CHENNAI: You can now relive the tales of Krishna and his mischievous adventures, which you might have heard or read in your childhood days, thanks to Kidzconnect. It is a Mumbai-based theatre production house, which is bringing the life and times of Krishna in a colourful musical play. Appropriately titled Natkhat Krishna, the play follows the lord’s adventures with his friends and will be staged in Chennai on Saturday.
“We have picked up a few episodes of Krishna when he was a child and not the later stages of his life. We wanted a soft play that is moral based as well as entertaining, without being preachy,” says Samiksha Toprani, co-promoter, Kidzconnect.
Through four short stories, the one-hour play will take the audience on a journey through Vrindavan along with little Krishna and his friends. Always up to mischief and tricks, the gang is on a perpetual quest for their next pot of butter. In between all their pranks, the village also begins to realise the power and magic of Nanda and Yashodha’s son. “The matki scenes, his love for his friends, and small things that make him great will be depicted, all easily understandable for kids,” she explains.
Combined with colourful sets, costumes, and vibrant music, the musical will entertain children and adults alike. Life-like sets are transported to Chennai via truck, and the cast, comprising entirely of adults, and crew have practised rigorously ahead of the show. “The Govardhan Parvat scene, where Krishna lifts the mountain on his little finger seems like a reality. To get it right technically and give the impact on stage is interesting,” says Samiksha. There’s also the scene with the Kaliya snake which had to be made non-frightening but powerful.
Natkhat Krishna is brought to Chennai by Cherry Pik Ventures. “We wanted to bring good theatre to the city. This time we thought we will bring something for the children,” shares Shruthi Sanghvi, co-founder, Cherry Pik Ventures. She feels that kids these days like Superman, Batman, and other western superheroes, but don’t know about Indian ones.
The show has been been staged 11 times in Mumbai and Kolkata in the past two years, and they have plans to go to Pune next. And the response has always been great, says Samiksha. “In fact, many kids came for a second time, and we also have many grandparents coming for the show — people even buy the CDs for the music,” smiles Samiksha, saying they are excited to see how the Chennai audience will react to the show. “We want each to go back with some learning,” she adds.
Catch Natkhat Krishna today at Chinmaya Heritage Centre, Chennai at 4.30 pm.
Tickets available on www.bookmyshow.com