Stage to Screen: Aadyam 2020 goes digital with three of their popular plays

Shernaz Patel on the digital edition of Aadyam and working on Theatre Ink, a hub for the theatre community 
A still from Rajat Kapoor’s I Don’t Like It, As You Like It
A still from Rajat Kapoor’s I Don’t Like It, As You Like It

AFTER FIVE YEARS of bringing some marvellous theatrical performances, Aadyam, a theatre initiative by Aditya Birla Group, faced a challenge — putting together theatrical performances and staging them for a live audience in the middle of a pandemic. The process had to be put on hold but to make the most of it, the team decided to take the stage to everyone’s home. So Aadyam 2020, which will be streamed online in October, was turned into a digital edition.

“It was tough to accept at first, as a lot of work had gone into it but at the same time, we were very clear that we would take on the challenge of adapting to a new normal and if that required us to embrace the digital medium, we were ready to do so,” says Shernaz Patel, returning Artistic Director of Aadyam.
 

<em>A still from Akash Khurana’s</em><em> The Hound of the Baskervilles</em>
A still from Akash Khurana’s The Hound of the Baskervilles

The team then chose three well-known plays: Purva Naresh’s Bandish 20-20000 Hz (Hindi) which brings to stage the lives of two singers as they look back on their past, Rajat Kapoor’s I Don’t Like It, As You Like It (English) which sees a troupe of clowns dealing with their personal issues as they try to put together a Shakespearean play and Akash Khurana’s The Hound of the Baskervilles (English), a side-splitting parody of the Sherlock Holmes novel. These plays will be shot on stage with a multiple-camera setup but without any retakes.

“We wanted a mix of genres styles and languages, and we wanted plays that would translate well to the digital medium and therefore be exciting and entertaining to watch," explains Patel and adds, “The experience, even though shot, will be theatrical for sure.”
 

<em>(L) Shernaz Patel, returning Artistic Director of Aadyam; (R) A still from Purva Naresh’s </em><em>Bandish 20-20000 Hz</em>
(L) Shernaz Patel, returning Artistic Director of Aadyam; (R) A still from Purva Naresh’s Bandish 20-20000 Hz

The last few months haven’t been easy for Patel, who lost her mother (Gujarati stage veteran Ruby Patel) a few months ago. “Life has changed ever since,” she sighs. “It’s been hard as an artist as well. Performing on stage is what keeps me alive. To not have that is hard. But I am blessed to have Aadyam and Rage Productions (a theatre company she co-founded with Rajit Kapur and Rahul da Cunha)... creating opportunities for the theatre community is one of my greatest joys in life,” adds Patel, who is also keeping herself occupied with Theatre Ink, a hub for the theatre community by Aadyam. The platform will feature theatre-related content in all formats for theatre enthusiasts.

Tickets: Rs 399 upwards.
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heena@newindianexpress.com 
Twitter: @heenakhandlwal

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