Pratidhawani presents KANYADAAN (Apr10)

Seattle, WA April 18, 2010 - Pratidhwani - a Seattle area based organization of South Asian performing artists announced today that it will be presenting Kanyadaan - translated into Hindi from the original Marathi play by famous playwright Vijay Tendulkar. Kanyadaan, or 'giving away of the bride', is directed by Seattle local Agastya Kohli, who continues as the lead for Pratidhwani's Drama wing, and is directing his 6th mainstage Pratidhwani production.

Kanyadaan is a family drama with strong socio-economic undercurrents. Set in the 1980s in the city of Pune, it asks some hard hitting questions about idealism, morality, parenting, discrimination and choices we make every day in our lives.

The story revolves around Nath - a member of the state legislature and his wife Seva - a social activist. Both have worked their entire lives against the caste system and the discrimination and oppression it can lead to. Their daughter Jyoti decides to marry Arun - a dalit. What follows is a string of choices that could not have been made any other way, and a cascade of events that becomes unavoidable.

Every child grows up with some basic ideals and principles that have been imbibed in her by her parents. She incorporates those into her daily life and applies them, some times subconsciously, to major decisions in life. Every parent too has a set of ideals - sometimes tempered by realism - that they want their child to be raised with. But is it always obvious how deeply a child will inherit such ideals, and how it will influence an individual's life? How does one know if the parent has been successful in raising a child with good ideals and morality? How far will a parent go to uphold his or her philosophy? How far will the child remain true to that philosophy? Will - or can - she eventually rebel? Is it possible to break free?

Kanyadaan stars familiar names from previous Pratidhwani productions. Jayant Bhopatkar (ek tha gadha) and Nanda Tewari (hatyaare, Everyone Loves a good Tsunami, gaare ki deevar) play Nath and Seva. Aditi Chaubal (gaare ki deevar, ek tha gadha) and Bhushan Mehendale (ek tha gadha) play their children Jyoti and Jayprakash, and Ankur Gupta (Aath Ghante, Everyone Loves a Good Tsunami, gaare ki deevar, ek tha gadha) plays Arun.

"This is perhaps the hardest role I have ever been cast in", said Ankur Gupta, discussing his character. "Arun is nothing like me, and it is so easy to make him the villain of the story. But my challenge is to find the humanity in him, and understand what makes Arun the way he is."

"This play is not a comedy!" said Agastya Kohli, who's last production ek tha gadha urf aladad khan was received as a very successful, funny show. "It is an amazing, serious drama - an intriguing story that challenges the notions of right and wrong, of duty and obligation, of what we do because we want to, and what we're unconsciously forced into because we know our parents would want it! But mostly, what attracted me to this play is Vijay Tendulkar's approach. This play is not about caste system. This play is about oppression and discrimination - but not about oppression caused by casteism. Tendulkar took the cliched approach of looking at the caste system and turned it upside down on its head. That's what makes this story compelling for me."

Kanyadaan will leave the audience with one or two questions to think about, to dwell upon, to introspect on. Those who have experienced the series of Hindi plays produced by Pratidhwani in last few years in the Seattle area are likely to find Kanyadaan to be yet another gem in the already bejeweled crown of Pratidhwani’s drama wing. And for those who have somehow not been able to attend, this opportunity will be the perfect initiation into the Indian theater world created by Pratidhwani.

Kanyadaan will run May 14th through May 23rd, with 8 shows spread over two consecutive weekends at the Ethnic Cultural Theatre.

Vijay Tendulkar – Playwright
Vijay Tendulkar was a leading Indian playwright, movie and television writer, literary essayist, political journalist, and social commentator primarily in Mara¯thi. He is best known for his plays, Shantata! Court Chalu Aahe (1967), Gha¯shira¯m Kotwa¯l (1972), and Sakha¯ra¯m Binder (1972).Many of Tendulkar's plays derived inspiration from real-life incidents or social upheavals, which provides clear light on harsh realities. He provided his guidance to students studying “Playwright writing” in US universities. For over five decades, Tendulkar had been a highly influential dramatist and theater personality in Maha¯ra¯shtra. (Quoted from Wikipedia).

