Thursday, July 8, 2010
"Ms.Meena" - At Rangashankara , Bangalore
Perch, a Chennai based performance collective , in association with Rafiki, Bengaluru is staging a play in English (with a smattering of other languages) 'Ms. Meena' at Rangashankara, Bengaluru from July 28 to August 1, 2010.
The play will be at 7.30 pm on all days and there will be a matinee show on Saturday and Sunday at 3.30 pm as well. Tickets, priced at Rs. 100 from Wed-Fri and Rs. 150 on Saturday and Sunday will be available at K.C. Das (Church Street), Goethe-Institut/Max Muller Bhavan (Indiranagar) during office hours and at Rangashankara.
Online booking is at www.indianstage.in and www.bookmyshow.com and the ticketing helpline no. is 9886 370614.
The play will be at 7.30 pm on all days and there will be a matinee show on Saturday and Sunday at 3.30 pm as well. Tickets, priced at Rs. 100 from Wed-Fri and Rs. 150 on Saturday and Sunday will be available at K.C. Das (Church Street), Goethe-Institut/Max Muller Bhavan (Indiranagar) during office hours and at Rangashankara.
Online booking is at www.indianstage.in and www.bookmyshow.com and the ticketing helpline no. is 9886 370614.
So all good peoples, Please come! :-)
posted by Perch at 1:48 AM
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Friday, December 4, 2009
BASHEER PLAYS AT PRITHVI, MUMBAI
Perch, chennai is back with Two English plays at Prithvi theatre, mumbai. Dec 15-20th 2009. Please do come! and spread the word :)--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On Sunday 20th December at 11 am at Prithvi House, we will also be screening two films on the Malayalam writer Vaikom Muhammad Basheer. Details of the films:
1. 'My Name is Basheer'
Directed by Anushka Meenakshi
2009, 66 minutes, Malayalam and English, with English subtitles
Produced by the Centre for Media and Cultural Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai
In October 2007, a group of people from PERCH, a Chennai based theatre collective, traveled to Kozhikkode, Kerala, to rediscover the world of the Malayalam writer Vaikom Muhammad Basheer. The people we met, and the sights, smells, tastes, and sounds of Kozhikkode were the source of inspiration for two plays in English based on several of Basheer's stories.
Many of Basheer's stories reveal something of the writer himself - his incredible humanity, his experiences of love and poverty, his criticism of politics and war, his eclectic taste in music, his love of nature, and his radical beliefs about the society around him.
'My Name is Basheer' is a film that weaves scenes from the two plays – 'Sangathi Arinhya! (Have you Heard!)' and 'Moonshine & Skytoffee' – with interviews of his family and others who knew him closely. Sharing their memories of Basheer are, his brother Abu Backer, wife Fabi, children Anees and Shahina, M.K Sanu who was Basheer's biographer, Punalur Rajan who photographed Basheer over several years, and M.A Rahman who made the award-winning documentary 'Basheer the Man'.
1. 'My Name is Basheer'
Directed by Anushka Meenakshi
2009, 66 minutes, Malayalam and English, with English subtitles
Produced by the Centre for Media and Cultural Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai
In October 2007, a group of people from PERCH, a Chennai based theatre collective, traveled to Kozhikkode, Kerala, to rediscover the world of the Malayalam writer Vaikom Muhammad Basheer. The people we met, and the sights, smells, tastes, and sounds of Kozhikkode were the source of inspiration for two plays in English based on several of Basheer's stories.
Many of Basheer's stories reveal something of the writer himself - his incredible humanity, his experiences of love and poverty, his criticism of politics and war, his eclectic taste in music, his love of nature, and his radical beliefs about the society around him.
'My Name is Basheer' is a film that weaves scenes from the two plays – 'Sangathi Arinhya! (Have you Heard!)' and 'Moonshine & Skytoffee' – with interviews of his family and others who knew him closely. Sharing their memories of Basheer are, his brother Abu Backer, wife Fabi, children Anees and Shahina, M.K Sanu who was Basheer's biographer, Punalur Rajan who photographed Basheer over several years, and M.A Rahman who made the award-winning documentary 'Basheer the Man'.
2. 'Basheer Enna Manushan' ('Basheer the Man')
Directed by M.A. Rahman
1987, 28 minutes, Malayalam with English subtitiles
An affectionate and admiring tribute to Vaikom Muhammad Basheer, a doyen of Malayalam literature as well as a social reformer and freedom fighter who was imprisoned for seditious writings during the freedom struggle.
This film won the 1987 Kerala State Film Award for Best Documentary Film
posted by Perch at 5:47 AM
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Sunday, April 5, 2009
PERCH IN BANGALORE!!
