Take Shakespeare, Bollywood, put in lots of colour with really talented actors who even sing like professionals, and you get a play you can watch again and again. “Piya Behrupiya” is a treat for both Shakespeare fans and the common public.
The musical directed by Atul Kumar got favourable reviews at the World Shakespeare Festival in London in April. Its translation, by Amitosh Nagpal, who also plays the role of Sebastian, retains the potency of Shakespeare’s original while adding a strong desi flavour to it.
The story and the names of the characters are retained — twin siblings separated after a shipwreck, the sister disguised as a man attracts the affections of a countess and the comedy that follows.
Geetanjali Kulkarni plays Viola, the twin sister, who cross-dresses as Cesario, to work for Lord Orsino. Orsino uses her as a messenger to woo Countess Olivia — a stunning Punjabi kudi, played by Mansi Multani — who is in perpetual mourning over her brother’s death. Both the actors give a stunning performance, replete with folksy love songs, latent homoeroticism and, gems like: “ Feeling koi kabootar thodi hai ki dana daalo toh aa jaye !”
While Olivia falls for Cesario, her drunken uncle Toby and his buxom and cantankerous niece Maria, between whom a strong sexual current prevails, plot against Olivia’s uptight steward Malvolio. Toby, played by Gagan Riar — who composed many of the Bundeli and other folk songs in the play — plays out the perfect slapstick comedy with his wealthy and foolish friend Andrew dada, played by the charming Mantra Mugdh. Both stagger, swear, cry and woo Maria (Trupti Khamkar) in their stupor.
Malvolio (Saurabh Nayyar) is fooled into thinking Olivia loves him. His determined attempts to impress with his butler English and ridiculous transparent yellow tights had the hall echo with laughter.
The high point of the play is its music. The actors break into hilarious songs like “Darwaza kholegi hi nahi” and “O ri sakhi mangal gao ji” at the drop of a hat. The most talented of the lot is Neha Saraf who plays the jester Phool Singh.
She churns out rib tickling nonsense in scene after scene in an incomprehensible nasal Bundeli accentWith the voice of a Rajasthani rasiya and the swagger of a confident professional, Saraf floored the audience with renditions of Kabir and Sufi songs.
There are many pearls of comedy which the audience took home. Toby’s “Mata ka Jagrata” and Sebastian’s constant reminders to the audience that “ Jab chaar line ka hai character, to kya ukhaad lega actor ” are the purest homage to the Shakespeare Maharaj avatar wearing a crown and resting on a lotus, that fills the screen behind them.
