Fifty years after one of the world’s most infamous conspiracies that led to the assassination of America’s youngest President, city-based Kartaal Productions will pay a tribute to John F. Kennedy by staging JFK-Eulogy. The fictionalised eulogy is directed by K. Shrikanth Iyengar and is a tribute to freedom, justice and the quest for the truth.
“We had planned this production only about a month ago, and the sheer importance of this historical event grew dearer with time. It became equally important for us to be part of a worldwide tribute, and it’s clear that this remains a conspiracy with generations of ineffective and questionable evidence not looked into or addressed. The quest for the truth goes on and the ridiculous thought that the official case reopens again sometime after 2039,” says Seema Azharuddin, actor and producer.
The production is touted to be a grand cinematic and theatre opus with a compelling story mapped to the infamous assassination’s history and soars with a major twist at the end creating, perhaps a new twist to the conspiracy. “The world’s most famous 26 second film in history by Abaram Zapruder will be screened as part of the play. Our story spans four score and seven years into the quest for the truth and is powerful in its court scenes,” she explains.
JFK-Eulogy is the first home written script by Kartaal Productions, which in the past had staged plays like A Streetcar Named Desire and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf that were the works of renowned authors. Seema elaborates, “It has an element of ire and I am looking forward to seeing some raised eyebrows and, perhaps, even debate and the end of it all. The audience will also enjoy the autocratic live music that accompanies the acts.”
Talking about why the play is important for society today, Seema says, “Our need for a free society bereft of lies and understanding that the truth is never ambiguous in its presence and is always conspicuous even in its absence, is as true today as it was 50 years ago; as true in India and the world over as it was then in America. JFK, was, indeed, a very popular President and came to office when the world was on the brink of, perhaps, a third world war.
He believed in peace and often quoted Mahatma Gandhi. This production is also relevant to safety. Today safety is of great concern for our country and those around the world.”
JFK-Eulogy
When: November 22, 7p.m.
Where: Nasr Girls High School
Tickets: At the Venue
