Watch Anton Chekhov’s stories come alive in Hindi

PUNE: A theatre group based in the city, Swatantra, will be presenting the Indian version of seven short stories written by eminent Russian author, Anton Chekhov. The play will be held in the Jawaharlal Nehru Auditorium on July 30 at 7pm.
Dhanashree Heblikar, who translated the stories into Hindi based on Neil Simon’s English adaptation, said, “Chekhov is one among the most celebrated writers.His stories are about emotions. Therefore, the fact that he belonged to a different country, culture and lifestyle are irrelevant. His stories possess the power to break geographical and linguistic barriers.”
The 90-minute play has been given a desi touch by renaming the characters and the places to fit the Indian context.
“The audience in this city is tolerant towards experimentation. I have seen Assamese and Bengali plays being attended by Marathi-speaking people. Very few Hindi plays are staged in the city and hence, the choice of the language,” Abhijeet Choudhary, the director of the play, said.
The troupe of 35 actors has staged the play in various cities including Agra and Delhi. They have also performed at the National Defence Academy and the Armed Forces Medical College.
“The play has been performed over 25 times and we are doing it again because it is popular and in demand. We have received messages and emails from people asking us to stage it again,” Heblikar said.
She added that the magic of Chekhov’s writing was such that the stories were relevant to people of all classes and age group. “We have people of all age groups coming to see the play. There are students, individuals from the working class and also senior citizens,” she said.
The seven stories that will be staged are ‘Sneeze’, ‘The Governess’, ‘The Good Doctor’, ‘Defenseless Creature’, ‘The Drowned Man’, ‘Arrangement’ and ‘Seduction’.
The tickets are available online and priced at Rs 200 and Rs 250. They will also be available at the venue an hour before the play commences.