Ramlila 2021: Catch the action BTS

Ramlila actors in Delhi-NCR ensure to follow Covid-19 safety protocols not just during performances, but even at rehearsals before proceeding to their respective performance venues.

Restrictions are aplenty yet actors in various Ramlilas in Delhi-NCR have not let the challenges of performing in Covid times get to them! Ramlilas, in Delhi, have got the permission to be conducted in a smaller format with a maximum of 200 people in closed auditoriums and a variable capacity of audiences in outdoor venues; while maintaining adequate social distancing. But it’s not just during the performance that the Ramlila actors are following precautions. During the rehearsals as well they avoided flouting Covid norms even if that meant rehearsing virtually on phone. And as these artistes proceeded to their respective performance venues, they are ensuring that everyone participating in performances are getting their temperature checked and sanitising regularly, to keep Covid-19 at bay.

Before his entry, actor Umesh Prajapat, who plays Sumant, gets his temperature checked at Shri Durga Ramlila in Jacobpura, Gurugram. (Photo: Manoj Verma/HT)

Vaccination status significant for selection!

“Humein bahut strictly bola gaya hai ki bas jin artistes ka act hai, wohi honge stage ke aas paas. Iske illawa koi bhi allowed nai hai,” says Himpy Jain, a dance teacher from Rohini, who has been portraying Hanuman in the Ramlila organised by Shri Ramlila Committee Indraprastha at Ipex Bhawan, for the last three years. Jain adds that before allowing anyone as part of the cast, their vaccination status was checked. “Koi bhi artist select nai hua tha jab tak unhone apna vaccination ka certificate submit nai kiya. Abhi bhi jab hum venue mein enter kar rahe hain, tab humara temperature check kiya ja raha hai aur sanitiser bhi diya jata hai. Main Hanuman ka role pichle teen saal se kar raha hun, par iss saal alag tareeke se performance ho rahi hai. Iss saal hum episodes mein dikha rahe hain puri Ramlila,” he shares.

Actor Gagandeep Saini, plays the role of Kaushalya in Gurugram’s Ramlila. (Photo: Manoj Verma/HT)

Actor Karan Bakshi says his father used to carry him as a child to watch the epic on the stage. (Photo: Manoj Verma/HT)

‘Watched TV show to learn the nuances’

Karan Bakshi, 23, who works in a BPO in Gurugram, says Ramlila is an “inseparable” part of his life! His father used to carry him as a child to watch the epic on the stage, and Bakshi, who has been part of Ramlila for over 12 years now, says, “I’ve always dreamt to play the character of Ram. Bada mann karta tha mai bhi aisa banoo. Mujhe bhi koi tayyar kare. Ram ka kirdar karke mujhe yeh pata chala ki kaise apne mata-pita ki sewa karni chahiye. Kaise humein unki har agya ka palan karna chahiye. I used to watch the TV show Siya Ke Ram to learn the nuances of playing Ram. Humare niyam bhi hote hain. Jab se maine Ram, Bharat aur Shatrughan ki bhoomika nibhani shuru ki, pyaz khaana band kar diya. Humari ek aur maryada aur hoti hai; hum zameen pe sote hain. Rehearsals mein humne raat ke dedh do baje tak practise kari. Mask mein hi practise karte the aur sanitise karte the ache se.”

Actor Govind Maurya, 37, is essaying the role of Kaikeyi this year. (Photo: Manoj Verma/HT)

‘Theatre se pyar karte hain isliye karte hai’

Govind Maurya, 37, whose role as Sita has won him several accolades, is portraying the character of Kaikeyi this year. He says, “Mask laga ke practise kari iss bar. Thodi der ke liye utar bhi dete the kyunki bolna bahut mushkil hain aise. Kaikeyi ka role Sita se bhi mushkil hai. Kayi log kehte hain that we get paid and that’s why we perform in Ramlila. Par sach ye hai ki theatre se pyar karte hain, isliye har saal rak dekhte hain rehearsal aur performance karne ki! Mera shauk tha bachpan sa. Iss saal socha chod dun, pandemic mein kaafi mushkile ayi par phir socha jab tak sans chalegi tab tak Ramlila karenge!”

