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Manoj Shah
Born
Manoj Sakarchand Shah

(1955-02-05) 5 February 1955 (age 69)
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
NationalityIndian
Occupation(s)theatre director, actor and producer
OrganizationIdeas Unlimited
Notable work
Signature

Manoj Sakarchand Shah (born 5 February 1955) is an Indian theatre director, actor and producer known for his works in the Gujarati theatre. He has directed over 90 plays, such as one-man plays and biographical plays, in different genres. He is known primarily for his quirky biographical plays which include: Hu Chandrakant Bakshi based on the writer of the same name, Mohan No Masalo based on Mahatma Gandhi, Apurva Avsar based on Jain mystic Shrimad Rajchandra, Mareez based on poet Mareez, Jal Jal Mare Patang based on writer-philosopher Manilal Dwivedi, Karl Marx in Kalbadevi based on German philosopher Karl Marx, and Dr. Anandibai Joshi: Like, Comment, Share based on Anandi Gopal Joshi, India's first female doctor. He produces plays under his theatre company Ideas Unlimited.

His play Mohan No Masalo was included in the Limca Book of Records for its performances in three languages (English, Hindi and Gujarati) in a single day. His biographical drama Mareez has been playing at Prithvi Theatre since 2004.

Biography

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Manoj Sakarchand Shah was born on 5 February 1955 in Mumbai, India. He studied until the ninth grade at various schools in Mumbai and Ahmedabad. He began his career as a dance teacher and then as an actor. He decided to become a theatre director when he watched a play directed by Mahendra Joshi. He was inspired by the works of other theatre directors including Badal Sircar, Utpal Dutt and Vijaya Mehta. He debuted as a theatre director with his play Master Phoolmani in 1999.[1][2][3]

Works

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Shah has directed and produced over 90 plays. He produces them under his production company Ideas Unlimited.[4][5]

His style has been considered innovative, and his subjects contributed to bringing a cultural renaissance in Gujarati theatre.[4] His plays dwell on literary and spiritual themes, often featuring solo actors. His protagonists tend to be either people with quirky characters or heroes in unusual circumstances. For example, in one of his plays, Karl Marx in Kalbadevi (2012), he imagines a visit by Karl Marx to Kalbadevi, a chaotic locality in Mumbai.[1] His one man plays have the actor soliloquising before the audience. Stagecraft is at a minimum, with the key technique one that consists of an actor interpreting his character role. His texts in this genre, theatre critic Vikram Phukan writes, are notable for their clarity.[6]

His first play was Master Phoolmani, which was adapted from Satish Alekar's Begum Barve (1979). Scripted by Chandrakant Shah, it was first staged in 1999 at Horniman Circle Gardens, Mumbai, during the Prithvi Theatre Festival.[7] The play is a tribute to the extinct Gujarati theatre form known as 'Bhangwadi',[a] which was popular for its musical folk performance style. The play revolves around Manilal, who refers to himself by his stage name Phoolmani. Manilal is a 'Bhangwadi' performer who loses his bearings as the tradition fades into obscurity. But he is jolted back to reality by his despotic employer, Vallabhbhai Bhatia, for whom he sells incense and flowers. Master Phoolmani deftly knits together worlds that unfold against backdrops painted by the artist Bhupen Khakhar. Master Phoolmani also integrates some elements from the life of Jaishankar Bhojak, a 20th-century Gujarati theatre actor known for impersonating female characters.[1][8][9][10] Master Phoolmani was Shah's longest running production until 2015.[3]

In 2003, he produced Gujarat Ni Asmita, a musical drama which features 45 actors. It traces the journey of Gujarati poetry from the medieval era to the present.[11] In 2004, his biographical play Mareez was produced. The play has been performed more than 200 times since 2012 and has played at the Prithvi Theatre since 2004. Based on the life and works of the mid-twentieth century Gujarati poet Mareez, Vinit Shukla adapted it from Mareez's biography Mareez: Astitva Ane Vyaktitva written by Raeesh Maniar. Mareez's representation has been influenced by Vincent van Gogh's autobiographical work Dear Theo and Charles Bukowski's biopic Barfly.[6][12][13]

Apurva Avsar (2007), written by Raju Dave and Shah, is a biographical play about Shrimad Rajchandra, known as a spiritual guide of Mahatma Gandhi.[14] It focuses on Rajchandra's life from his childhood in a small remote village in Gujarat to his eventual renunciation of all worldly pleasures.[15] Siddh Hem (2008) is based on Hemachandra, the Indian Jain scholar. Dharmendra Gohil played the lead character.[4]

