Bhawana Somaaya

This week’s column is dedicated to two causes, both involving children.The first to showcasing children on theatre and the second, to aiding children with learning disability called Dyselexia.

‘IPTA Balmanch’ is the children’s wing of the Indian People’s Theatre Association and was started in 1984. Idgah and Naya Gokul were among the first children’s plays to be staged at Prithvi Theatre.

Balmanch has since then produced Gulzar’s Agar Aur Magar, a musical play based on Brecht’s stories. Live music and chorus singing have been a vital part of both IPTA and Balmanch. It premiered Barsoram a fairy tale at Prithvi summertime festival in 2009 and later at NSD’s Jashnebachpan (National Theatre Festival for Children) New Delhi. Directed by MS Sathyu’s talented daughter Shaili Sathyu it is a story about what goes on in the minds of children.

Swaroop Sampat, film and television actor and wife of Paresh Rawal has committed her lifeto enhancing the life of children with learning disabilities. Sampat has authored a book Learning Disabilities in a Nutshell with a foreword from Aamir khan who delved on the issue in his film Taare Zameen Par.

The crusade began for Swaroop unplanned. She did her PHD at University of Worcester in 2006 and specialized in skill enhancement. She was often invited to conduct workshops on the subject in India and abroad and that’s how she got embroiled in it.

Today Swaroop has combined her innate talent for performing arts to devise a novel technique of ‘learning life skills through drama’. Her book is dedicated to dyslexic children and focuses on the needs of ‘the special child.’ “It is a guide for the children, their teachers, parents and siblings of these kids. If we can collectively empathize with the differences, we can help them overcome adversities and aid them to effectively deal with the challenges of life.”

And before I sign off a happy news.The winner of this year’s Kishore Kumar Award presented by the Madhya Pradesh Government isYash Chopra who was invited to Khandwa, the birthplace of Kishore Kumar on his birth anniversary, October 13.

Yash Chopra, a contemporary legend in Hindi cinema, has played a seminal role in the Indian Film Industry. With this award, he added yet another prestigious accolade to his long list of achievements. State Culutural Minister Laxmikant Sharma presented him with a traditional shawl and a cash prize and said that by agreeing to accept this award he had added to the glory of MP as a state. State Education Minister Ms Archana Tipnis and the State Tribal Welfare Minister, Mr. Vijay Shah, were also present at the occasion. The award was instituted by the Madhya Pradesh government in 1997 and past recipients include filmmakers Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Gulzar, Shyam Benegal and superstar Amitabh Bachchan.

The closing ceremony of Commom wealth Games was even better than the opening ceremony and this proves that all is well that ends well. Sheila dixit has promised that the problems will be addressed and effective action taken and I trust her.

Bhawana Somaaya
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In the olden days film writers did not get separate credit for story, screenplay and dialogues. It was taken for granted that the one, who conceived the story, wrote the screenplay as well as the dialogues of the film.

Over the years writing of a film got divided in to three specific departments as a result one man wrote the story, the second, the screenplay and the third wrote the dialogues. Their role was to collectively translate the story idea of the filmmaker on paper and for this he was paid a small fee and often given no credit.

The writer was more often than not treated like a munshiji by the production houses. Two versatile writers who could not be patronized and who stood their ground all through their careers were Inder Raj Anand and Pt. Mukhram Sharma. Inder Raj Anand was a very knowledgeable man and Mukhram Sharma was apparently was the most dependable and systematic writer of all times.

The equations changed with the arrival of Salim- Javed who changed the dynamics of writing in Hindi cinema in the 70s. The duo rained super hit films every week in the cinema halls and the audience loved their power packed dialogues. They were the final word in casting of a film…It was on their suggestion that Prakash Mehra cast Amitabh Bachchan in Zanjeer and Ramesh Sippy in Sholay. There were times they wanted a change in the climax and they convinced director Yash Chopra that they were right. They created superstars but called the shots and it was the only time in the history of filmmaking that writers’ names appeared on the billboards.

Salim Javed were the highest paid writers in India and for the first time since inception films were identified not by the lead stars or the banner of a film but as Salim Javed films.

