Jazzing up the Ramayana

Catch the story of Ram and Sita -- interpreting the age-old epic with rock, jazz, salsa and more -- on wednesday and thursday

Jazzing up the Ramayana

Catch the story of Ram and Sitau00a0-- interpreting the age-old epic with rock, jazz, salsa and moreu00a0-- on wednesday and thursday

It's a text that has been read by millions over centuries. It is a text which we watch being performed once a year in every mohalla. And even then, it's appeal never seems to cease.

And such is the never-ending charm of The Ramayana that three Delhi-based directors have decided to give the epic a different twist. And while the story remains the same, it is the interpretation which is different. So for the first time, you will see The Ramayana being performed as a musical -- with jazz to rock and pop and even traditional tunes serving as the music.

The idea of The Story of Ram and Sita came to veteran Delhi director Manoj Pant from the Kumaoni Ramlila, where the performance is 'operatic'u00a0-- based on couplets which are sung and not spoken. The characters develop the story through a plethora of songs sung in musical forms.

We will rock it
"I had done a lot of musicals before. But they are a Western concept. I wanted to do something which was Indian," says Pant. There are no dialogues here, instead these are sung by the characters themselves. The story is told through songs. The music is a mix of rock, salsa, Latino, jazz and some Indian melodies.

It took Pant and his team 8-9 months to write the pieces and get the music in place. "It is the only rock musical based on an Indian theme," claims Pant. The genre is Western but the language is Hindi. "The music has the same pattern and a particular tenor," explains Pant who composed the music.u00a0

The actors come from all walks of life. While some are professional actors, dancers and singers, some others come from the grassroot level while yet others come from posh south Delhi areas.

One of its kind
While this is the first such attempt, director Rudradeep Chakraborti regrets the lack of proper instruments for doing a musical in India. "Getting sponsors is another difficult part," says Pant who put everything together.

The actors are primarily singers. "See, even a rockstar acts. So we have taken singers who we are grooming as actors," explains Chakraborti.

Horns, violins, trumpets, saxophones, organ, guitar, piano, drums and even conch shells have been used to give the music a different feel. "If I had to do it with a live band, I would have had to use a 10 piece orchestra," says Pant.

The story, however, comes with some interpretations. "You have to match the visual action with the lyrics. In an epic, the audience knows the story. We tried to bring out the shades in every character. There is no plain black and white," says Chakraborti.

For instance, Ravana is not a completely dark character here. "He wasn't bad from the beginning. Lust and arrogance got the better of him," says the director.

Dance also plays a very important role in the musical. Apart from adding visual elements, the dancers also interpret varied emotions since there isn't much in the form of sets.u00a0

"There are installations which act as symbols, like the bow for instance," says Chakraborti. You might also see the same person performing different characters at different times. The reason, say the directors, are purely economical.

Are they afraid of courting controversy by giving The Ramayana a 'rock' twist? "We are not trying to create controversy. We tried to do something aesthetic," says Pant. It's 'different'. Watch it, we say.

At: Kamani Auditorium, 1, Copernicus Marg
When: April 6, 7
Timings: 7.30 pm
Tickets: Rs 100, 200, 300 500
Ring: 9990756476, 9910911736