PGDAV gets a standing ovation for its staging of NSD play

Navrang

, the theatre society of

PGDAV College

, decided to perform

Janeman

– a play on the lives of transgenders, directed by

National School of Drama

(NSD) director

Waman Kendre

and first performed by NSD's students in 2002 – for its annual production this year. "We took permission from one of the team members of the previous play, and then started working on our production," said Anmol Kumar, the vice-president of Navrang. The play got a standing ovation from the crowd.

Bhavya Rampal as Bulbul, who is being transformed into a hijra (BCCL/ Ajay Kumar Gautam)

We walked around our campus in saris to get comfortable'The male actors who played transgenders in the play were quite comfortable donning saris and wigs on the stage. Deepak Jhangid, the president of the society, who played Najo, the protagonist – the head of the transgenders in the play – talked about the challenges of his role. He told us, "Walking in saris was quite difficult initially. On our first day of practice, we walked around the entire campus wearing them, and some people laughed at us. That is precisely what we wanted to experience. Hum feel karna chahte thay ki transgenders ko kaisa feel hota hai jab log unka mazaak banaate hain." Deepak added, "During our research for the play, we also went to Subhash Nagar, where most of them live. Kuch ne bhagaa diya, kuch ne pyaar se samajhaaya ki jab tak unke guru nahin aayenge, woh hum se baat nahin kar payenge kisi bhi topic par."

In this scene, Basanti is crying on being turned from a boy into a transgender (BCCL/ Ajay Kumar Gautam)

'The role was written for Naseeruddin Shah and Paresh Rawal'Govind Pandey, who played Najo in NSD’s production, was also present during Navrang's performance. Talking about his experience of playing the character, Govind said, "Mujhe pehle hi din sari pehna di thi, and I thought I would not be able to play this character," and added, "It was originally written for Naseeruddin Shah, and the other role of Panni, the mother in the play, was written for Paresh Rawal. To my surprise, when the final roles were decided, I was chosen by the director for this role. These memories came alive when I saw this play."

Govind Pandey, who played Najo in NSD's production of 'Janeman', directed by Waman Kendre in 2002 (BCCL/ Ajay Kumar Gautam)


Performance beyond competitionThe audience that watched the play said that it was an impeccable performance. Mansi Sheenu from the theatre society of Lady Irwin College, said, "It was so good that I feel it was actually beyond any of the competitions we participate in. The way they handled the topic is worth appreciating and should be encouraged."