We all have loved hearing tales about Lord Krishna as children, whether they were of him as maakhan chor, as raas rasaiya or even as the Chakradhari Krishna. This Janmashtami, Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra is back with a two and a half hour long production, Krishna – a dance ballet that depicts the two sides of Lord Krishna in two broad parts.
Read: Krishna: Forty years of playing flute-player, charioteer in a ballet
About the production, Shobha Deepak Singh, the director and producer of the play, says, “When people talk of Krishna, they mostly talk of the maakhan chor or of his romance with Radha. We wanted to focus on the latter part of his life which is mostly overlooked but is very important. The first half of the ballet will see a mix of various folk and semi-classical dance forms. The second part will be performed through Mayurbhanj Chhau.”
Read: Bharatanatyam recital in Delhi: Tanya Saxena’s dance dedicated to Gods
It is thus, the character of Krishna will be played by two different actors in the first and second half of the production. Umed Pawar will portray young Krishna, while Rajkumar Sharma will be seen as Chakradhari Krishna.
Sharma shares that initially he thought, being a Mayurbhanj Chhau dancer it would be difficult to play a character which requires a lot acting. He says, "I am a dancer and the character of Chakradhari Krishna involves a lot of abhinaya (acting). Initially, I was a bit sceptical but now I am loving it. My character is very popular with the audiences as we present a lot of details about Chakradhari Krishna that others tend to leave out."
Fact file:
What: Krishna, performed by Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra
Where: Kamani Auditorium, Copernicus Marg
When: August 21 to 25
Timings: 6.30 pm
Nearest Metro Station: Mandi House on Blue line and Violet line