By Sukant Deepak New Delhi, Dec 1, : , Veteran theatre director MK Raina has completed a script about his family’s forced exodus out of Kashmir in the 1980s when the valley was ravaged by militancy.
“It’s about what my family and hundreds more had to face.It has been a popular subject of interest to Sudhir Mishra, a filmmaker.Let’s now see who directs it – him or me.He tells IANS that if I don’t, I’ll be acting as it.”
Raina has been very busy these days, working in OTT, films, and theatre.Raina recently completed an OTT series in the course of which he acted.Rajat Kapur also signed a film and is currently working on his book about Kashmiri indigenous theatre.
He spoke on the sidelines of the Mahindra Kabira Festival in Varanasi, where the classic play “Kabira Khada Bazar Mein” was directed by him decades ago.Dastaan Live reimagined it as a Rock Opera.He believes that when the younger generation reinterprets a performance, it sparks new ideas, lends multidimensionality, and poses new questions to the audience.
“This is precisely why it is important that we keep our minds open to reinterpretation. reimagination,” Raina asserts.
He adds that as circumstances change, new ideas emerge and situations become more complex, it is possible for images created long ago to not be understandable or relate to today.
Artists must remember that space and time are crucial for their art.This is where we play’.Many productions that were re-produced without making any changes fell apart.It is important that the artwork reflects the current India and the world.
Raina, who has been living and working in Kashmir for over 20 years, says that it was impossible for her to leave her people.In the beginning, I worked with urban artists, and then I moved to Kashmiri folk artists (Bhands), which gave me more success.
He recalls that the Bhands were in bad shape.Some people beat them up and tore their costumes and broke their masks.
He had not seen them in a decade before he reached out to them.Many militant groups consider their actions ‘unIslamic’.
“They began crying when they saw that someone was coming to work with them.I began training their children, introducing them to their friends.
I worked with them for about four to five years, then decided that there was a need for something new.We had an excellent young actor among them and we spent a year adapting King Lear with many improvisations.Raina relates how the play was staged in Kashmir and Tamil Nadu, North-East, Maharastra, and Delhi.
He now hopes that the Bhands can become a permanent institution that conducts historical and performance research and ensures earnings.
He says that he is currently focusing on his book on the indigenous theatre of Kashmir.
The Director smiles at someone who believes culture is a great healing power, especially in conflict areas.We don’t have the option of choosing.”
Raina was disappointed that performances had not been fully opened here, unlike the west.She also lamented the fact that artists from different disciplines made it theirs during the lockdowns.
“Public places are essential for community therapy.They can’t be replaced.Isn’t it true that we all need catharsis in these difficult times? Digital cannot compare to the real thing.
He pointed out the lack of original playwrights throughout the country and said that it was high time that the state and central Akademis started working towards it.They should organise workshops and seminars for young writers.
“Nobody is willing to create seeds, and this is really sad.” Why do you think that I take up short stories multiple times and dramatise them in stage productions? Raina says that she now wants to work with Sanskrit classics.
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