THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: If you’ve ever felt the pressure of examinations-like a guillotine’s blade about to drop-then you’ll certainly connect with British dramatist William Russell’s play, ‘Educating Rita’. The modern-day classic revolves around Frank, a middle-aged alcoholic professor of English literature, and Rita, a 26-year-old married hair-dresser, who wants to study under the disillusioned professor. Mumbai-based award-winning director Pratima Kulkarni has recreated this drama, set in London during the 1980s.
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With intriguing character portrayals, witty dialogue and an engrossing storyline, the play stars Ajith Kelkar as Frank and Dr Pradnya Shastri as Rita. Woven over two hours, it provides insight into the roadblocks society puts in the path of a married woman trying to pursue formal education.
“We have not altered anything. Russell’s intriguing work has been left untouched because audiences everywhere can connect to what the lead characters are going through,” explains Kelkar, a veteran theatre actor whose solo-act as RK Laxman’s Common Man has seen him perform at hundreds of venues across India and the US. The team was recently in Kochi for a staging of the play.
The play, first staged by Kulkarni in August last year, has music by Milind Joshi and sets designed by Sachin Gaonkar. Interestingly, both the actors in ‘Educating Rita’, a play that also questions the validity of formal education, also pursue alternate career paths. “Pradnya is a qualified medical doctor and a licensed dermatologist. But she is deeply passionate about theatre and has acted in several Marathi films,” say Kelkar, who is a professor of economics at a Mumbai college.