In 2009, he directed the biographical play Jal Jal Mare Patang based on the life of the 19th-century Gujarati philosopher and writer Manilal Dwivedi.[16] Mummy Tu Aavi Kevi (2010) is a children's play written by Dhiruben Patel.[17] He directed Apoorav Khela (2012), a biographical play on 17th century Jain monk Anandghan.[18]

Mahatma Gandhi is the subject of Mohan No Masalo, a monodrama. It starred Pratik Gandhi as Mohandas Gandhi. The play recounts the early days of Mohandas Gandhi in India and South Africa before he came to be known as Mahatma. The play portrays Gandhi as a layman with extraordinary means to achieve his ends. It was staged in three languages: Gujarati (Mohan No Masalo), Hindi (Mohan Ka Masala) and English (Mohan's Masala). It premiered on 22 March 2015 at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA). Atul Dodiya created the play's set and backdrop, which featured images of a young Gandhi in black and white.[19][20][21][22] The Gujarati script was written by Satya Mehta, the Hindi by Mihir Bhuta and Arpit Jain, and the English by Ishan Doshi. It recounts Gandhi's childhood and shows how it shaped his future. It was included in the Limca Book of Records for "Performance of One Play in Multiple Languages in One Day".[23]

In 2013, he produced another biographical drama, Hu Chandrakant Bakshi. Written by Shishir Ramavat, the play focuses on Gujarati writer Chandrakant Bakshi (1932–2006). In this production, Pratik Gandhi played the lead character.[24] The play, along with Mohan No Masalo, helped to solidify Gandhi's reputation as an actor.[25] That year he directed Karl Marx in Kalbadevi. The play puts German philosopher Karl Marx in a hypothetical situation, asking what would happen if he arrived in Kalbadevi, a happening locality in Mumbai, in the present-day. In the production, Satchit Puranik played Marx.[26][27][28]

Popcorn with Parsai (2014) is a biographical solo-act based on Hindi writer Harishankar Parsai. Co-written by Shah and Nilay Upadhyay, it premiered at NCPA on 6 December 2014.[29][30]

Dr. Anandibai Joshi: Like, Comment, Share, a solo performance, premiered in 2017 at NCPA, is a biographical play which features a woman playing the lead for the first time in Shah's one-man plays. Written by Geeta Manek, the play is based on the life of Anandibai Joshi, India's first female doctor. Manasi Prabhakar Joshi played Anandibai Joshi's role. It asks and answers several questions regarding women's freedom. It was later staged in Hindi and Marathi, and became part of Theatre Olympics.[31][32][33][34]

Plays

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List of plays directed by Shah:[2][3]

