Jameela- An Autobiography of a Sex Worker

Another diploma production presented during this quarter was Jameela, based on the autobiography of Nalini Jameela, a 51 year-old sex worker from Kerela. Written in an objective manner, with great depth and insight, the book looks at prostitution just like “any other profession”, which is an extremely unusual and interesting point of view. The play based on it aimed to capture some of its fascinating essence.

It is interesting to note that the book, which was released on 18th of June, 2006, sold over 2,000 copies in just two weeks.

Performances of Jameela were held on the 13th of April, 2007, at the Bahumukh Auditorium. The play was directed by Ms. Gargi Bharadwaj, while the translation from the original Malayalam into Hindi and dramatization were done by Ms. Supriya Shukla.

Dumb Dancer
Design and Direction:K R Omkar
Play was performed on the 12th and 13th of November 2006 at Bahumukh Auditorium, NSD.
click here for Photo Gallery of the play


Three Cities in the life of Dr. Norman Bethune
The story of Dr. Bethune’s life is truly out of ordinary, its most striking feature being the enormous philosophical and personal transformation that he underwent in the last five years of his life. In order to create the production the director had to create a structure which would allow him to follow this transformation. For this purpose, three cities seemed appropriate in their symbolism;- Detroit-Canadian border (Industrial aggression), Madrid- (Civil War in Europe), and the China Cha-Chi Military district (the Chinese war against Fascism, largely an isolated rural military campaign).
The play was inspired by Rod Langley, Ted Allan and Sydney Garden.
The script, design and direction were all done by Rudradeep Chhakrobarti and the play was performed on the 22nd and 24th of July 2006 at Abhimanch Auditorium, NSD.


Betrayal
The play revolves around the confusions which develops in human relationships and issues pertaining to marriage, faith, trust, love, friendship in present society. It compels us to think over it.
The play was designed and directed by Shri Dheerendra Dwivedi and was held at Abhimanch on the 28th and 24th of November 2005, at NSD.

Zulwa
The word ‘Devdasi’ almost always invokes glorified images of the exotica, which bring to mind sculptures, paintings and dance forms from the Kamasutra. All of these seem like misrepresentations in today’s context where the Devadasi tradition ‘parampara’ is facing an altogether different reality, that of survival. The novel Zulwa brings forth the non-glorified version of this alternative reality of the followers of the Yellamma cult, portrayed with sensitivity and depth.
The play was designed and directed by Ms. Sangeeta Tiple and was performed on the 23rd and 24th of January 2006 at NSD.

The Story of Tiger
The story of the ….
Hunger
Survival
Humanity
Illusion
Reality and Politics
The play was directed by Shri Prasashan and play was scheduled on 27 and 28 January 2006.

No Exit
A performance based on Sartre’s ‘No Exit’ and related to issues of law and ‘unnatural’ sexuality. According to the law, whoever has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal voluntarily, shall be punished with life imprisonment or 10 years imprisonment and shall be liable to fine under section 377 –18C-1871. The very notion of woman being sexually involved with other women is so offensive to mainstream sensibilities, that it is not even taken cognizance of under the law. That is why lesbianism is not included under section 377, and that is what the play is based on.
The play was scripted by Supriya Shukla, the design and direction were done by N.Kritika and it was performed on the 3rd and 4th of February 2006, at NSD.

Veronika Decides to Die
The play is based on a novel of the same name by Paulo Coelho and scripted by Ms. B. Gauri. In the play, Veronika seems to have everything she could wish for. She is young, has a steady job, and is loved by family and friends. Yet Veronica is not happy. She feels that something is missing in her live. With this in mind, one morning she decides to die. She takes an overdose of sleeping pills, only to wake up some later in Villete, a local five star mental asylum. There she is told by Dr. Igor that she has only a few days to live
The play was directed by Gyandev Singh and held on the 26th and 27th of February at Bahumukh in NSD.

Lolita
The play revolves around a teenage girl and her loneliness. It also raises issues touching upon parenting, psychological problems, teenager tendencies, situational challenges, decisions, defeats, and victories.
The play is based on a novel by the same name was written by Vladimir Nabokov. Valdimir’s Lolita has been the target of much praise and criticism. It has been an all time favorite novel of innumerable people all over the world.
The play was dramatized, designed and directed by Govind Singh Yadav and held on the 14th and 15th of April 2006 at Bahumukh, NSD.

Metamorphosis
The play is based on a novel by the same name written by Kafka. It brings up issues like the absurdity of human existence, loneliness, insecurity, individuality, the question of identity, isolation and alienation and the identification between man and beast. If one looks at society, some people treat others like beasts. People hate insects and smash them whenever they see them. When Gregov, a character in the play turns into an insect, the same thing happens to him. After his transformation takes place no one knows what is to be done, how to treat, how to relate or communicate with him. Human society is not human at all. Our society is filled with self-centered people. This play is about the modern world and modern man and how the pursuit of financial security turns people into metaphorical insects.
The play was translated into Hindi by Amitabh Srivastava and designed and directed by Rajesh Singh. It was performed on the 5th and 6th of May 2006, at Abhimanch Auditorium, NSD.