Arun Kuckreja's latest offering is based on Shakespeare's All the World’s a Stage and Samuel Beckett's Breath. He informs Divya Kaushik how both approach life in different ways
Woven in the unique format of four different Vulgates (chapter), filmmaker Arun Kuckreja has created a film that combines the work of two masters — William Shakespeare and Samuel Beckett.
He apparently found the theme of Shakespeare’s All the World’s a Stage in As You like It (spoken by the melancholy Jaques in Act II Scene VII) and Samuel Beckett’s Breath (supposedly the world’s briefest play), a lot similar, and combined both in a film which is divided into different sections.
“Both deal with the same thing — about being born and dead. The only difference is that Shakespeare’s style is classic. It deals with ages of man. Beckett is absurd and straightaway calls life rubbish. He says it is all a matter of breath, then you are out of this world,” explained Kuckreja, who first planned a film on Beckett’s work.
“I did a successful theatre production during 1976, when Sohaila Kapur and I were in college. It was based on Beckett’s Happy Days and was a monologue. The stage was designed as a grave. Sohaila shown stuck in it. Only the upper half of her body was visible. In the second half, the body sinks deep under the grave. Only the face is visible. That was appreciated. And I wanted to use Beckett again. But I never did anything on Shakespeare. Then I decided to make a film on Breath. My wife said that even Shakespeare’s All the World’s a Stage has a similar message. So I decided to merge both,” shared Kuckreja.
BARD, The Quadrivium (meaning four parts), is a collective collage with Vulgate one featuring Sunit Tandon presenting the Shakespeare’s monologue. The film was shot indoors. The second Vulgate is in sign language, and the script is same as Vulgate one. It was done in sign language because Kuckreja felt that Shakespeare is popular and relevant for people of every generation. His plays should reach masses.
“I visited Balwant Rai Mehta School in Delhi, a school for specially abled, to get a teacher. Vulgate two features an ordinary educator, specialising in sign language. She is the only actor in that part of the film, which is shot outdoors. It begins with a horse hurdle race. Shakespeare’s All The World’s a Stage presents seven stages that humans go through. They are infancy, a helpless baby who knows little. Then comes childhood when a person is unwilling to leave the protected environment of his home as not confident enough to exercise his own discretion.
“Then the lover, always remorseful, due to some reason or other, especially the loss of love. Then is the soldier. At this age he thinks less of himself and more about others. Fifth is the justice. In this stage, man has acquired wisdom through many experiences. He becomes very attentive of his looks and begins to enjoy finer things. Then comes old age, when he begins to lose his charm — both physical and mental. The last is extreme old age. He loses status and becomes a non-entity. These seven stages are presented by seven hurdles,” explained Kuckreja.
He added the second part to his 30-minute film of Beckett’s Breath as well. The music for the film has been selected from Pandit Ravi Shankar-Zubin Mehta (archives).
The film will be staged at India Habitat Centre on July 5 along with Kuckreja’s My Dear Nehru.