Bollywood actor Amol Palekar left the packed house spellbound with his performance at the Rabindra Mandap here on Saturday evening. He was back to the theatre after a gap of 25 years.
Adapted from the Danish crime thriller “Den Skyldige”, the Hindi play ‘Kasur’ was received well by hundreds of fans. Palekar’s riveting performance capped a day filled with engaging sessions on a gamut of subjects. The play was part of a three-day Tata Steel Bhubaneswar Literary Meet that ended on Sunday.
“I am performing on stage after 25 years. I had to unlearn what I had learnt from my gurus. I learnt the nuances once again and underwent the process.. Like singers and sportspersons practise daily, we actors don’t rehearse once we get recognition. After so many years, I had to peel off the rust and now I am in front of you,” the noted actor said.
On the second day of the literary event at the XIMB, acclaimed author P Murugan spoke about his new book “Amma”, a collection of essays chronicling the life of his mother. The tenderly written essays, now translated into English, capture poignant moments in the life of a strong and independent woman.
Legendary flautist Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia enthralled the audience during a discussion on his memoir “Breath of Gold”. Together with his biographer Sathya Saran, Chaurasia shared intimate anecdotes from his formative years.
Spoken word performer Priya Malik joined British author-poet Rosie Garland on stage to discuss the role of a writer as a performer. Their discussion was punctuated by well-received readings and recitations.
The day also had a fair share of the silver screen with the Odisha launch of Satyarth Nayak’s book “Sridevi: The Eternal Screen Goddess”. This was followed by Nandita Das’ session on her film “Manto”. The acclaimed actor spoke about her personal and cinematic journey.