One is a maverick actor-writer-director known for his improvisational techniques on stage, while the other is an Indian classical and fusion musician striving to push the boundaries of his field. When the two collaborate, there is bound to be magic.
Makarand Deshpande and Niladri Kumar will perform together in a Hindi play titled Patni , which premieres on Tuesday. In the play, Deshpande introduces his dead wife to viewers through a monologue, with situational music by Kumar.
Deshpande describes it as a prayog (experiment) and explains that the production is a celebration of love and the crisis of letting go. “When I wrote the concept, I could only think of Niladri for the music,” he says. “I called him up and said that I am planning a performance where a husband wants to present his dead wife to the audience. I don’t know what sense it made to him, but he was on board.”
Kumar sees the collaboration as two people from different spheres coming together and presenting what they can do with their respective art. “We are inviting the audience to visit us and know who the dead wife is, what kind of relationship she shared with her husband and witness the grand exit of her soul from her body. It explores the concept of moksh in a unique way.”
Kumar says he usually communicates through his music at a concert, while Deshpande communicates through words and acting on stage. “I thought it would be interesting to see how we could communicate to each other through our art forms.”
Kumar will play the sitar as well as the zitar (an electric sitar), with a few keyboard players backing him. He says that the music will be rooted in Indian classical traditions, but restricting itself to a specific genre.
The two artistes strongly believe that music and theatre are interconnected. “There is a lot of music in theatre; sometimes silences also have meaning,” says Kumar. He says that there is definitely a lot of theatre in music, which usually goes unnoticed.
Patni is the result of the duo’s attempt at walking the extra mile to see what could possibly be the outcome of a deliberate blend of music and theatre.
Patni premieres today, 7 p.m. at Prithvi Theatre. Tickets: Rs. 175.
