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Natyashastra: A guide for performing arts
Nishumbita Ballet and Theatre Group in collaboration with Department of Language and Culture, Government of Telangana staged a play ‘Natyashastra’ at Ravindra Bharathi recently.
Nishumbita Ballet and Theatre Group in collaboration with Department of Language and Culture, Government of Telangana staged a play ‘Natyashastra’ at Ravindra Bharathi recently.
‘Natyashastra’, written by Sage Bharata several years ago, is considered as a holy book for performing arts. It comprises 36 chapters with a cumulative total of 6,000 poetic verses describing performing arts.
The subjects covered by the treatise include dramatic composition, the structure of a play, the construction of a stage to host it, genres of acting, body movements, makeup, costumes, role, goals of an art director, the musical scales, musical instruments and the integration of music with art performance.
This is the first time in the world that a holy book has been transformed into the theatre and all the credit goes to Dr Rammohan Holagundi, director, Nishumbita Ballet and Theatre Group.
The play started with God Brahma asking Bharata Muni to write Natyashastra book. The play showed all elements which are involved in Natyashastra, in theatre form. It also showcased the nine rasas like Shanta (Peace), Adbhuta (Marvellous), Bibhastya (Pathetic), Shringara (Love), Hasya (Comedy), Veera (Heroic), Karuna (Compassion), Bhayanaka (Fear) and Raudra (Fury) and also depicted 49 emotions.
Converting Natyashatra into a play is an arduous task but Rammohan’s team did their best to represent it in theatre form. Despite long duration of 155 minutes, the play managed to create interest among the audience. Every aspect of the Natyashastra was explained in a simple way. More than 30 actors mesmerised the audience with their impeccable performance. The play is a must watch for Indian theatre lovers.
Director of the play, Dr Rammohan Holagundi said, “Natyashastra is a holy book of drama. It represents our Indian culture. Till now it was presented in theory form and no one attempted it in the practical format. For the first time in the world, we staged it as a play, here in Ravindra Bharati. This is the starting point of the ‘Natyashastra’ as a play.”
Rammohan added, “I did six months research about Natyashastra. I used PSR Appa Rao’s monograph on ‘Natyashastra’ as a reference. Our team, practised for three months to perform it. The first copy of the play was more than 200 minutes and we trimmed it to 155 minutes.”
By V Sateesh Reddy
