Come August, the 13th edition of The Hindu Theatre Fest takes centre stage. Playwrights from across the country will stage their productions at Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai, exploring diverse genres. Sunil Shanbag, Rajit Kapur, Atul Kumar... there are enough names in the repertoire to draw you to the fest. Some will entice you with their quirky takes on timeless classics, others will delve into body movements for expression. On the whole, the repertory, throbbing with human emotion, is something you would not want to miss.
“How could a man not raise his hand for the punishment of a slum boy on trial for the murder of his abusive father?” one thinks, as one watches the 1957 Hollywood film 12 Angry Men , based on Reginald Rose’s script.
The camera zooms in on the reflective, intense face of Henry Fonda, as he raises doubts clouding the case. The rest of the 11 jury members, who want the boy to be punished, close in on him like hawks; so do we, the audience. However, once the movie ends, we come out of the hall with a paradigm shift on frailty, biases and violence inherent in each one of us.
Now, imagine the same script being revived on stage after 60 years, by Indian playwright Nadir Khan, with Fonda’s character being essayed by the prolific Rajit Kapur, who enacts the role of a juror.
12 Angry Jurors, which opens The Hindu Theatre Fest 2017 Chennai, explores the moral fibre of each member of the jury, revealing their inner demons. What follows is an action-packed 90 minutes, full of arguments and fierce discussions.
The music by Kaizad Gherada, sets by Xhite Designs and lights by Arghya Lahiri promise to enhance the experience. A chat with the director, Nadir Khan.
Why did you choose to adapt a play from a movie made in the 1950s?
When I first read the script, I never felt it was dated at all. There are a lot of texts which, while older, don’t age badly at all. It’s excellent writing and very well structured, and we thought that it was definitely worth doing. It is quite a timeless classic.
Considering that the jury system in India no longer exists, how do you think this will strike a chord with a contemporary Indian audience?
The fact that the jury system no longer exists in India was a point of discussion when we were finalising plans for the production. However, we overwhelmingly felt that it really made very little difference.
The play isn’t really about jury systems at all; it’s just the setting for the story to play out. What the text really deals with are very relevant themes — justice, prejudice and social inequality to name a few. Given the response we have received with the show, I think we were right in thinking that.
Have there been attempts to contemporarise the play?
Not really. We haven’t adapted the script at all. It is pretty much the same text, entirely. There are bits here and there that have been directly translated to give it more of an Indian context, but all in all, the text didn’t really need any work. Making it more contemporary basically translated into us going for a mixed cast, and paying close attention to the characters and the casting.
Could you tell us how the class and caste dialogues seep into this play?
The script itself is very precisely layered to allow for class conflict. Caste conflict doesn’t really exist as a concept in it, but the average Indian audience member will easily be able to draw conclusions and comparisons from what the text and the dialogue provide.
How does Rajit Kapur add his own signature to a role which was played by Henry Fonda?
Rajit is one of the best actors in Indian theatre. I count myself very lucky to have had the opportunity to work with him on this show.
The depth of experience, commitment and instinct he brings to any part he plays is astounding. What he has done with Juror 8 is, in my opinion, a masterclass in terms of restraint, nuance and engagement.
How do the rest of the actors contribute to the overall production?
12 Angry Jurors is a great example of an ensemble production. Each character is on stage throughout and has, at some point or another, the opportunity to engage and influence the rest of the room.
We were fortunate enough to put together a great cast of actors, who complement each other perfectly and serve the story very well. Every single one of them has their own influences and experiences that contribute to how they are thinking at any point in time in the show. We worked very hard through the rehearsal process to make sure that each character was complex and well layered.
Like its original, does this play also bring out the biases in Indian society?
Yes. We have done our best to do justice to the text, while keeping it grounded and as truthful and real as possible.