S.N. Play Year Writer Notes
1 Master Phoolmani 1999 Chandrakant Shah Adapted from Satish Alekar's Begum Barve
2 Akho Akha Bolo 2000 Kanti Patel Biographical play about medieval Gujarati poet Akho
3 Savita 2000 Bhupen Khakhar Monologue
4 System 2000 Uttam Gada Monologue
5 Maganlal No Gundar 2000 Bhupen Khakhar
6 Foreign Soap 2000 Bhupen Khakhar
7 Briel 2000 C. C. Mehta Monologue
8 Medea 2000 C. C. Mehta Monologue
9 Mukund Rai 2000 Raju Dave Adaptation of Ramnarayan V. Pathak's eponymous short story
10 Jakshni 2000 Raju Dave Adaptation of Ramnarayan V. Pathak's eponymous short story
11 Idli Orchid Ne Hu 2001 Vitthal Kamat
12 Parpota Na Desh Ma 2001 Raju Dave, Ankit Trivedi Dramatisation of Panna Naik's poem
13 Varta Kaho Ne – Thigadu 2001 Bharat Naik Adaptation of Suresh Joshi's eponymous short story
14 Parshchad Bhumika 2001 Phanishwar Nath 'Renu' Dramatised reading for National Book Trust
15 Trasyo Sangam 2001 Raju Dave Monologue based on Harkisan Mehta's eponymous novel
16 Jagga Dakku 2001 Raju Dave Monologue based on Harkisan Mehta's eponymous novel
17 Bhedbharam 2001 Shishir Ramawat Monologue based on Harkisan Mehta's eponymous novel
18 Sansari Sadhu 2002 Shrikant Gautam Monologue based on Harkisan Mehta's eponymous novel
19 Jad Chetan 2002 Shishir Ramawat Monologue based on Harkisan Mehta's eponymous novel
20 Orange Juice 2002 Uttam Gada Hindi language play
21 Mano Mel Te Maitri 2002 Raju Dave Adaptation of Aleksei Arbuzov' play
22 Giras Ma Ek Dungri 2002 Meria Shresh Mitsakaben
23 Raman Bhaman 2003 Ashwini Bhatt
24 Gujarat Ni Asmita 2003 Narsinh Mehta, Meera, Akho, Premanand Bhatt, Dayaram, Dalpatram, Alexander Kinloch Forbes, Narmad, Jhaverchand Meghani, Jivram Joshi
25 Te He Na Devaso 2003 Raju Dave Adaptation of the story by Harivallabh Bhayani
26 Swajan Utsav 2003 Dhiruben Patel, Natwar Gandhi, Mahesh Dave, Pravin Joshi, Nalini Mandgaonkar, Mukul Choksi, Raeesh Maniar, Udayan Thakker, Mukesh Joshi, Ankit Trivedi, Hiten Anandpara, and Suresh Dalal Dramatised presentation of poems
27 Agantuk 2003 Vipul Bhargav Adaptated from Dhiruben Patel's eponymous story
28 Vanechand No Varghodo 2003 Prakash Kapadia Based on Shahabuddin Rathod's work
29 Monji Ruder 2003 Vinit Shukla Based on Swami Anand's work
30 Runanubandh 2003 Raju Dave Based on a short story by Pravinsinh Chavda
31 Tribute To Bhupen Khakhar 2004 Bhupen Khakhar
32 Mareez 2004 Vinit Shukla Based on the life and work of mid-twentieth century Gujarati poet Mareez
33 Kshemraj Ne Sadhvi 2004 Govardhanram Tripathi
34 Chalte Chalte 2004 Chandrakant Shah
35 Guajarat No Nath 2004 Suren Thaker 'Mehul' Based on K. M. Munshi's eponymous novel
36 Meera 2004 Mihir Bhuta Based on Ramesh Parekh's poetry
37 Blue Jeans 2004 A dramatised poem by Chandrakant Shah
38 Bharelo Agani 2004 Manoj Shah Based on R. V. Desai's eponymous novel
39 Mestro Masters Swami 2005 Multiple writers
40 Boom Rang 2005 Raju Dave Based on a story by Nilesh Rana
41 Nami Gaya Te Gami Gaya 2005 Pankaj Trivedi
42 Gamta No Kariea Gulal 2005 Dinkar Joshi, Raju Dave, Satya Mehta Based on works by Ramanbhai Neelkanth, Govardhanram Tripathi, Ranjitram Mehta, Jhaverchand Meghani, Narmad, Umashankar Joshi, Harivallabh Bhayani,
43 Janoi Vadh Ghha 2005 Raju Dave, Satya Mehta Based on Ramesh Parekh's poetry
44 Varsad Bhinjve 2006 Raju Dave, Satya Mehta, Ankit Trivedi Based on Ramesh Parekh's poetry
