Envisioning the theatrical version of the Braratha Muni’s magnum opus ‘Natyashastra’, Nishumbitha a theatre group based out of Hyderabad is coming up with a drama on September 1st 2017. Natyashastra is a book on the birth, evolution and kinetics of different classical performing art forms of the country. It is noted as an encyclopedia for performing arts in the olden ages. The composition of this text is unknown but is estimated to be sometime around 1st millennium BCE.
People at Nishumbitha were awe struck at the vivid technicalities given in detail in this book. As it was never explored as a play it is going to be first of its kind, says the founder of Nishumbitha, Mr. Rammohan Holagundi. They worked on this play for six months and the original text is much simplified for the common man to comprehend easily. But care is taken on not diluting the original essence of the text. They took the help of P.S.R. Appa Rao’s contemporary version of it to explain the 49 human emotions and the subtext behind them. The focus on musical instrumentation also makes it unique. This 155-minute long play is made in a way that it reaches all sections of the society.
At this time of idealizing western culture, this play puts forth the magnificent nature of our Indian performing arts. But we also need to know the range of expressions that our art forms have. It is truly commendable that they took the responsibility to showcase the brilliance of our performing arts through theatre. The play will be staged in Ravindra Bharathi on 1st September. For all the theatre fans, make sure you don't miss this wonderful opportunity.