PERCH presents , Two English plays, based on the stories of Vaikom Muhammad Basheer, at Rangashankara - April 21st -26th '09"Moonshine & skytoffee" and " Sangathi Arinhya? (have you heard?) "
Block your tickets at 9945108610
Press Link for Moonshine and Skytoffee:
http://www.hindu.com/fr/2004/09/24/stories/2004092402680400.htm
Press Link for Sangathi Arinhya! (Have you heard!):
http://www.thehindu.com/mp/2008/04/24/stories/2008042450980300.htm
posted by Perch at 7:00 AM
2 Comments
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Vaikom Muhammmad Basheer Centenary celebrations at Ranga Shankara
Review By Deepa MohanBangalore Met blogs.
It’s always nice to be able to go and attend when a writer whose work you respect has his centenary celebrations. Perch, a theatre group based in Chennai, came to Ranga Shankara to celebrate a hundred years since the Malayalam writer, Vaikom Muhammad Basheer, was born. Perch has members from various backgrounds, and they are doing a great job of exploring the boundaries of theatre.There were three parts to the celebrations at Ranga Shankara: the adaption of seven of Basheer’s stories into a play, “Sangathi Arinhya!” by Perch; the Moplah food festival at the Ranga Shankara cafe by Anju Sudarshan; and the collection of photographs (”Images from Kozhikode”) and sketches (by Vasudevan Namboodiri) of Basheer and his world.
The collection of photographs and sketches were very interesting; it took us back to the world Basheer inhabited and took his inspiration from.
The collection of photographs and sketches were very interesting; it took us back to the world Basheer inhabited and took his inspiration from.
did not, alas, get to taste the Moplah food, though….I realized it was on offer only after I had joined the queue, and didn’t want to gulp down food in a hurry. But I have always liked Anju’s food ….!
So to the play, which is a pastiche of 7 of Basheer’s stories in order of their being staged yesterday: Sthalathe Pradhana Divyan, Bhargavi Nilayam, Shabdangal, Poovan Pazham, Viswavikhyatamaya Mookku, Mathilukkal, and Oru Manushyan (which was a mainly silent tableau which took place after the break.) Some of the tableaus were revisited for a denouement after the break, too. The vignettes slipped into each other, with many of Basheer’s characters like Jameela Bibi, Abdul Khader, Otttakkan Pokker, Kandambarayan, and so on, making their appearance.
The navarasas were present in all the scenes….the love of the rowdy Khader for Jameela Bibi, the horror and disgust of the soldier who had to kill his friend who was in agony from his wounds, the eerieness of Basheer’s friendship with a dead woman,the absurdity of a nose that becomes world-famous….
So to the play, which is a pastiche of 7 of Basheer’s stories in order of their being staged yesterday: Sthalathe Pradhana Divyan, Bhargavi Nilayam, Shabdangal, Poovan Pazham, Viswavikhyatamaya Mookku, Mathilukkal, and Oru Manushyan (which was a mainly silent tableau which took place after the break.) Some of the tableaus were revisited for a denouement after the break, too. The vignettes slipped into each other, with many of Basheer’s characters like Jameela Bibi, Abdul Khader, Otttakkan Pokker, Kandambarayan, and so on, making their appearance.
The navarasas were present in all the scenes….the love of the rowdy Khader for Jameela Bibi, the horror and disgust of the soldier who had to kill his friend who was in agony from his wounds, the eerieness of Basheer’s friendship with a dead woman,the absurdity of a nose that becomes world-famous….
All the actors are now used to doing these plays as they had been done earlier in Chennai. And the command over the plays really comes through. Though there was a fair amount of slapstick and overstated humour, it was a mix of humour and seriousness.
The cast comprised, in alphabetical order, Aparna Gopinath, Hans Kaushik, Iswar Srikumar, Jagan P, Karuna Amarnath, Kaveri Lalchand, Malavika P C , Paul Mathew (who played Basheer himself, a startling look-alike!) Prakash Dharmarajan, Rashmi Devadasan, Srikrishna Dayal, and Vikas Grover. A very talented bunch indeed.
Also remarkable were both the stage settings (Kalpana Balaji and John Mathew). Several umbrellas depcited a tree and some vessels depicted the old HMV gramophone; some dinner plates depicted Basheer’s old vinyl records! A remarkable instance of stage properties themselves taking on other roles!
The script was also extremely well-written, and the dialogue never sounded forced on the ear. The make up (Niranjani Iyer) was very well-done, too, even of the comedic characters.
The costumes, designed by Kaveri Lalchand, were also excellent, with all the usual accessories of a Moplah life….the umbrella, the mundu, the lungis, the moplah girl’s head-dress…being well brought out on stage.
Mention must also be made of the music, by Vedanth Bharadwaj and Anushka Meenakshi. The lovely old songs chosen…”Babul mora” by Sehgal, other Hindi, Tamizh and Malayalam hits, culminating with “Kaatriniley Varum Geetham” by M S Subbulakshmi…really added to the atmosphere of the evening.
There was an excellent brochure given to all viewers, and though it dated from their Chennai performance, it was still an extremely well-produced one, and gave a lot of information about both Perch and Mohammed Basheer.
