January 10, 2011 (Sampurn Wire): The famous play Charan Das Chor opened the Bharat Rang Mahotsav on Friday at Delhi. This year marks the 13th anniversary of National School of Dramas annual theatre festival. In 1975 Habib Tanvir directed the famous play Charan Das Chor and this time it was brought to the capital by the NSD alumni from Guwahati Anup Hazarika.

The famous play was enacted at the Kamani theatre and the two week festival will witness 83 plays. Both Indian and foreign productions will be showcased across eight venues. After Friday evenings opening from Saturday onwards the festival is at the full swing. This year there will be more staging of the international productions. While Latin America panorama will showcase plays from countries like Argentina, Chile and Bolivia, on the other hand two French productions will also be the eye-catchers of the festival.

Two French staging that are considered to be highlights of the drama fest are the production by The Footsbarn Theatre which will hold a photographic exhibition on the mobile French repertory. The other production from France is Le Barbier de Seville. On Saturday, however, Manv Kaul from Mumbai staged The Park next was Santa Maria de Iquique: Revenge of Ramon Ramon by Manuel Loyola. After that Swati Mittlas Great Expectations took the stage.

Le Barbier de Seville directed by Eric Vigner, the French play was staged on Saturday too followed by Lushin Dubeys Salam India and the day was concluded by Bitter Belief of Cotrone the Magician by Andrea Cusumano.

There will be plays that pay homage to the masters of the Indian theatre personalities that would include Shyamanand Jalan, Girish Karnad and Dharmveer Bharti. Also this time there will be special place for the emerging forms of theatre the dance theatres. The festival will end on Jan 22; there will be a nine days theatre festival in Chennai too starting from Jan 11.

--Sampurn Wire