Salim Mullah & Aditi Arya’s Play: Ashanti Mullah

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Playwrights: Salim Husan Mullah & Aditi Arya
Director: Mayengbam Sunil Singh
Group: NSD Student Diploma Production, New Delhi
Language: Hindi
Duration: 1 hr

The Play
This play begins with a series of family crises. All the members of this family are ambitious in their attempts to prove themselves. But living under the same roof, they fail to hold the family together. Each individual wants to take the entire family on his/her own journey. The patriarch of the household has a few expectations from his children but the children have different dreams. The play can be seen as a tussle between individual dreams and familial realities. As the play progresses, we find echoes of an entire nation in this household with each representative putting forward the problems concerning his field of interest. The social, political and economic aspects of the country are reflected in the bizarre yet relatable circumstances that one family encounters. All the relationships, ambitions and socio-political issues in this play have a satirical undercurrent.

Director’s Note
In our society, one doesn’t always appreciate individual endeavour. Each of us has his/her own story. What role does family play in this story of ours? What role does the government play in this story of ours? Do people with government jobs need to depend solely on the government? Do people with no jobs need to depend solely on their families? Is the development of a state only its government’s responsibility? I believe it’s every individual’s prerogative to work for his/her own well-being while contributing to the family as well as the state’s welfare. These scenarios make the premise of our play. With family crisis at its centre, it is a mini parliament in itself!

The Director
Mayengbam Sunil Singh is a graduate of 2019 with specialization in Direction from National School of Drama. In Manipur, he worked as an artist in the group Yumjao Lairembi Dramatic and Cultural Union, and Kangleipak Lamyanba theatre. He has also completed a three-year course of Manipuri classical dance and folk dance. Now he is working as an artist in T.I.E Company at NSD.

The Playwrights
The play has been co-written by Salim Mulla and Aditi Arya.
Salim Mulla is from Kolhapur, Maharashtra. He graduated in political science and then completed his diploma with acting as specialization, from National School of Drama (2016-2019)
Aditi Arya is from Haryana. She did her graduation and masters in commerce, and completed her diploma with acting as specialisation from National School of Drama (2016-2019)
Aditi and Salim are conducting a series of workshops with the theme ‘Understanding Theatre’, in different parts of India.

The Group
This play is a part of National School of Drama’s graduate showcase of class 2019. It aims to provide a platform to encourage emerging theatre practitioners to share their work with a wider audience.

Cast & Credits
On Stage Jitu Rabha, Aditi Arya, Manoj Kumar Thapar, Sayan Sakar,
Pallav singh, Somnath, Salim Husan Mullah, Bhumisuta Das

Light Sejuti Bagchi
Music Vetri Boopathy
Costume Ashwini Joshi
Property Aditi Arya, Somnath
Choreography Gujan Shukla
Script-writing Salim Husan Mullah, Aditi Arya
Special thanks Aditi Arora

Playwrights Salim Husan Mullah & Aditi Arya
Concept, Design
& Direction Mayengbam Sunil Singh

Contacts
Mayengban Sunil Singh
M: +91 9774209861
E: mayengbam1234@gmail.com

Manohar Khushalani

Manohar Khushalani

Prof. Manohar Khushalani is a former Visiting Faculty at Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology, Delhi. The courses he taught were: Animation & Graphics, Non-Linear Editing for Film and Radio and Theatre Appreciation.  He has won a total of nine Excellence in Teaching awards for all the courses he has taught at IIITD Earlier he retired from Government of India as Director Environment Management, Central Water Commission and held many senior positions in the Government Based on a Belief that Culture and Environment are the two keys to global sustainability , Manohar Khushalani has launched two portals: A Portal on Environment and Water called One Vorld at url: www.onevorld.org and two Ezines on Culture called Stage Buzz at url: www.stagebuzz.in He has taught extensively in varied subjects such as Dam Safety, Instrumentation, CAD, IT, Animation, Theatre, Newspaper Editing. He has conducted Courses on Environment Management, Water Shed Development, Team Building and Personality Development. He was an Expert Member of Prasar Bharti’s Committee for Grading & Short listing Films for Telecast on all channels of Doordarshan.  He is a Radio Anchor for All India Radio and has moderated several programs for the Rajdhani Channel He is a well-known Theatre Actor/Director and Critic, has been involved in theatre since 1977. He has worked as an actor in over 50 plays with almost every leading director/Actor in the Country including Badal Sircar, Feisal Alkazi, Amal Allana, M.K. Raina, Anuradha Kapoor, Maya Rao, Manohar Singh, Prasanna, Rati Bartholomew and Sushmita Mukherji. He has been active in the social sector as a street theatre activist. As a member of Workshop Theatre, Theatre Union and Prayog, Khushalani has participated in street plays taking up major social issues such as dowry, bride burning, Sati, banned medicinal drugs and communalism. Dario Fo’s Accidental Death of an Anarchist and Can’t Pay Won’t Pay, both directed by him, received rave notices from critics and audiences alike. Other plays directed by him include Badal Sircar’s, Sagina Mahato and Boris Vian’s Empire Builders for Ruchika Theatre Group. Khushalani has also acted in a few films such as Sudhir Mishra's Hazaron Khwaishen Aisi , Shoojit Sircar’s Madras Café and Pradeep Krishan's Annie Gives Those Ones. He is an Animator & Graphics Designer and has directed a number of documentaries. He also held a number of Honorary positions and was President of North India Films Association, He was the Chairman of  Jury for UGC CEC Educational Films Competition and has been on their Preview Committee since last many years. He was on the preview committee of Door Darshan Channel 3, was a visiting Professor at National School of Drama, New Delhi, and Film & Television Institute of India, Pune, AJKMCRR, Jamia Milia Islamia and Professor in Media at FICT, Delhi  He has judged a large number of Drama Competitions and conducted a number of Theatre / Management Games Workshops with Institutions such as AIIMS, NTPC, CWPRS, NWA, Karve Nari Prakshishan Sansthan, FICT, IIT, MAMC, Gargi College, KNC, Tagore International School and Vivekananda School. He is a Theatre Critic for IIC Diary, has also been a Columnist with Midday and Pioneer Daily and wrote Column's Called Culture Cocktail and Footlights Respectively. He was also the Guest Editor for an issue on Folk Theatre of ICCR Journal Horizons. He has written for Times of Indian, Hindustan Times, Blitz, Hard News, Hindu Business Line, Theatre India & Art Times. He has designed dams and hydraulic structures for the Government. He is a programmer and has developed Engineering design software in Fortran. He is a co-author of Irrigation Practice & Design (Vol 1 to5 - 1500 pages) published by Oxford & IBH and sponsored by National Book Trust. He has been a Director, Environment and Sociology, at the National Water Academy, Khadakwasla and Director, Environment Management Directorate, Central Water Commission and Member Secretary, National Environmental Monitoring Committee for River Valley Projects. He was also Director of Instrumentation Directorate in the Dam Safety Organisation. He was Chief General Manager and Head of Water Resources at Scott Wilson and is an accredited consultant with numerous other organizations He is a Delhi Public School, BITS Pilani, IIT Delhi and FTI Pune Alumini. He was also the President of BITS Pilani Alumni Association, Pune.

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