For a society steeped in movies and popular music, every generation has its heroes and heroines. And, Hindi films have a way of weaving their influence on a generation, be it in their mannerisms or other subtle ways.
A group of amateur theatre artistes have adapted a story for theatre to bring alive the glorious era of the 1940s through to 1960s, considered the golden age of Hindi films and music, through a protagonist swayed by the songs when he was a youth.
Based on a write-up by Shrinivas Vaidya, ‘Parshva Sangeetha’ narrates the author’s association with the classic melodies of Hindi films.
Conceptualised and directed by Prashanth Hiremath, the play presents the way songs get interwoven into one’s life and the way they impact people.
B.P. Arun, who adapted the write-up for the stage, pointed out that melodies, rendered by singers like Kundan Lal Saigal, Talat Mahmood, Mohammed Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar and others, continue to be popular and touch an emotional chord among those who grew up listening to those melodies.
This aspect is revisited in the adaptation, says Mr. Arun.
He said every generation has its own favourite hero, heroine along with movies and songs, and the narrator in this play reminisces his childhood when the golden era of Hindi cinema was making its mark on the youth.
The narrator recalls the impact it made on his uncle, who is represented as an embodiment of the spirit of the classic movies and songs.
While the play is a throwback to the past, it is also a subtle exploration of how movies and songs have influenced the youth of a generation and moulded their antics and mannerisms to some extent.
For the music and movie aficionados who grew up soaking in the lilting melodies of the 1940s to the 1960s, the play will be a blend of songs and dialogues to bring alive a slice of a memorable age of Hindi films.
The shows will be staged at Kirurangamandira at Kalamandira premises on June 24, 25, 29, 30 and July 1 from 7 p.m.
