Manoj Sakarchand Shah (born 5 February 1955) is an Indian theatre director, actor and producer known for his works in the
Gujarati theatre
Gujarati theatre refers to theatre performed in the Gujarati language, including its dialects. Gujarati theatre is produced mainly in Gujarat and Maharashtra, in cities like Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Baroda, Surat and else where Gujarati diaspora ...
. He has directed over 90
plays
Play most commonly refers to:
* Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment
* Play (theatre), a work of drama
Play may refer also to:
Computers and technology
* Google Play, a digital content service
* Play Framework, a Java framework
* Pla ...
, 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
A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, pla ...
of the same name, ''
Mohan No Masalo
''Mohan No Masalo'' (English: ''Mohan's Recipe'') is a 2015 biographical one-man play about Mahatma Gandhi, starring Pratik Gandhi. Written by Ishan Doshi and directed by Manoj Shah, it depicts the early life of Mohandas Gandhi. First performe ...
'' based on
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, Anti-colonial nationalism, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure ...
, ''
Apurva Avsar
''Apurva Avsar'' is a 2007 biographical play about an Indian Jain philosopher and mystic Shrimad Rajchandra directed by Manoj Shah. The play is co-written by Shah and Raju Dave.
Background
Manoj Shah contributed significantly in the developmen ...
'' based on
Jain
Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...
mystic
Shrimad Rajchandra
Shrimad Rajchandra (11 November 1867 – 9 April 1901) was a Jain poet, mystic, philosopher, scholar and reformer. Born in Vavaniya, a village near Morbi, he claimed to have recollection of his past lives at the age of seven. He performed ' ...
, ''
Mareez
Mareez, born Abbas Abdul Ali Vasi (22 February 1917 – 19 October 1983), was a Gujarati poet, mainly popular for his Ghazals. He is popularly known as '' Ghalib of Gujarat''. He left studies in young age and started working in rubber shoe fac ...
'' based on poet
Mareez
Mareez, born Abbas Abdul Ali Vasi (22 February 1917 – 19 October 1983), was a Gujarati poet, mainly popular for his Ghazals. He is popularly known as '' Ghalib of Gujarat''. He left studies in young age and started working in rubber shoe fac ...
, ''
Jal Jal Mare Patang
''Jal Jal Mare Patang'' () is a 2009 Gujarati language biographical play that was written by Mihir Bhuta and directed by Manoj Shah. The play depicts the life of 19th-century Indian writer and philosopher Manilal Dwivedi (1858–1898).
Backg ...
'' based on writer-philosopher
Manilal Dwivedi
Manilal Nabhubhai Dwivedi (; 26 September 1858 – 1 October 1898) was a Gujarati-language writer, philosopher, and social thinker from British India, commonly referred to as Manilal in literary circles. He was an influential figure in 19th-c ...
, ''
Karl Marx in Kalbadevi'' based on German philosopher
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist, critic of political economy, and socialist revolutionary. His best-known titles are the 1848 ...
, and ''
Dr. Anandibai Joshi: Like, Comment, Share'' based on
Anandi Gopal Joshi
Dr. Anandibai Gopalrao Joshi (31 March 1865 – 26 February 1887) was the first Indian female doctor of western medicine. She was the first woman from the erstwhile Bombay presidency of India to study and graduate with a two-year degree in west ...
, 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
The ''Limca Book of Records'' is an annual reference book published in India documenting world records held by Indians. The records are further categorized into education, literature, agriculture, medical science, business, sports, nature, advent ...
'' for its performances in three languages (English,
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of North India, northern, Central India, centr ...
and
Gujarati
Gujarati may refer to:
* something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India
* Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat
* Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them
* Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub- ...
) in a single day. His biographical drama ''Mareez'' has been playing at
Prithvi Theatre since 2004.
Biography
Manoj Sakarchand Shah was born on 5 February 1955 in
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...
, 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
Sudhindra Sircar (Born 15 July 1925), also known as Badal Sarkar, was an influential Indian dramatist and theatre director, most known for his anti-establishment plays during the Naxalite movement in the 1970s and taking theatre out of the pros ...
,
Utpal Dutt
Utpal Dutta () (29 March 1929 – 19 August 1993) was an Indian actor, director, and writer-playwright. He was primarily an actor in Bengali theatre, where he became a pioneering figure in Modern Indian theatre, when he founded the "Little T ...
and
Vijaya Mehta
Vijaya Mehta (born 4 November 1934), is a noted Indian Marathi film and theatre director and also an actor in many films from the Parallel Cinema. She is a founder member of Mumbai-based theatre group, Rangayan with playwright Vijay Tendulkar, ...
. He debuted as a theatre director with his play ''
Master Phoolmani'' in 1999.
Works
Shah has directed and produced over 90 plays. He produces them under his production company Ideas Unlimited.
His style has been considered innovative, and his subjects contributed to bringing a cultural renaissance in Gujarati theatre.
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
Karl Heinrich Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist, critic of political economy, and socialist revolutionary. His best-known titles are the 1848 ...
to
Kalbadevi
Kalbadevi is an old neighbourhood in Mumbai (Bombay), India. It is named after Goddess Kalbadevi, the Hindu Goddess. Kalbadevi area is one of the busiest areas during peak hours. The area has mostly traders in watches, bicycles, steel utensils, ...
, a chaotic locality in Mumbai.
