The Hindu Business Line : Unending saga

For a theatrical creation to survive the passage of time, it must offer more than just audiovisual appeal. It must educate while it enthrals, weave magic and boggle the mind, all at the same time. And if it’s all about history, it must necessarily rescue swashbuckling heroism from the humdrum of history books, flesh it out and make it both vibrant and credible enough to keep audiences riveted and ready to come back.

Jaanta Raja, the play on the life of the Maratha king Shivaji, who successfully crossed swords with the mighty Mughals, achieves all that and more. First staged in Pune on April 14, 1985, the extravaganza unfolds on a massive outdoor stage and lasts for a non-stop 210 minutes. That an auditorium with a seating capacity of 9,000 was packed during a series of nine performances this January, is a tribute to its enduring charisma.

Written and directed by Babasaheb Purandare, the production has in the 22 years since opening night travelled across the country and, at the current tally, is just a tad short of the 800-performance mark. The cast, age six to 60, comprises 250-300 artistes, including agile fire dancers, and not including six horses, one elephant, four camels and a bullock-cart that add authenticity to the proceedings. The massive revolving set is a fort made of steel and tin sheets, five storeys tall, which takes 12 days to assemble, half as many to dismantle and requires six trucks to cart around. Lead artiste Pravin Shirole has played Shivaji from Day 1 has missed only a handful of shows and resolutely refused to act in other plays.

The open-air panorama begins with the birth of Shivaji, depicts his training under Dadaji Konddev and his mother Jijabai, his emergence as a just and inspiring leader, and ends with his coronation as king accompanied suitably by a burst of pyrotechnics.

The plot comes alive with various episodes from his life — the killing of Afzal Khan, the surprise midnight attack on Shiasta Khan and his escape from Agra among others. A story that is both real and suffused with romance, adventure and gallantry, making for enjoyable viewing. A gripping narrative, resplendent costumes, foot-tapping music and dance sequences add to the winning formula.

The audio track (in Marathi, Hindi and English) is pre-recorded, and some of the best voices in showbiz have lent their voices. This allows a lot of flexibility in casting actors for various roles. Members of the core cast, however, act on a voluntary basis, travel with the unit, and function like one large, happy family. Most in fact are trained to play multiple roles to meet any contingency. Some ‘actors’ are even hired from the local population.

Till date, two shows have been staged abroad, one each in the US and London. But these indoor adaptations lacked the grandeur of the outdoor set or the pomp (elephants, camels, galloping horses, fire dancers et al) and processions.

This time round though, the Gujarati community in the US is determined to stage the unabridged version.

With the necessary permissions in place, and a little bit of luck, May should see the first full-fledged production take place overseas. And yet another chapter will be added to this enduring tale.