Watch Shyam Benegal's 'Charandas Chor' at Prithvi Theatre on May 30

[Chandni Parekh]

Vikalp@Prithvi Presents

Charandas Chor

A Summertime Special Screening at Prithvi Theatre’s Lovely Auditorium

Charandas Chor (Charandas the Thief) is a children's film made by noted director Shyam Benegal and produced by Children’s Film Society of India in 1975. Starring Smita Patil, Lalu Ram and others, this film is based on the famous play by Habib Tanvir, which itself was an adaptation of a classical Rajasthani folktale by Vijaydan Detha.

The film charts the tumultuous life of a petty thief, Charandas. Curiously, he is a man of principles – an honest thief with a strong sense of integrity and professional efficiency. He makes four vows to his Guru, that he would never eat in a gold plate, never lead a procession that is in his honour, never become a king and never marry a princess, thinking all of them are far out possibilities for him. Later, his guru adds a fifth one - never to tell a lie and sets him of on his life's journey which leads him to a kingdom, where the turn of events makes him famous.

To know about what happens next, come watch this film at Prithvi Theatre on Monday, May 30 at 7 pm.

Excerpt from a Hindustan Times interview with Shyam Benegal:

Way back in 1974, I was doing a series of learning programmes for children in the Chhattisgarhi dialect with local Nacha actors from Habib’s Naya Theatre group and other folk theatre groups of the state. Habib was my consultant, adviser and actor. It was while we were creating these programmes that my writer Shama Zaidi suggested that one of the stories that I could consider was Charandas Chor for a feature film project I was contemplating for children.

While I was working towards making Charandas as a comic farce, Habib was planning to turn the story into a tragic play. Incidentally, the film I made featured Smita Patil as the queen. She was the only urban actor in the film. the rest of the cast consisted of Nacha actors belonging to different castes and sects: Devars, Satnamis, Kabir Panthis along with Pandvani singers and so on.

Screening Details:

 

On 30 May 2011 at 7 pm

 

At Prithvi Theatre, Janki Kutir, Juhu Church Road, Bombay

 

Entry Free, On A First-Come-First-Seated Basis

 

For any queries, email vikalp....@gmail.com

 

To view the poster, or RSVP on Facebook, visit http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=210140669019230