45 Lata Shu Bole 2006 Gulabdas Broker Dramatised reading of Gulabdas Broker's eponymous short story
46 Rajputani 2006 Prakash Kapadia Based on Dhumketu's eponymous short story
47 Jher to Pidha Jaani Jaani 2006 Upendra Trivedi Based on Manubhai Pancholi's novel
48 Socrates 2006 Kanti Patel Based on Manubhai Pancholi's novel
49 Ame Baraf Na Pankhi 2006 Kanti Madia Based on a work by Marathi writer Vasant Kanetkar
50 Lajo 2007 Paresh Vyas Based on work by Ismat Chughtai
51 Apurva Avsar 2007 Raju Dave, Manoj Shah Biographical play about late 19th-century Jain mystic and philosopher Shrimad Rajchandra
52 Little Bit Gamvanu 2007 Chandrakant Shah
53 Jite Hain Shaan Se 2008 Shishir Ramawat
54 Achlayatan 2008 J. B. Kripalani, Mahadev Desai, Swami Anand Adapted from a work by Rabindranath Tagore
55 Atma Gynani 2008 Raju Dave Biographical play about Dada Bhagwan
56 Siddha Hem 2008 Jonhy Shah
57 Jal Jal Mare Patang 2009 Mihir Bhuta Biographical play about 19th-century Gujarati writer Manilal Dwivedi
58 Amarfal 2010 Bharat Naik Based on the legend of king Bharthari
59 Hello Gujarati 2010 Raju Dave, Satya Mehta
60 Mahajan Darshan 2010 Raghuveer Chaudhari, Jayesh Mehta
61 Firewall 2010 Uttam Gada
62 Red Sea 2010 Uttam Gada
63 Mummy Tu Aavi Kevi 2010 Dhiruben Patel
64 Kasper 2011 Chandrakant Shah Monologue
65 New York New York 2011 Chandrakant Shah Monologue
66 Apoorav Khela 2012 Dhanvant Shah Biographical play about Anandghan[18]
67 Karl Marx in Kalbadevi 2013 Uttam Gada
68 Hu Chandrakant Bakshi 2013 Shishir Ramavat Monologue ; Biographical play about Gujarati writer Chandrakant Bakshi
69 Bhamashah 2013 Bipin Doshi, Mihir Bhuta Hindi language play about Bhamashah and Maharana Pratap
70 Master Madam 2013 Will Johnson, Vijay Pandya, Abhishek Khelkar, Satya Mehta Based on the work by Bodhayana
71 Lakshmi Poojan 2013 Uttam Gada
72 Pappa, No Problem 2014 Hemant Kariya
73 Bhavprapanch 2014 Sidharshi Gani
74 Popcorn with Parsai 2014 Nilay Upadhyay Based on the work by Harishankar Parsai
75 BKP Ni Duniya Rang Rangili & Mahajan 2014 Prayag Dave, Raju Dave
76 Mohan No Masalo 2015 Ishan Doshi, Satya Mehta Biographical play about early life of Mahatma Gandhi
77 Pai Pai 2015 Dhiruben Patel
78 Karl Marx in Kalbadevi 2015 Uttam Gada in Hinglish
79 Whats Up? 2015 Uttam Gada Monologue; Social Comedy
80 Mohan's Masala 2016 Ishan Doshi, Satya Mehta Monologue English version of Mohan No Masalo
81 Gathariya 2016 Satya Mehta Story of Chandravadan Mehta(Chan Chi Mehta) Based on a work by Kanti Patel
82 Mohan Ka Masala 2016 Ishan Doshi, Satya Mehta Monologue Hindi version of Mohan No Masalo
83 Kamra Bhabhi No Baraapo 2016 Adhir Amdavadi
84 Margdarshan 2016 Sitanshu Yashaschandra
85 Vrudhshatak 2016 Kamal Vora Dramatised reading of Kamal Vora's poetry
86 Khichadi 2016 Labhshankar Thakar Tribute to Labhshankar Thakar.
87 Sikkani Triji Baju 2016 Naushil Mehta Comic Thriller
88 Dr. Anandibai Joshi: Like, Comment, Share 2017 Geeta Manek Biographical play about Anandibai Joshi
89 Kaagdo 2019 Geeta Manek
90 Mitha No Satyagrah 2019 Naushil Mehta
91 Adbhut[35] 2021 Satchit Puranik
92 Mr. Apple 2022 Shishir Ramavat On the relationship of Steve Jobs and his daughter
93 Bombay Flower 2023 Gita Manek Biographical play about Ratanbai ‘Ruttie’ Petit who had married Muhammad Ali Jinnah