Agastya Kohli – Director
Agastya Kohli has worked both back stage, as well as acted on stage with ReAct Theatre, Theatre Schmeater, SIS Productions, Pork Filled Players, Driftwood Players, Ghostlight Theatricals and others. He was most recently seen on stage in Ghostlight's Three Sisters and PFP's Pork to the Future. A Telecom Engineer by day, Agastya also teaches Hindi at Gurukul (www.gurukul-wa.org ) - a local Indian language school - on Sundays. Agastya has been the lead of Pratidhwani's drama wing since 2005. During this time, the Drama Wing has produced many shows in Hindi, English and Bangla, which have been performed in Seattle and Vancouver BC. Kanyadaan is the first Pratidhwani Drama Wing presentation of 2010.

Pratidhwani
Pratidhwani is a non-profit cultural organization based in the Seattle area. We are, at our core, a group of professionals of Indian heritage, who are extremely enthusiastic and passionate about the artistic traditions of our homeland. The main objective of the organization is the promotion and cultivation of the performing arts of the Indian subcontinent. Recognizing that the performing arts of India encompass a vast and varied number of styles, genres and traditions, different wings of the organization provide a platform for as many art forms as we can.

Questions? Email



	Pratidhwani Announces Vijay Tendulkar's Kanyadaan, Hindi Translation of the original Marathi play Opens May 14th, 2010 Seattle, WA April 18, 2010 - Pratidhwani - a Seattle area based organization of South Asian performing artists announced today that it will be presenting Kanyadaan - translated into Hindi from the original Marathi play by famous playwright Vijay Tendulkar. Kanyadaan, or 'giving away of the bride', is directed by Seattle local Agastya Kohli, who continues as the lead for Pratidhwani's Drama wing, and is directing his 6th mainstage Pratidhwani production. Kanyadaan is a family drama with strong socio-economic undercurrents. Set in the 1980s in the city of Pune, it asks some hard hitting questions about idealism, morality, parenting, discrimination and choices we make every day in our lives. The story revolves around Nath - a member of the state legislature and his wife Seva - a social activist. Both have worked their entire lives against the caste system and the discrimination and oppression it can lead to. Their daughter Jyoti decides to marry Arun - a dalit. What follows is a string of choices that could not have been made any other way, and a cascade of events that becomes unavoidable. Every child grows up with some basic ideals and principles that have been imbibed in her by her parents. She incorporates those into her daily life and applies them, some times subconsciously, to major decisions in life. Every parent too has a set of ideals - sometimes tempered by realism - that they want their child to be raised with. But is it always obvious how deeply a child will inherit such ideals, and how it will influence an individual's life? How does one know if the parent has been successful in raising a child with good ideals and morality? How far will a parent go to uphold his or her philosophy? How far will the child remain true to that philosophy? Will - or can - she eventually rebel? Is it possible to break free? Kanyadaan stars familiar names from previous Pratidhwani productions. Jayant Bhopatkar (ek tha gadha) and Nanda Tewari (hatyaare, Everyone Loves a good Tsunami, gaare ki deevar) play Nath and Seva. Aditi Chaubal (gaare ki deevar, ek tha gadha) and Bhushan Mehendale (ek tha gadha) play their children Jyoti and Jayprakash, and Ankur Gupta (Aath Ghante, Everyone Loves a Good Tsunami, gaare ki deevar, ek tha gadha) plays Arun. "This is perhaps the hardest role I have ever been cast in", said Ankur Gupta, discussing his character. "Arun is nothing like me, and it is so easy to make him the villain of the story. But my challenge is to find the humanity in him, and understand what makes Arun the way he is." "This play is not a comedy!" said Agastya Kohli, who's last production ek tha gadha