Indian Nights: A Bollywood-themed Dostoevsky musical was performed in Moscow
A unique event took place in Moscow — for the first time, an Indian musical and theatrical adaptation of Fyodor Dostoevsky's novella "White Nights" was presented to the Russian audience. The performance titled "Chandni Raatein" (translated as "Moonlit Nights") took place on the stage of the concert hall of the Bauman Moscow State Technical University under the auspices of the XXXVI Baltic House International Theater Festival and was timed to coincide with the 79th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Russia. Izvestia visited the musical and appreciated how the St. Petersburg psychologism of the classic combined with ancient oriental traditions.
The scent of spices in snowy St. Petersburg
The fact that an extraordinary spectacle awaits the sophisticated audience became clear even before the third bell. The aromas of traditional spices wafted through the lobby of the MSTU concert hall — guests were greeted with treats of Indian cuisine. Families went to the show: representatives of the diaspora in elegant national costumes mingled with Moscow theater-goers. Some parents even came with infants, wanting to introduce them to the amazing dialogue of cultures from infancy. For the Indians, the tour of the troupe of the famous director Purva Naresh has become a long-awaited gift.
Vinay Kumar, Ambassador of the Republic of India to the Russian Federation
The organizers of the large-scale project, which brought together more than 30 artists from India on one stage, were the Foreign Association of Bihar in close cooperation with the Jawaharlal Nehru Cultural Center at the Indian Embassy in the Russian Federation. Among the honored guests in the hall was the Ambassador of the Republic of India to the Russian Federation Vinay Kumar.
— For almost 80 years, relations between our countries have been successfully developing in almost all fields of activity. Russia has been a partner in India's industrial development since the 1950s, and has also remained a reliable ally in the fields of science, technology, education, and academic research," the diplomat told Izvestia. — Many Indian universities study Russian, as well as many Russian universities teach Indian languages. Creative industries are actively developing, ties between artists and artists are strengthening, and cultural exchange is taking place, including choreographic art. Our countries share a common position on the formation of a multipolar world. All this serves as a solid foundation for further expansion of cooperation between the two countries under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Vladimir Putin.
From Bollywood — with psychology
Bringing a large-scale theatrical form from Mumbai to Moscow proved to be a serious professional challenge. Ajay Singh, producer of Aarambh Mumbai LLP, admitted to Izvestia that the specifics of working on someone else's site required tremendous efforts.
— We are from Bollywood, where it is very easy to make films or music shows with Indian actors and singers. But coming to Russia and performing for a Russian audience is not easy. Thanks to the Association and the Indian Embassy, who fully supported us, we were able to overcome this path," Singh said.
Ajay Singh, producer of Aarambh Mumbai LLP company
The production of "Chandni Raatain" is considered to be a musical. After all, it is impossible to imagine the Indian stage tradition without songs and dances. The authors followed the path of artistic synthesis, combining classical Indian ragas, live orchestra and folk poetry with psychological theater.
Director of Overseas Bihar Association Mukesh Kumar
According to Mukesh Kumar, director of the Bihar Foreign Association, the choice of the work was obvious, since Dostoevsky's work has long been ingrained in the Indian consciousness.
— Dostoevsky wrote this work almost 180 years ago. It is well known to our viewers," said Mukesh Kumar. — Several films have been shot in India. The well-known Raj Kapoor played in a film based on the story "White Nights", which was called Chhalia ("The Fraudster", 1960). And his grandson Ranbir Kapoor made his film debut in the film Saawariya ("Beloved", 2007). This picture is already an official, direct and very poetic film adaptation of the story. Therefore, we didn't even have to choose for a long time what exactly to show to the Russian public together with the artists of the Purva Naresh troupe.
Four nights are like four seasons of life
The performance was performed in Hindi with Russian subtitles. The audience was presented with a shaky image of St. Petersburg twilight: the scenery of bridges, the outlines of the Neva embankments and the sky, which did not want to completely darken. However, instead of the usual monochrome of the Northern Capital, the stage was periodically painted in deep orange and pink tones. These colors, as conceived by director Purva Naresh, were supposed to convey to the viewer a sense of melancholy and vulnerability, which in itself is a bold experiment for expressive Indian theater.
Director Purva Naresh
The action began in complete darkness with powerful, hypnotic drumming, where Western percussion combined with an eastern rhythm. The musical design of the performance consisted of Hindustani vocals and poems by prominent Indian poets Vinod Kumar Shukla, Kedar Nath Singh and Naresh Saxena.
In the Indian interpretation, the classic Dreamer turned into a failed writer named Divana (translated from Hindi — "madly in love", "obsessed"). He was charismatically and subtly played by the popular Indian actor and radio host Mantra Mugdh. But the producers deliberately kept the original Russian name of Nastenka for the main character, whose role was brilliantly performed by Girija Oak Godboley, a theater and film star.
In addition to the classic storyline, the director introduced a parallel narrative. The audience gets acquainted with the girl Natasha (or Asha for short, played by Shimli Basu), who meets a young man named Vishal (Kaustav Sinha) in a bar. It is he who tells her the story he once heard about ardent lovers from the shores of the distant Neva River. Another striking bridge between cultures was the colorful character of Madame Ekaterina, she is also a Matryoshka Doll, whose image was created by actress Anamika Tiwari.
For Purva Naresh, it was crucial that the cast members let the lyricism and empathy of the Russian classics pass through them. For this purpose, artists who read Russian literature in Hindi were involved in the work. Russian Russian phrases were periodically inserted into the dialogues by the characters as a sign of respect for Russian culture: "hello", "how are you?", "I love you", "goodbye". Moreover, the recognizable motifs of "Kalinka-Malinka" and the aria "The heart of a beauty is prone to betrayal" were interwoven into the canvas of Indian melodies. In the finale, when the entire cast sang the Soviet lullaby "Tired Toys Sleep" in Russian, the audience exploded with deafening applause.
A literary miracle
Pavel Fokin, director of the Moscow Dostoevsky House, who was present at the premiere, praised the depth of the adaptation presented, noting the worldwide scale of the writer's personality.
— I am sure that the humanism inherent in Dostoevsky's works, his democracy, openness to man and the reader, is understandable to everyone, — he shared with Izvestia. — And it is no coincidence that Dostoevsky has been translated into all world languages. He is read not only in Russia and Europe, but also in Asia. It is very popular in China, Japan, and Arab countries. An international congress dedicated to Dostoevsky has just been held in Buenos Aires, Argentina. So India is no exception here. Moreover, in the city of Trivandrum, Dostoevsky's characters from Crime and Punishment have already become folklore characters. This is a separate amazing story.
Pavel Fokin, Director of the Moscow Dostoevsky House
Pavel Fokin also recalled that during the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the writer in 2021, the Indian Russian House held monthly meetings dedicated to the classic's work.
— India is a wonderland for us. But Dostoevsky in India is another miracle," says Fokin.
On October 13, the musical "Chandni Raathain" will be seen by the audience of St. Petersburg. The performance will be shown as part of the main program of the Baltic House International Festival.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
