If you thought Raanjhanaa was a story well told, its scriptwriter is in town to tell your kids another one. Himanshu Sharma, who has written the screenplay for movies such as the recent Dhanush-Sonam Kapoor starrer and Tanu Weds Manu (2011), is telling the timeless tale of The Jungle Book to Delhi’s children this Sunday.
The live session, aimed at reviving good old childhood memories of the Rudyard Kipling classic, is part of Jungle Book Jive, organised by Fever Entertainment in association with Australia-based pen2stage productions. “Gulzar Saab’s chaddi pehen ke phool khila hai has always stayed with me,” says the writer, choosing Bagheera as the character he’s closest to, because he’s “so laidback”.
The 33-year-old, who belongs to Delhi, says the city is much like a forest and so the story offers many lessons we can relate to, even today. “I grew up in Hari Nagar, and Delhi University introduced me to so many cultures to weave stories around. In the last two-three years, the city has turned into a jungle with so many untoward incidents, and moving to Mumbai was like moving to a concrete jungle as well. There’s cut-throat competition, there’s loneliness, but in all the dark times you have friends, just like Mowgli did. Surviving in a jungle is something we can all relate to.”
Himanshu, who often comes back home to visit his grandparents here, plans to keep the storytelling simple and spontaneous. “I’m going to keep it as organic as I can, I’ll go with the flow and tell it like I feel it then,” he says, happy to be interacting with young kids for the first time. “There’ll be no box office to judge you harshly; kids are frank, genuine, and their curiosity is so honest!” he adds.
Catch it live
What: Jungle Book Jive — Live Storytelling
When: July 13 (Fever RJ Khurafati Nitin) and July 14 (Himanshu Sharma)
Where: DLF Place Mall, Saket
For tickets:www.bookmyshow.com or www.mycity4kids.com; 0124-4604455
Nearest Metro Station: Malviya Nagar on the Yellow Line
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