Prithvi Theatre pays tribute to Shiv Subrahmanyam by showcasing films and plays

A moment from Subrahmanyam’s play Irani Cafe

Most famously known as the screenwriter for Vidhu Vinod Chopra's Parinda (1989) and Sudhir Mishra's Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi (2015), Shiv Subrahmanyam, who passed away earlier this year, left a legacy behind with his one-act plays that continue to be performed in theatre venues across India. To celebrate his body of work, Prithvi Theatre is showcasing For You, Shiv - a four-day tribute comprising plays and films. The festival is being spearheaded by his wife and actor, Divya Jagdale, with whom he had started the Playtrix Players theatre company in 2016.

The festival kicked off with the book launch of Irani Café and Other Plays, a compilation of three of Subrahmanyam's plays, including his first full-length one - Snapshots from an Album. The book also includes a foreword by Naseeruddin Shah and an afterword by Kenneth Desai - actors and friends who have spent time with him on stage, and remember him for his wit and tenderness. For director Sunil Shanbag, the plays in this collection represent Subrahmanyam's "keen sense of time, a deep interest in people, gentle humour, sharp intellect and a love for language." For theatre personality Leena Yadav, they offer his "tongue-in-cheek worldview." Irani Café will be staged today.

Shiv Subramanyam; (right) Divya Jagdale in The Way I See It

However, The Way I See It, which was staged yesterday, follows an interesting format. When Deepa Gehlot, Head of Programmes for Theatre and Film at NCPA, requested the late actor for a play to celebrate Women's Day in 2016, he wrote this one with its original title, Stand Up Mrs Subrahmanyam. It was written during a time when Playtrix Players had begun experimenting with alternative styles of performance. Jagdale shares, "Although the play is about a middle-aged woman and how she navigates her way through family life, professional life, opinions, politics and everything in between, Shiv wanted to keep it light for the audience." Therefore, the script has a stand-up-like format.

Apart from Irani Café, the screening of the film Cha Cha Cha, which is based on the play, is another session to look forward to. Cha Cha Cha, made several years ago, did not get a release. Today, it sits as a little bit of an unfinished work by Subrahmanyam but perhaps that is the beauty of it. It truly celebrates his journey. The screening will be followed by a discussion between Yadav and Vinay Pathak on the last day of the festival, about being cast in the film, Subrahmanyam's vision of it, and their own journey through the making of it.

Till December 23; 3 pm to 9 pm
At Prithvi Theatre, Janki Kutir, Juhu.
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