The magic lasted roughly over a decade. Salim Javed saw the rise and fall of Rajesh Khanna and the rise and rise of Amitabh Bachchan. When the partnership split Salim saw the rise of Sanjay Dutt in Naam and Javed was responsible for the launch of Anil Kapoor in Mashaal and Meri Jung. When the duo was together mediocre films got transformed into magic. When they split, screenplay writing went downhill. Filmmakers got back to their original role of narrating story ideas to debutant writers and guiding them into scripts.

The result was never the same. Most of the films in the coming decade suffered because of mediocre scripts. In the absence of powerful, original writing filmmakers exploited raw talent and did not pay them what they promised. Sometimes established writers rehashed old plots and sold them to new filmmakers but there was nobody to listen to their story of woes because there were no specific guidelines drafted even a Writer’s Association since decades.

In the pre-independence days a bunch of revolutionary writers got together and launched Progressive Writer’s Association comprising path breaking writers and poets like Faiz, Ismat Chugtai, Sultan Jafri, Kaifi Azmi among others. Today, this Association has a new team of gifted writers led by Anjum Rajaballi and Atul Tiwari who consistently fight for the rights of the writers in terms of fees, credit, copyright or royalty.

The Progressive Writers Group has been active and holding regular meetings and workshops to inspire young talent. A lot of them are on board with education systems like Subhash Ghai’s Whistling Woods and FTII, Pune. The Progressive Group was elected to the Executive Committee of the Film Writers Association in 2008. Since then, several over-due initiatives have been undertaken by Film Writers Association.

After long negotiations, the Model Contract is now with the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE), the parent body of all 22 trade unions for different crafts of the film industry. While producers have been delaying negotiations, FWA had to impress upon FWICE to resolve the issue at the earliest. It took a lot of persuasion but finally FWICE has agreed and meetings with producers’ bodies ought to begin soon.

A Model Contract for TV writers also has just been finalized and will be submitted to FWICE shortly.
The Copyright (Amendment) Bill 2010 was tabled in parliament in April. FWA had actively intervened and made a representation to the HRD Minister to ensure that protection of screenwriters’ copyright and royalties were included in the Bill. The Bill has incorporated these suggestions and is currently with the parliamentary Standing Committee. Film Writers Association in the meantime has in a strongly worded letter made another representation. They know they have to be vigilant until the ministry passes these representations as Law later this year.

With these initiatives, FWA’s aim is clear: Replace the helplessness of the individual writer with the collective bargaining strength of the union. It has to protect every writer’s fees, credit and copyright and the writer’s association can achieve that only if it is strong. Their motives are honourable and credibility no more in dispute. It organises regular screenwriting workshops and seminars in Mumbai and outside. Their last conference in December 2008 was a landmark event which had 600 writers sharing the same space and discussing professional and creative issues!

In two years FWA has walked many miles and conquered a few milestones but the journey isn’t over. The Model Contracts for film and TV writers, the Copyright Amendment, the educational and development activities may be in place but the goal is still far away. Unless every single aspiring writer joins this noble cause, the battle for justice isn’t going to be easy. For FWA to be able to protect all screenwriters, they have first to be established and be endorsed as one powerful body.

They have to be supported by colleagues. And they were. It was hundred percent attendance on Sunday at Time & Again when every small and big writer of merit was present to lend support to the Progressive Writers Group. Every writer who cared for their craft and dignity was there to support the moment.

Today, Shubha Mudgal and Aneesh Pradhan will come together for a unique jugal bandi of music and mathematics at Prithvi Theatre for Paanch Pachees. The monsoons promises to be a fun filled month at Prithvi Theatre combining films, music, mela and workshops. A sensational project Hive Mind which is a creative engagement with mathematics brought together school teachers and students.
Cconducted by Victoria Gould and Poppy Keeling the duo is masters of the special art. Gould trained at Manchester and Cranfield Universities and is an MSc in Mathematics. A founder member of the devised theatre company Kangaroo Club he collaborated on Shun-kin, A Disappearing Number and The Elephant Vanishes. Keeling started as Administrative Assistant before taking on the role of Education Coordinator, has performed with Theatre in Education Company First Line Theatre and worked as General Manager of Kettle of Fish Theatre Company.

