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Urmil Rang Mahotsav: 5-day theatre festival in Lucknow in memory of doyen
A five-day theatre festival, 'Urmil Rang Mahotsav', has started in memory of theatre performer Urmil Kumar Thapliyal, featuring plays and honoring Raj Bisaria.
A five-day theatre festival, ‘Urmil Rang Mahotsav’ has kicked off at Sangeet Natak Akademi here this week, in memory of the well-known theatre performer and playwright Urmil Kumar Thapliyal, who passed away two years ago this month. The second iteration of this Mahotsav in his memory, the festival will feature plays for five consecutive evenings, ending on July 20.
This programme is being organised by The Dr. Urmil Kumar Thapliyal Foundation and entry is free. Renowned actor Anil Rastogi was the chief guest at the event. The plays set to be staged are - ‘Aurat ki Jung’ which was performed on Sunday, ‘Maharathi’ on Monday, followed by ‘Suraj ka Saatva Ghoda’, ‘Three Strangers’ and ‘Model Vihar’. Some of these productions are partly sponsored by his family members as well.
On the first day of the festival, July 16, theatre veteran Raj Bisaria was felicitated with the Urmil Rang Samman for his continued contribution to the arts, as well as other people, on each day of the five-day event.
The first play to be staged was the folk drama ‘Aurat ki Jung’ redirected by Thapliyal’s daughter Ritun Thapliyal - it was first conceptualised and directed for the stage by Urmil Thapliyal. This play was performed at the first Theatre Olympic hosted in India by National School of Drama in 2018. The play tells the story of a woman, Champabai, who dedicated her life to folk theatre.
The several facets of her life, and a parallel with the life of artists today can clearly be seen. We see her journey through life - how Champabai gets involved in nautanki, how she was cheated in love and marriage, her struggle and finally her success and rise to fame.
“This is the best possible way to pay tribute to my father as he was devoted to theatre. I have seen him and been a part of his plays since I was five years old,” said Ritun Thapliyal.
“When he was bedridden in the days before he passed away, he would sometimes sit up and call me for rehearsals,” she recalled. “I find it very hard to hold back my tears at these events.” The idea for Urmil Rang Mahotsav was her husband Satyendra Mishra’s, who shared a very close relationship with his father-in-law.
