It’s a night that theatrewallahs across the country look forward to! On March 20, the Mahindra Excellence for Theatre Awards (META) will hand out awards in 13 categories to the best in Indian theatre. This year, they received 390 entries from across India with themes spanning mythology, gender, identity, rebellion, oppression and exploitation, authoritarianism, grit, personal struggle, adventure, and more and ten plays from those entries were chosen for the final nominations. The plays are being staged till tomorrow with the final awards night taking place on March 20 at Kamani Auditorium, New Delhi in the presence of luminaries from the world of theatre. The Lifetime Achievement Award is being presented to theatre veteran and Padma Shri-awardee Ram Gopal Bajaj for his immense contribution to Indian theatre.
Here's a look at the 10 nominated plays for META 2024:
Gagan Damama Bajyo (Hindi)
Directors Piyush Mishra and Hemant Pandey’s musical showcases the inspiring life story of freedom fighter Shaheed Bhagat Singh, transporting audiences to the bygone era of revolution. The play has been nominated for Best Director, Best Sound & Music Design, Best Original Script, Best Ensemble and Best Production.
Raghunath (Assamese)
Bidyut Kumar Nath’s play revolves around a villager who loses what is most precious to him due to lack of basic amenities in his village. The play explores how far he will go to find a remedy for his existential crisis. The play has been nominated for Best Director, Best Sound & Music Design, Best Light Design, Best Ensemble, Best Choreography and Best Production.
Agnisuta Draupadi (Hindi)
Maisnam Joy Meetei explores Draupadi’s story through the play, to question the many paradoxes and ironies of her life. The play has been nominated in eight categories including Best Director, Best Actor in a Lead Role (F) and Best Production among others.
Bhoothangal (Malayalam)
The one hour 20 minutes long play by director OT Shahajan is about a womanizer who continues to harass his wife and kids. Villagers form a mob to kill him and his family has to decide if they should go along with the decision. The play has been nominated in five categories including Best Ensemble and Best Production.
Siachen (Hindi)
Makarand Deshpande’s Siachen is a survival drama about three Indian soldiers stuck on the Siachen Glacier, who are left with no news from the base. The five categories they have been nominated in include Best Actor in a Lead Role (M) for Zahaan Kapoor and Best Director for Deshpande.
Gopal Ure & Co. (Bengali)
Sujan Mukhopadhayay’s play takes off from the classic Bengali literature Bidyasundar and is retold with drama, song and dance, conveying the message that an artist and their soul cannot be sold. They have been nominated in five categories including Best Costume Design and Best Director.
Avalanche (Hindustani)
Gandharv Dewan’s play is set in a mountain-village where people spend nine months in near-silence, fearful of the possibility of an avalanche. The six categories it has been nominated in includes Best Actor in a Lead Role (M) for Shardul Bhardwaj and Best Production.
Ghanta Ghanta Ghanta Ghanta Ghanta (Marathi)
Mohit Takalkar’s dystopian play is about a couple whose differences are brought into focus when the government brings in a new law that forbids all citizens from speaking more than 140 words per day. They have been selected for nominations in categories such as Best Director and Best Production among others.
Do You Know This Song? (Hindi, English)
Mallika Taneja directs and produces this powerful play about grief, love, loss, finding a voice and music. Taneja also stars in the solo play and has been nominated for Best Actor in a Lead Role (F), Best Director and Best Original Script among others.
Hayavadana (Hindi)
Neelam Man Singh Chowdhry directs Girish Karnad’s modern classic Hayavadana which combines myth, folklore, song and speech, humour and pathos. The play has been nominated in ten categories including Best Director, Best Production, Best Actor in a Lead Role (F) for Ipshita Chakraborty Singh and Best Actor in a Lead Role (M) for Mahesh Saini.
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