The only drawback to the play was the time…it is 130 mins, and with a ten-minute interval, that makes for a very long evening. Perhaps the stories could have been made 6 instead of 7, but given the prolific amount of Basheer’s work, the choice would have been a difficult one.
Also remarkable were both the stage settings (Kalpana Balaji and John Mathew). Several umbrellas depcited a tree and some vessels depicted the old HMV gramophone; some dinner plates depicted Basheer’s old vinyl records! A remarkable instance of stage properties themselves taking on other roles!
The script was also extremely well-written, and the dialogue never sounded forced on the ear. The make up (Niranjani Iyer) was very well-done, too, even of the comedic characters.
The costumes, designed by Kaveri Lalchand, were also excellent, with all the usual accessories of a Moplah life….the umbrella, the mundu, the lungis, the moplah girl’s head-dress…being well brought out on stage.
Mention must also be made of the music, by Vedanth Bharadwaj and Anushka Meenakshi. The lovely old songs chosen…”Babul mora” by Sehgal, other Hindi, Tamizh and Malayalam hits, culminating with “Kaatriniley Varum Geetham” by M S Subbulakshmi…really added to the atmosphere of the evening.
There was an excellent brochure given to all viewers, and though it dated from their Chennai performance, it was still an extremely well-produced one, and gave a lot of information about both Perch and Mohammed Basheer.
The only drawback to the play was the time…it is 130 mins, and with a ten-minute interval, that makes for a very long evening. Perhaps the stories could have been made 6 instead of 7, but given the prolific amount of Basheer’s work, the choice would have been a difficult one.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FYI - The Cast & Crew Credits are taken from the Chennai set of shows. Hence not correct. The bangalore shows had a slightly different grp.
Thanks.
posted by Perch at 11:10 PM
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Friday, April 11, 2008
We're coming to Bangalore !!!!
posted by Perch at 12:29 AM
3 Comments
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
INDIA TODAY - SIMPLY CHENNAI :)
posted by Perch at 9:52 PM
1 Comments
Sunday, January 20, 2008
La la La
posted by Perch at 11:16 PM
4 Comments
Monday, January 14, 2008
Welcome to Basheer's Land
Basheer ente natukke swagatham
"In this all too brief existence when the life is bubbling with youth and the heart is fragrant with love," last week, we saw the love triumphs of Kesavan Nayar & Saramma, and Mandan Muthappa & Zainaba.
Welcome back to Kaduvakuzhi
Perch presents, as part of Under the Mangosteen Tree, another play - Sangathi Arinhya (Have you Heard?) This is a full length English play, which explores Basheer's life and humour through his own writings. Some of the texts used are Bhargavi Nilayam, The Man, Mathilukal, Aanavariyum Ponkurisum, Poovan Banana, etc. The play is adapted and scripted by one among us, Vaikom Paul Basheer, a.k.a Paul Mathew.
Come and watch Basheer's life and spend a memorable fun filled evening with us, Under the Mangosteen Tree.
Call 9884570784 for tickets.
Shows on 18th, 19th, 20th - 3.30 p.m. and 7.30 p.m.
Perch.
posted by Perch at 9:30 PM
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Friday, January 11, 2008
Moonshine & Skytoffee
When you madly fall in love with someone what all do you have to do to make them stay, make them love you? Come watch Moonshine & Skytoffee - a play adapted by Rajiv Krishnan from Basheer's short stories. Shows on Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th... 3.30 p.m. and 7.30 p.m. Students get to buy one ticket and get one ticket free at venue. Join us at Museum Theatre. Tickets available at Landmark, venue, or call 9884570784...
posted by Perch at 9:43 AM
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Thursday, January 10, 2008
Moonshine & Skytoffee
Our first event went off really well, with Basheer's son, Anees coming from Calicut to open the festival. He was very happy and very touched at the event and said how touched he was that Basheer is being remembered in Chennai.The first of the 2 English plays opens on Friday. 'Moonshine and Skytoffee' is an amalgamation of two of Basheer's stories, 'The Love Letter' and 'The Card-sharpers Daughter'. Both explore love in unlikely circumstances. 'The Love Letter' is about the love of Kesavan Nayar, a Hindu, for his landlord's daughter Saramma, a Christian. 'The Card-sharpers Daughter' is about the unlikely love that develops between Sainaba, the daughter of a card-sharper, and a lovable rogue, Mandan Muthapa, a pickpocket. How these two couples come together in the face of great odds forms the gist of this story. Both these love stories play themselves out with unexpected twists and turns, all laced with Basheer's sparkling wit and irrepressible humor.
Tickets are available at the venue and at all Landmark outlets.
There are matinee and evening shows... at 3:30 and 7:30pm
Ticket rates for matinee show Rs 100 and for eve show Rs 100 and Rs 200 only
Dont miss it...
Looking forward to seeing you there...
posted by Perch at 6:45 AM
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