Amrita Shergill was a path-breaking artist who changed the way people looked at female painters. Existing at a time where women painters were uncommon, she achieved so much in the 28 years she lived. This play aptly named Amrita Sher-Gill chronicles the life of this celebrated artiste. The show is set happen on September 30 at ADA Ranga Mandira.
The phrase ‘inspiration strikes from anywhere’ stands true in the case of Ranji David, the director of this play. Ranji says, “I wanted to experiment with a new story and style. So looking for inspiration, I stepped into one such gallery that offered a a six month art course. I wanted to do a life story so I thought I would join the course just to understand the life of an artist.”
Ranji had finalised over five artists who he wanted showcase — Raja Ravi Varma, M F Hussain, Amrita Shergill, F N Souza and S H Raza. He finally decided on Amrita Shergill. Talking about the play, Ranji adds, “I wanted to showcase her story because not many people knew about her. Her life is filled with a number of interesting and inspirational situations. She is a lady who lived only for 28 years and achieved a lot in that span of time. The play chronicles her journey – right from her birth to her present and of course, her painting experiences in Paris.”
Ranji who plans to do an entire series of plays on artists and their lives. He felt that the biggest challenge was to compress her entire life into this one play. Ranji adds, “Amrita was part of an era which comprised great artists like Picasso. But she still chose to come back to India and look for inspiration. Her entire life is an inspiration. In spite of all odds, she chose the subject of women and their difficult times in India and portrayed their lives through her paintings.”
Ranji feels that the relevance of Amrita’s story lies in the fact that it has a timeless appeal. “There is constantly someone hounding you on what you need to do, listening to your inner voice is a classic situation of any artiste,” Ranji adds.
Deppankar Biswas essays the role of Umrao Singh, Amrita’s father with whom she had a very close relationship. He add, “Amrita was very attached to Umrao who was sick. He encouraged her to start painting. Through this play, I learnt the no matter how big one becomes, relationships are still important and they have the ability to make and break you. Victor played by Sudharshan Rangaprasad is Amrita’s childhood friends who is constantly friend zoned. He adds, “Victor falls heads over heals in love with his childhood friend but he is constantly rejected as she is leading life on her own terms. One similarity I find between the both of us is patience and the ability to be broadminded.”
Raja Ravi Varma is another prominent artiste that is being portrayed in this play. Played Sudeendran Nair, he adds, “This is by far one of the most difficult characters that I have had to play. In the play, Ravi Varma and Amrita will be seen debating on their works of art.” Ranji plans to take the plays to various other cities like Chennai, Mysore, Hyderabad, Pune and Mumbai.
