Guest of honour Shri Satpal Maharaj, Hon’ble Minister of Culture, Govt. of Uttarakhand, Special Guest Shri Leeladhar Jagudi, Renowned Poet & Journalist Smt. Himani Shivpuri, Eminent Theatre & Cine Actress. The inaugural ceremony will be followed by the worthy performance of the play, CHARUDUTTA, written by Mahakavi Bhasa and directed by Bhupesh Joshi.

Guest of Honour Shri Satpal Maharaj,Hon’ble Minister of Art and Culture Govt. of Uttarakhand who attended the event remarked“Some of the best works of theatre have been brought to the audience from around the globe for past two decades by BRM.Theatre as an art has seen all the trends come and go by and still stands proud and telling glorious tales.”

Present at the event theSpecial Guest Shri Leeladhar Jagudi, Renowned Poet & JournalistSaid “Since the past two decades BRM has been receiving a heartening response with theatre enthusiasts sampling lesser-known regional productions alongside the topliners. The assortment includes a spectrum of content revolving around social issues. This year too, BRM will be a wonderful spectacle, undoubtedly.”

The event was also graced by Smt. Himani Shivpuri, Eminent Theatre & Cine Actress who addressing the gathering said, “Theatre is an art that has withstood many seasons and will always have a firm ground. I see a very bright future of theatre as the shoulders carrying the mantle forward are firm and strong, platforms such as BRM have been keeping the theatre young and honest.”

Echoing his thoughts, Dr. Arjun Deo Charan, Acting Chairman, NSD Society said, “Theatre brings meaning to people and the position of an actor is held highly in theatre of our country. An actor should be mindful of their own emotions and the emotions of their character and this understanding if conceived can help anyone and everyone.”

Shri Suresh Sharma, Director In-charge, National School of Drama present at the event expressed his gratitude to all the guest present at the inaugural function and appreciated all the participants from National & International theatre fraternity who came all-across. He also said through the years, Bharat Rang Mahotsav has presented some masterpieces from the world of theatre. The idea is to reach out to a much wider set of audiences with works from modern and regional theatre. We hope to highlight the importance of theatre and plays and promote the culture of appreciating various forms of performing arts.

BRM promises a diverse experience featuring a collection of plays depicting various shades of emotions. The festival will stage 7 plays that include a combination of theatre by Indian and international productions. It will open with CHARUDUTTA, written by Mahakavi Bhasa and directed by Bhupesh Joshi.The theme of the play not only represents the society in the aforesaid era, but also throws light on the degenerating values of the modern society. Love and brotherhood have given way to deceit, cunning and crime. In the story, Charudutta, once a prosperous resident of Ujjaini, due to his compassion and generosity, is now a poor man. Vasantsena, a courtesan, is the pride of the town. She is a benevolent, gracious and beautiful young woman. Enamoured by the extraordinary qualities of Charudutta, she falls madly in love with him. Although the story is a unique example of realism in Sanskrit literature, it is also apt for contemporary Indian theatre.