Tughlaq

Making of Tughlaq – by Bhanu Bharti

Tughlaq, written by Girish Karnad in 1964 is universally acknowledged as one of the most outstanding historical plays ever written. As the play unfolds, we are not merely travelling into the past, but at the same time we are also gazing at the human civilization and the ceaseless march of human folly. Tughlaq, through the theatrical history has been directed and performed by many stalwarts. And each time the play is brought alive with its relevance to current times. This version is directed by Bhanu Bharti at the Ferozeshah Kotla grounds. The relevance of documenting the process – or the making of this play was not lost on me. A play that has been invented and reinvented each time it was staged, wouldn’t it be fascinating to traverse through the minds of the very artists and director – from the stage of conceptualizing and catch a glimpse of the process of transformation? How does one take a play set in 13th century with today’s actors and technicians and bring it alive? These were some of the questions that were playing in my mind before I set out to document the making of this historical production..watch the film to see if I’ve been able to fulfill my quest or not.