21.03.2024 (Thursday) at Sanskriti Bhawan, IFFCO Township
22.03.2024 (Friday) at Jayadev Sadan, Paradip Port
YAYATI
Hum Theatre, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh
Balendra Singh
Hindi
95 Mins
THE DIRECTOR…..
Balendra Singh ji was born on 10 September 1975 in Bhind district. He has been continuously active in the theater of Bhopal for the last 28 years and has been running our theater group as a drama director for the last 23 years. He met Habib Tanveer ji, B.V. Karat, Prabhat Ganguly, Vibha Mishra, Alok Chatterjee, Maria Muller, Ranjit Khuman, M.K. He has received theatre education from senior directors like Raina, Lokendra Trivedi. Along with theatre, Balendra ji has also worked in the field of film and television, including “Peeku” with Amitabh Bachchan and “Raazi” with Alia Bhatt. “Sherni” with Vidya Balan, “The Last Show” with Anupam Kher, “Chai Massage” with Gajraj Rao, “Jadugar” with Jitendra Kumar, Hemchandra Kanungo in the film “Main Khudiram Bose Hoon” directed by Manoj Giri. And has played an important role of a CBI officer in Dheeraj Mishra’s film ‘Deendayal Upadhyay Ek Yugpurush’. His upcoming films are Love All, Chakki, The Last Show, Jadugar and Thai Massage. He has also been awarded Senior and Junior Fellowship by Ministry of Culture, Government of India, New Delhi, and has also obtained a Master’s degree in Dramatic Arts. He has prepared plays in all the theater styles like folk, classical, mythological, historical, Urdu, Nautanki, Modern, Absurd, Shakespearean, Nukkad etc. He also has the experience of working in the Broadway style using state-of-the-art technology. In this style, he has prepared great plays like Jaineshwari Swayamsiddha, Jatak Katha Udbhrant and Atmanveshi etc. Theatrical performances of his plays continue continuously in almost all the cities of the country. Even during the global pandemic, he performed online plays using state-of-the-art technology so that the audience surrounded by depression and despair could get rid of their pain and suffering, even if only for a short while. During this period, he also conducted many online theater workshops, webinars etc. in the country and abroad. Even at present, he is guiding the new generation of theater lovers.
The major plays directed by him are Bagiya Banchharam Ki, Motaram Ka Satyagraha, Taj Mahal Ka Tender, Lala Hardaul (Bundeli folk drama), Begum Ka Takiya, Daku (nautanki genre), Malti Madhav, Panna Dhay, Samrat Ashok, Basant Bahar, Birjis Kadar. Ka Kunba, Maila Aanchal, Atmanveshi etc. and two solo theater productions Popcorn and Padhiye Kalima are popular at the national level. These are such plays which are famous in the state and the country. Balendra Singh has given recognition to various extinct folk styles at the national level through his plays. He has been honored with Ekta Theater Award, Prabhat Ganguly Award and Bhopal’s Rang Gaurav Award for his contribution in theatre.
THE GROUP…..
Hum Theatre Group was established in 1998 by 20 young artists and the organization was registered in the year 2002. The objective of this organization is to create awareness among the youth about theater and its importance. Hum Theatre Group have always been known for their new experiments. This organization prepared its first play ‘Bagia Banchharam Ki’, after that plays based on Munshi Premchand’s story ‘Motaram Ka Satyagraha’, ‘Adhe-Adhure’, ‘Final Solutions’, Folk drama ‘Lala Hardaul’, ‘Basant Bahar’, ‘Daaku’, Historical plays like ‘Samrat Ashoka’ and ‘Sipahi Bahadur’ etc. have been prepared and staged successfully. Apart from Shakespeare’s play ‘Venice Ka Saudagar’s ‘Kahani Premnagar Ki’, Tagore’s play ‘Raja’, Begum Ka Takiya’, ‘Malti Madhav’, ‘Maqbara Ka Rakhwala’, ‘Jayati Jai-Jai Bhojraj’, ‘Tat Niranjana’s, ‘Jaineshwari Swayamsiddha’, ‘Panna Dhay’, ‘Admi Ka Gosht’, ‘Bheema Nayak’, Momentary Fortune etc. are their famous plays. The organization has performed the poetic drama ‘Parinati’ based on the poems of Dr. Ram Vilas Sharma and with children ‘Ek Jatan Aur’, ‘Ladki Padhkar Kya Karegi’, ‘What will a girl do after reading’, ‘Lakh ki Naak’, ‘Ashoka’s weapon sacrifice’, ‘Ashok Ka Shastra Tyag’, ‘Rani Laxmibai’, has staged plays. The organization has performed its various plays in many National and International Theater Festivals. Apart from this, the organization has been organizing Rang Aalap Natya Mahotsav at the national level from 18 years
THE PLAY…..
In the story of Yayati and Devayani, husband and wife should maintain respect and trust, only then marital life remains happy. King Yayati was married to Devayani, daughter of demon guru Shukracharya. From the incident of Yayati, we can understand how the relationship between husband and wife deteriorates. Husband and wife should maintain mutual coordination in marital life. Even small carelessness can increase tension in the relationship. Respect and trust should be maintained in this relationship. What things should be kept in mind for a happy married life, we can understand this from the story of Yayati and Devayani. The story of King Yayati has been told in Shrimad Bhagwat. During the Mahabharata period, King Yayati was married to Devayani, daughter of demon guru Shukracharya. After the marriage, under one condition, the demon princess Sharmistha also came to Yayati’s house as a maid along with Devayani. Shukracharya had promised Yayati that he would never have relations with any woman other than Devayani. Yayati had also given this promise to Shukracharya. After some time of marriage, seeing the close love between Devayani and Yayati, Sharmistha became jealous of Devayani. Sharmistha was a princess, but was living the life of a slave. She thought that by attracting King Yayati with her beautiful beauty she would herself attain all the happiness of life. As per her plan, Sharmistha attracted Yayati. Yayati had forgotten the promise given to Shukracharya and he entered into a relationship with Sharmistha. When Devayani came to know about this, she told the whole story to Shukracharya and she came to her father Shukracharya. Hearing this, the demon guru Shukracharya cursed Yayati that he would grow old at a young age. Due to this curse Yayati became old. After this Yayati apologized to Shukracharya. The demon guru told Yayati the way to get rid of the curse, but happiness, trust and respect had ended from the king’s married life. To maintain happiness in married life, husband and wife should not break each other’s trust. This is the message of this play.
DIRECTOR’S NOTE…..
Every person is like a whirlpool of sorrow and conflict and then that whirlpool is also a part of a river, and being a part also gives birth to a sorrow and conflict. In this way, a chain is formed which ends with the person’s desperate cry that God, what does this mean? All the characters of the play Yayati move this series from their respective places, like all of us in life. Suffering driven by our desires and aspirations is how we create life. King Yayati’s lust for youth, Devayani and Chitralekha’s love ambitions, demon girl Sharmishtha’s self-torture and repressed desires, and Puru’s unrelenting feelings of power and anti-power – all these together make this life-like play, which is like life. Touches us with its unquenchable fluidity. This play by Girish Karnad depicts the eternal struggle of life through mythological stories and creates an unforgettable theatrical experience in its perfect craft
Cast…..
Arti Yadav /Surekha Sarankar
Khushboo Choubitkar
Juliepriya
Yogesh Tiwari
Aditya Tiwari
Samriddhi Asati
Credits…..
