PIYA BEHRUPIYA is a musical adaptation in Hindi of William Shakespeare’s best known romantic comedies, TWELFTH NIGHT. The original play combines cruelty with comedy with subtle poetry and songs. Piya Behrupiya has been adapted by Amitosh Nagpal and directed by Atul Kumar for Company Theatre. The adaptation is based on the Nautanki style of performance.
William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, set in Illyria, is a comedy intended as entertainment at the end of the holiday season. The original play centres around the twins Viola and Sebastian, who are separated in a shipwreck. Viola, disguised as Cesario falls in love with Duke Orsino, who in turn falls in love with Countess Olivia. Upon meeting Viola, Countess Olivia falls in love with her thinking she is a man. In the end, Viola and the Duke wed, and Olivia marries a man named Sebastian.
In PIYA BEHRUPIYA, the plot quickly gets underway and soon enough, mistaken identities and romantic interests converge, and the comedy is set in motion. Directed in the nautanki style, this musical has many folk songs that are performed by the characters, the traditional score provides this drama a unique Indian flavor.
Unlike other adaptations where the character names are changed to suit the backdrop of the play, in this version, the original names of the characters have been retained. Also, while in the original version, one gets to see class hierarchies, in this adaptation almost all characters seem to be at par in their social standing as they literally rub their shoulders with each other.
The play has a freewheeling quality to it and the actors make up for the lack of any stage design. As a musical, the performances rise and fall; most of the actors manage to get the rhythm right but are not singers and this is evident. The dialogues are in Hindi but the characters use the occasional English words for poetic and comical effect.
Overall, the narration and direction of the play was excellent. I felt that this adaptation by Company Theatre provides a refreshing version of Shakespeare in an Indian context.
Nautanki: Popular folk form of theatre
Long before cinema emerged as the choice of entertainment, Nautanki was the biggest source of entertainment for those living in the villages and towns of northern India. The popular folk operatic theater performance with its musical compositions and entertaining storylines captured the imagination of the rural people.
In the hindi language, people still use the word ‘nautanki’ to mean someone is acting (stop doing nautanki would mean stop acting, or stop throwing tantrums, etc.)
Salient features of Nautanki:
Based on popular folk themes: Nautanki performances are basically operas where one gets to see skits, dances and songs. Most Nautanki’s are based on popular folk themes that are inspired by mythologies, or biographies of local heroes. People also like to listen to stories based on current issues that affect them; for example, outdated social traditions like dowry, unemployment and poverty, women’s empowerment.
Nautanki performances often involve intense exchanges between few performers; all the protagonists are highly skilled in their craft. Few props are used, and instruments are used to provide background music. In contemporary times, the street plays closely resemble a Nautanki.
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