The duo conducted the most extra-ordinary five-day workshop educating children that life is governed by mathematical principles and the prime example of this is the world of bees shaped by rules and systems. The participants studied the habits of honey bee and explored their learning by devising a performance on the final day of the workshop which was a theatrical spectacle.

Bhawana Somaaya
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If it is the month of November, it has to be Prithvi Theatre Festival. This was Prithvi’s thirty first anniversary and the theatre dressed up in fairy lights and lanterns blossomed like a bride. It opened with Naya Theatre’s signature play Charandas Chor written sometime in the ‘50s and the story of a lovable thief who takes four vows in jest, and promises to his guru that he will never lie again. He lives up to the promise even at the cost of risking his own life.

It was a scintillating evening packed with theatre lovers. It is incredible how Sanjana Kapoor year after year comes up new themes and ideas and motivates new talent to perform on her platform. Like every year the mood was upbeat. Vibrant folders welcomed you from all corners and a juloos featuring-open air performance across Mumbai replete with stilt walkers and performers was part of the event promotion. The festival showcased plays from all over India on varied subjects. Bidesi delved on a wife’s determination to bring her wayward husband home. The husband has gone to Calcutta in search of work and lost his heart to another woman. Not original in content but interesting because it draws on the folk form of Bhojpuri theatre.

Veenapani Chawla projected an interpretation of the birth stories related to the myths of Ganpati/Martanda and told of the recurring cycles of creation, celebration and destruction from different points of views, but not entirely engaging. On the other hand, Neelkanth Nirala celebrating Hindi poet Suryakanth Tripathi ‘Nirala’ revered as one of the stalwarts of Hindi Literature was a fascinating journey of social conflicts and personal tragedies. Nirala had strong views on the dominance of English language in our life and often commented on it.

Aakaashabheri told through the Heer-Ranja love story as Soni awaits Bhagat Singh’s release from prison, and historical episodes unfold, musical play comprising folk songs of North India and reflecting the socio-political ethos of those times but difficult to enjoy if you don’t follow Punjabi. Opera Noir is a dark Indian twist to opera– a lyrical conversation between a ghost and a soprano about God, murder and showbiz, a story of love and deception. Though most of the productions were impressive there were hardly any path breaking subjects.

Dharti Aaba concentrated on a tribal leader who struggled to save his land and people from exploitation by zamindars and British rulers, how he championed a revolution and ushered a new social order inspiring them to fight against oppression. Impressions of Bhima is interesting because it attempts to deconstruct the virile hero who for a change yearns not for victory but inner peace.

Peter Shaffer’s contemporary classic Rhinoceros commented on issues relevant in current times and is an intriguing exploration of passion and pain, worship and religion. Through powerful performances the play explores themes of conformity, culture, philosophy, and morality. Kahan Gaye Mere Ugna introduces you to the life of Vidyapati, Bihar’s classical poet, his journey with his royal student queen Lakheema, and his search for his favorite disciple Ugna. In Yakshagana: Vidyunmati Kalyaana, Gandharvas and angels join hands to rescue Vidyunmati, daughter of Gandharav king from the demon Kalajhangha. In a series of unfolding stories and curious twists, the lovers are separated and unite again.

While most of the stories were predictable, what was appealing was the language and the presentation and of course the spirit and the ambience of a festival. There was an exhibition titled ‘On the Road’ describing the theatrical journey of Naya Theatre meant as a unique and intimate tribute to Habib Tanvir. Then there was also a book launch featuring memoirs of theatre artists compiled from a seminar held at Ninasam in Heggodu, Karnataka. The seminar was a conglomeration of many performances and the book is a result of that dream.

The venue buzzed with activity and the shows were packed to full houses. The cherry of the festival were the sparkling platform performances outside the main auditorium comprising poetry and music. On the last day, everybody was happy that the festival was a success but also sad that the ten day celebration had come to an end.
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Bhawana Somaaya
www.bhawanasomaaya.com