Questions fuel his excessively active mind. Despite finding it a tiring exercise to answer questions, he makes no attempt to quell them. If he did, he says, his much-appreciated play Tansen, wouldn’t have taken birth.
Before every staging, an intense inquiry is made and Tansen reveals a new layer of possibility, informs Tansen’s director Sudheer Rikhari.
In 2017, the play was listed among the top 10 plays of Delhi by Sahitya Kala Parishad, the cultural wing of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi. “It has put a huge responsibility on our shoulders ever since. We have to live up to everyone’s expectations,” says Rikhari, on the eve of its staging in Delhi again.
Tansen was conceptualised in 2016 when Rikhari’s friend casually remarked that a story on Tansen could have huge potential at the theatre.
The idea resonated with Rikhari and he immediately began studying the famous Hindustani classical musician of Raja Ramchandra Singh’s court.
“The play is not simply about Tansen’s music. Questions that nag an artiste such as ‘What is the nature of love? How many kinds of love are there? What is the meaning of worship? Are work and worship two sides of the same coin or polar opposites? What is ego? These are projected throughout the story,” says Rikhari, who plays Tansen in the three-actor show.
With every performance (a total of 35 shows all over India), he says, the script is re-visited with challenging questions. How can we make it better? What else can we read to add a new dimension? How can we improve the set design? … are few questions Rikhari keeps asking repeatedly.
“For me, questions are more important than answers. In fact, I don’t have answers to many aspects of the play even now, but the dogged pursuit of cross-examination helps me consider a new position. The day there are no more questions to ask, we will roll back the show,” Rikhari says about Tansen, which infuses drama, dance, music and several non-verbal cues within its storytelling format.
What has helped Rikhari remarkably for the play is getting trained in Indian classical vocals from Delhi’s Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, and procuring a music diploma from Delhi University and a Master’s degree from Chhattisgarh’s Indira Kala Sangeet Vishwavidyalaya. “To direct a musical, one needs a sound understanding of music. I was also able to relate to Tansen’s life story,” he shares.
While Rikhari is all set to take Tansen to Russia in October, he has a soft spot for Delhi. “This is where it all began, with Tansen’s maiden show at Sammukh Auditorium of The National School of Drama in 2017. For now, we’re happy to be back.”
On: July 1-2, at 6 pm At: The Attic, Regal Building, Connaught Place.