It was an immersion into the world of Shakespeare at the national theatre festival Bahuroopi with an eclectic mix of Kannada plays either inspired or adapted from the Bard’s original works.
Besides plays, the audience savoured rare productions such as The Taming of the Shrew directed by Franco Zeffirelli, Ran (Japanese) directed by Akira Kurosowa, and Othello , directed by Orson Welles.
However, the rendering of Beastly Tales by Naseeruddin Shah and his troupe on the inaugural day left a section of the audience disappointed as they had hoped to witness a play, and not the rendering of fables.
In search of Shakespeare: The Lost Years directed by Michael Wood is slated for screening on Thursday at 10.30 a.m. Michael Wood is familiar to Indians through his documentaries such as In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great and The Story of India . Titus , an Italian production directed by Julie Tymor, will be the second movie of the day (12.30 p.m); the movie is an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus starring Anthony Hopkins and Jessica Lange.
Of the plays slated for Thursday, Maranayaka in Kannada is based on Macbeth and the troupe members are inmates of the Mysuru Central Prison. Directed by Hulugappa Kattimani and written by H.S. Shivaprakash, it mirrors the lives of those living within the four wall of the prison.
This year, the bulk of the plays are in Kannada, a departure from the past when the theatre festival would feature plays from across the sub continent. There are a few plays in Assamese, Rajasthani and Marathi to add to the diversity
Aydaan written by activist Urmila Pawar will be staged on Thursday at Bhoomigeetha at 4 p.m.
