Kalidasa’s Sanskrit play Shakuntalam reinterpreted with clowns

On day two of the ongoing

Jairangam Theatre Festival 2019

, a play titled

Shakuntalam: Agar Pura Kar Paye Toh

was staged at Krishnayan auditorium of Jawahar Kala Kendra in Jaipur. Directed by Rupesh Tillu, the play is a reinterpretation of Kalidasa’s famous Sanskrit play Abhijnana Shakuntalam, which narrates the story of the immortal tale of love and betrayal of Shakuntala.

Actors enact a scene from the play Shakuntalam: Agar Pura Kar Paye Toh (Shalini Maheshwari/BCCL)

This reinterpretation of the play involves clowns and is presented through their perspective. While in the Kalidasa’s version, others make choices for Shakuntala, in this play, as told by the director, Shakuntala makes her own choices. Clown Mindy portrays Shakuntala, defying the stereotypes attached to it, making her own decisions about her life. Clown Kamla and Clown Tinu try their best to fit into the roles of Kanav, Dushyant, Priyamvada, Indra, Bharat and messengers. The story revolves around how their Hindi script doesn't get the censor clearance and now the clowns are pushed to perform the whole play with the original Sanskrit script.

The play had moments of laughter. With its different approach and clowning techniques, the play was enjoyed by the theatre aficionados of the city.