And a similar vigour is showcased by 13-year-old Lucky Sood, who plays Surya Dev in the same Ramlila in Gurugram. “My favourite role is Shatrughan par main iss baar woh ban nahi paya... Hum badon ko dekh dekh ke seekhte hain. Mere friends kehte hain woh bhi kuchh banna chahte hain, mere jaisa role karna hai. Bahut khush hote hain mujhe stage par dekh ke. Surya Dev ke role mein mushkil kuch nahi bas ghabrahat hoti hai stage pe jaane ki. Rehearsal mai ek baje tak karta tha kyunki phir school bhi jaana hota tha.”

Rehearsals have happened over calls: Samikssha Batnagar

Actor Samikssha Batnagar, who enacts Sita Lav Kush Ramlila Committee’s performance at Red Fort grounds, shares that their first in-person rehearsal didn’t happen until October 5.

Well, we are still not out of the pandemic and while the Ramlila is being showcased, the actors barely met to rehearse together. “Most, if not all, of our rehearsals happened over phone calls! We got the script a month back and were preparing at our individual homes. So we were aware of our lines. They (organisers) gave us prior notice about when the show would take place and we came accordingly,” says Samikssha Batnagar, who enacts Sita in Ramlila by Lav Kush Ramlila Committee’s at Red Fort grounds.

She adds, “The in-person rehearsal happened only on the October 5, a day prior to when we began. We are all experienced and we only needed to understand the positioning on stage.”

Ghar mein sabko bol diya ki online dekhna mujhe: Satish Kumar

Actor Satish Kumar, who plays Ravana in the Ramlila by Shri Ramlila Committee Indraprastha at Ipex Bhawan, makes sure to have a bath after rehearsals and before meeting his son.

The fear of a third wave still looms large, and actor Satish Kumar, who plays Ravana in the Ramlila by Shri Ramlila Committee Indraprastha at Ipex Bhawan, says he has asked his family to watch him virtually. “Hum zyada bheedh mein vaise hi nai jaate. Maine bola hai sabko ghar par bhi ki online dekh lena,” says Satish, who is a dance teacher at a school in Gurugram.

Kumar, who has a two-year-old son, adds, “I’ve been playing Ravana since a decade. But this time hum costumes bilkul bhi share nai kar rahe; jaise pehle karte the. This time we will wear the costumes and then sanitise them before wearing them the next day. We have also ensured that all participants are vaccinated. Jinki vaccine nahi lagi thi, unko time diya lagwane ka... Meri family bahut concerned thi ki main bahar jaa raha hoon, Ramlila ke liye. Woh bolte rahe mujhe ki bach ke rehna. Jab mai ghar jaake pehle nahata hun aur phir apne baby ko milta hun!”

It’s a bio bubble we have maintained: Gagan Malik

Gagan Malik, who portrays Ram in Lav Kush Ramlila Committee’s Ramlila at Red Fort grounds, says vaccination status was kept in mind while deciding the cast this year.

While off the stage one can be fully masked and sanitised, it’s not always possible when on the stage. “At times even maintaining social distance is a challenge,” says actor Gagan Malik, who portrays Ram in Lav Kush Ramlila Committee’s Ramlila at Red Fort grounds, and adds: “Only those actors who are fully vaccinated have been selected here. Sanitisers are provided, and everyone has their masks on very strictly. And there’s a team of doctors as well to check if anyone gets any symptoms. Our oxygen level and temperatures are checked regularly. The whole stage as well as dressing room is sanitised... Stage pe you can’t wear a mask and many scenes mein gale lagna padta hai story ke according. Woh toh karna hi padhega, and that we can’t let go. But since every one is fully vaccinated, it’s a sort of bio bubble that we have maintained.”

Author tweets @anjuri and @NainaArora8

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