Footnotes

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  1. ^ The term 'Bhagwadi' was derived from the Bhangwadi neighborhood in Mumbai which was a centre of theatre activities in the early 1870s. Male actors impersonated females then because acting was a social taboo and females could not participate in the theatre. The actors had to speak dialogues loudly so the whole audience could hear it. Music, dance and singing was an integral part of theatre then.[8]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Gahlot, Deepa (12 July 2018). "Think Gujarati act global". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 7 October 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  2. ^ a b Pandya, Niranjan Harishankar (2018). ગુર્જર સાહિત્ય-કલાનો ઝરૂખો: સંગીત, રંગભૂમિ, ચિત્રપટ, ટીવી, મનોરંજન, લોકકલા ક્ષેત્રમાં નાં કલાકારોનો પરીચય કોશ [Who's Who in Arts of Gujarat] (in Gujarati). Mumbai: N. M. Thakker's Company. pp. 45–46. ISBN 978-93-86586-37-7.
  3. ^ a b c Bhatt, Aradhana (September 2020). Doshi, Deepak (ed.). "Manoj Shah: Ek Mulakat" મનોજ શાહ: એક મુલાકાત [Interview with Manoj Shah]. Navneet Samarpan (in Gujarati). 41 (5). Mumbai: P. V. Shankarankutti, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan: 65–72. ISSN 2455-4162.
  4. ^ a b c Shah, Manoj. "Interview with Manoj Shah" (Interview). Interviewed by Jyoti Vyas. Mumbai Theatre Guide. Archived from the original on 10 November 2016.
  5. ^ Banerjee, Kaushani (7 February 2017). "Manoj Shah takes you behind his 'top class programme' festival". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 26 July 2017. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  6. ^ a b Phukan, Vikram (26 June 2019). "Existential parables and tortured souls". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 15 October 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  7. ^ Somaaya, Bhawana (2004). Cinema: Images & Issues. New Delhi: Rupa & Company. p. 54. OCLC 607594238. Archived from the original on 16 October 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  8. ^ a b Kumar, Rinky (30 June 2011). "100 NOT OUT". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  9. ^ "The TimeOut Mint Planner". Mint. 23 June 2011. Archived from the original on 15 October 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  10. ^ "Indians are mad about music". DNA India. 3 February 2006. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  11. ^ Gahlot, Deepa (4 October 2007). "The more, the merrier! - Mumbai News". The Times of India. Mumbai. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  12. ^ "Mareez (Gujarati play)". The Indian Express. 3 February 2012. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  13. ^ "Poets translating Poets - Festival". Poets and Speakers - Goethe-Institut. Archived from the original on 11 October 2020. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  14. ^ "Manoj Shah's Apurva Avsar today". Mumbai Mirror. 19 March 2011. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  15. ^ "A Walk in the Woods". The Indian Express. 19 July 2012. Archived from the original on 12 October 2020. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  16. ^ Chakrabarti, Sujata (27 February 2009). "Man for all seasons". DNA India. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  17. ^ "Prithvi will stage its first Gujarati play for children". Mumbai Mirror. 4 May 2011. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  18. ^ a b "નવું નાટક : આજે ઓપન થાય છે : અપૂરવ ખેલા". Gujarati Midday (in Gujarati). 1 April 2012. Archived from the original on 22 August 2018. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  19. ^ Bhatt, Vrunda R (25 March 2015). "It's more about Mohaniyo than Mahatma here: Ahead of World Theatre Day on March 27, we look at director Manoj Shah's only character MK Gandhi & Bapu's portrayal in Gujarati theatre". DNA India.
  20. ^ Phukan, Vikram (19 August 2016). "Gandhi: a stage favourite". Mint. Archived from the original on 16 October 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  21. ^ Ahmed, Afshan (5 January 2016). "Manoj Shah's new play discovers the early days of Gandhi, the legend". The National. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  22. ^ Singh, Radhika (8 June 2016). "Call Me Mohan". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 8 June 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  23. ^ "Performance of One Play in Multiple Language (One Day)". The Coca-Cola Company. 13 November 2018. Retrieved 3 October 2020. [dead link‍]
  24. ^ "A play featuring Chandrakant Bakshi's life opens on 15 June". DeshGujarat. 12 June 2013. Archived from the original on 8 October 2020. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  25. ^ Gahlot, Deepa (13 February 2020). "Monologue is a great learning exercise". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 14 April 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  26. ^ Kumar, Rinky (29 April 2019). "Meet Mr and Mrs Karl Marx in a new play". DNA India. Archived from the original on 31 May 2019. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  27. ^ Nair, Manoj R (5 February 2014). "A minimalist play takes Marx through Kalbadevi". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 12 October 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  28. ^ Das, Soma (20 June 2013). "Is Kalbadevi ready for Karl Marx?". Mid-Day. Archived from the original on 11 October 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  29. ^ Lakhe, Amruta (30 November 2014). "Playing out their lives". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 22 October 2015. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  30. ^ Gupta, Boski (3 December 2014). "With a dash of humour". DNA India. Archived from the original on 25 June 2015. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  31. ^ Madhavan, Ranjani (10 June 2018). "Lessons for women through story of India's first female doc". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  32. ^ "A play on Anandibai Joshi makes a Marathi debut". The Times of India. 19 May 2018. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  33. ^ Phukan, Vikram (26 May 2018). "The trailblazing Dr Anandibai". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 20 October 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  34. ^ Pawar, Yogesh (27 November 2017). "A play to celebrate life and times of one of the first female doctors of India, Dr Anandibai Joshi". DNA India. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  35. ^ "Things to do in Ahmedabad this weekend". Ahmedabad Mirror. 30 September 2021. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
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