A classical play 'Bandish' presenting the devine glory of two classical performers was staged at Bharat Bhavan on Saturday.
The play was performed under guest performances organised by Rangmandal, Bharat Bhavan. The play was written and directed by Purva Naresh and was performed by the artists of Aarambh Sanstha, Mumbai. The catch of the story is its music which is composed and given by legendary classical singer Shubha Mudgal.
Bandish is a story of two singers, one a nautanki singer and the other a baithak (classical) singer. Both performers relive their glory days and have witty anecdotes to share. Anecdotes of escapes from kings’ palaces, slapping British officers, getting kidnapped by the local rangeeleyzamindars, refuting lovelorn Nawabs and getting duped by charming and conniving men in the name of love and marriage. Each anecdote is accompanied by a musical and a dance number, and is an exploration into time and seeing things with a revived and perhaps revised perspective. The play has a good mix of music ranging from Nautanki and Baithak to a lively Bombay ditty that dates back to the time of the Raj. This Manglacharan was written in English during the British times, in respect of Queen Elizabeth. Although it is hilarious, it still remains a firm piece of musical and cultural history.
The play was beautifully presented and enthralled the audience. It was well recieved by all the theatre lovers.