The 37th foundation anniversary of Bharat Bhavan concluded with the play ‘Tughlaq’. A famous play by Girish Karnad was staged at Bharat Bhavan here on Wednesday, marking the grand closure of foundation anniversary.
Directed by K Madhvane, the play was performed by the artists of Sriram Centre Repertory. The play captures the reign of a man who got too much power and couldn’t understand how to wield such authority on unwilling subjects. The play, which was initially written in Kannada, was translated several times and is interpreted by many.
The play is about a king who could not understand his subjects and about subjects who were not ready for the King’s dream of a perfect kingdom.
The names that were pinned on him seemed appropriate as he shifted his kingdom from Delhi to Daulatabad – a move which brought his kingdom to its knees.
The further disillusionment that Tughlaq went through led him to isolate himself from his people as intolerance reached its peak. He is surrounded by people who slander him, plot against him and murder each other ruthlessly.
The setting of the play included a large movable wooden throne, brilliant sound, and lighting. The artists performing in the play made audience glued to their seats. It was a wonderful experience for all the art lovers of the city.
It is to be noted that Tughlaq was first staged in Urdu in 1966 as part of a National School of Drama student production directed by actor Om Shivpuri, then a student. Its more famous outing was Ebrahim Alkazi’s grand set-piece at the Purana Qila, Delhi, in 1972; veteran actor Manohar Singh played the lead.