urf aladad khan was received as a very successful, funny show. "It is an amazing, serious drama - an intriguing story that challenges the notions of right and wrong, of duty and obligation, of what we do because we want to, and what we're unconsciously forced into because we know our parents would want it! But mostly, what attracted me to this play is Vijay Tendulkar's approach. This play is not about caste system. This play is about oppression and discrimination - but not about oppression caused by casteism. Tendulkar took the cliched approach of looking at the caste system and turned it upside down on its head. That's what makes this story compelling for me." Kanyadaan will leave the audience with one or two questions to think about, to dwell upon, to introspect on. Those who have experienced the series of Hindi plays produced by Pratidhwani in last few years in the Seattle area are likely to find Kanyadaan to be yet another gem in the already bejeweled crown of Pratidhwani’s drama wing. And for those who have somehow not been able to attend, this opportunity will be the perfect initiation into the Indian theater world created by Pratidhwani. Kanyadaan will run May 14th through May 23rd, with 8 shows spread over two consecutive weekends at the Ethnic Cultural Theatre. Kanyadaan – Performance Information Website: http://www.pratidhwani.org/kanyadaan Dates - Friday, May 14, 2010 - 8:00pm Saturday, May 15, 2010 - 4:00pm and 8:00pm Sunday, May 16, 2010 - 4:00pm Friday, May 21, 2010 - 8:00pm Saturday, May 22, 2010 - 4:00pm and 8:00pm Sunday, May 23, 2010 - 4:00pm Venue - Ethnic Cultural Theatre, UW 3940 Brooklyn Ave NE (Corner of 40th and Brooklyn) Seattle, WA Admission: General: $15 at the door, $12 in advance Pratidhwani/TPS Members, Seniors: $12 at the door, $9 in advance Students: $7 at the door, $5 in advance Vijay Tendulkar – Playwright Vijay Tendulkar was a leading Indian playwright, movie and television writer, literary essayist, political journalist, and social commentator primarily in Mara¯thi. He is best known for his plays, Shantata! Court Chalu Aahe (1967), Gha¯shira¯m Kotwa¯l (1972), and Sakha¯ra¯m Binder (1972).Many of Tendulkar's plays derived inspiration from real-life incidents or social upheavals, which provides clear light on harsh realities. He provided his guidance to students studying “Playwright writing” in US universities. For over five decades, Tendulkar had been a highly influential dramatist and theater personality in Maha¯ra¯shtra. (Quoted from Wikipedia). Agastya Kohli – Director Agastya Kohli has worked both back stage, as well as acted on stage with ReAct Theatre, Theatre Schmeater, SIS Productions, Pork Filled Players, Driftwood Players, Ghostlight Theatricals and others. He was most recently seen on stage in Ghostlight's Three Sisters and PFP's Pork to the Future. A Telecom Engineer by day, Agastya also teaches Hindi at Gurukul (www.gurukul-wa.org ) - a local Indian language school - on Sundays. Agastya has been the lead of Pratidhwani's drama wing since 2005. During this time, the Drama Wing has produced many shows in Hindi, English and Bangla, which have been performed in Seattle and Vancouver BC. Kanyadaan is the first Pratidhwani Drama Wing presentation of 2010. Pratidhwani Pratidhwani is a non-profit cultural organization based in the Seattle area. We are, at our core, a group of professionals of Indian heritage, who are extremely enthusiastic and passionate about the artistic traditions of our homeland. The main objective of the organization is the promotion and cultivation of the performing arts of the Indian subcontinent. Recognizing that the performing arts of India encompass a vast and varied number of styles, genres and traditions, different wings of the organization provide a platform for as many art forms as we can. Home \| News \| Calendar \| Directory \| Plays \| Library/Storefront \| Timeline Copyright 2010, Roger W. Tang Questions? Email

Pratidhwani Announces Vijay Tendulkar's Kanyadaan, Hindi Translation of the original Marathi play Opens May 14th, 2010