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.
His first play was ''
Master Phoolmani'', which was adapted from
Satish Alekar
Satish Vasant Alekar (born 30 January 1949) is a Marathi playwright, actor, and theatre director. A founder member of the Theatre Academy of Pune, and most known for his plays ''Mahanirvan'' (1974), ''Mahapoor'' (1975), ''Atirekee'' (1990), ''Pi ...
's ''Begum Barve'' (1979). Scripted by Chandrakant Shah, it was first staged in 1999 at
Horniman Circle Gardens
The Horniman Circle Gardens is a large park in South Mumbai, India, which encompasses an area of 2½ acres (10,100 m²). It is situated in the Fort district of Mumbai, and is surrounded by office complexes housing the country's premier banks. D ...
, Mumbai, during the
Prithvi Theatre Festival.
The play is a tribute to the extinct Gujarati theatre form known as 'Bhangwadi', 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
Bhupen Khakhar (also spelled Bhupen Khakkar, 10 March 1934 – 8 August 2003) was an Indian artist. He was a member of the Baroda Group and gained international recognition for his work as "India's first 'Pop' artist."
Works
Khakhar was a sel ...
. ''Master Phoolmani'' also integrates some elements from the life of
Jaishankar Bhojak
Jaishankar Bhudhardas Bhojak, (30 January 1889 – 22 January 1975) better known by his theatre name Jaishankar Sundari , was an Indian actor and director of Gujarati theatre. Starting at the young age, he rose to fame for his roles of female im ...
, a 20th-century Gujarati theatre actor known for impersonating female characters.
''Master Phoolmani'' was Shah's longest running production until 2015.
In 2003, he produced ''Gujarat Ni Asmita'', a
musical drama
Musical is the adjective of music.
Musical may also refer to:
* Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance
* Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the nar ...
which features 45 actors. It traces the journey of
Gujarati poetry
The history of Gujarati literature ( gu, ગુજરાતી સાહિત્ય) may be traced to 1000 AD, and this literature has flourished since then to the present. It is unique in having almost no patronage from a ruling dynasty, othe ...
from the medieval era to the present.
In 2004, his biographical play ''
Mareez
Mareez, born Abbas Abdul Ali Vasi (22 February 1917 – 19 October 1983), was a Gujarati poet, mainly popular for his Ghazals. He is popularly known as '' Ghalib of Gujarat''. He left studies in young age and started working in rubber shoe fac ...
'' 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
Mareez, born Abbas Abdul Ali Vasi (22 February 1917 – 19 October 1983), was a Gujarati poet, mainly popular for his Ghazals. He is popularly known as '' Ghalib of Gujarat''. He left studies in young age and started working in rubber shoe fac ...
, Vinit Shukla adapted it from Mareez's biography ''Mareez: Astitva Ane Vyaktitva'' written by
Raeesh Maniar
Raeesh Maniar ( Gujarati: રઇશ મનીઆર) is a Gujarati language ghazal poet, translator, playwright, columnist, compere, lyricist and script writer from Gujarat, India. His significant works include ''Kafiyanagar'' (1989), ''Shab ...
. Mareez's representation has been influenced by
Vincent van Gogh
Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who posthumously became one of the most famous and influential figures in Western art history. In a decade, he created about 2,100 artworks, inc ...
's autobiographical work ''Dear Theo'' and
Charles Bukowski
Henry Charles Bukowski ( ; born Heinrich Karl Bukowski, ; August 16, 1920 – March 9, 1994) was a German-American poet, novelist, and short story writer. His writing was influenced by the social, cultural, and economic ambience of his adopted ...
's biopic ''
Barfly
Barfly may refer to:
* ''Barfly'' (album), 1995 album by the band Buck-O-Nine
* Barfly (club), a music venue in Camden Town, London, UK
* ''Barfly'' (film), 1987 American film starring Mickey Rourke and Faye Dunaway
* Barfly, a bar in Montreal o ...
''.
''
Apurva Avsar
''Apurva Avsar'' is a 2007 biographical play about an Indian Jain philosopher and mystic Shrimad Rajchandra directed by Manoj Shah. The play is co-written by Shah and Raju Dave.
Background
Manoj Shah contributed significantly in the developmen ...
'' (2007), written by Raju Dave and Shah, is a biographical play about
Shrimad Rajchandra
Shrimad Rajchandra (11 November 1867 – 9 April 1901) was a Jain poet, mystic, philosopher, scholar and reformer. Born in Vavaniya, a village near Morbi, he claimed to have recollection of his past lives at the age of seven. He performed ' ...
, known as a spiritual guide of
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, Anti-colonial nationalism, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure ...
.
It focuses on Rajchandra's life from his childhood in a small remote village in Gujarat to his eventual renunciation of all worldly pleasures.
''Siddh Hem'' (2008) is based on
Hemachandra
Hemachandra was a 12th century () Indian Jain saint, scholar, poet, mathematician, philosopher, yogi, grammarian, law theorist, historian, lexicographer, rhetorician, logician, and prosodist. Noted as a prodigy by his contemporaries, he gai ...
, the Indian
Jain
Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...
scholar. Dharmendra Gohil played the lead character.
In 2009, he directed the biographical play ''
Jal Jal Mare Patang
''Jal Jal Mare Patang'' () is a 2009 Gujarati language biographical play that was written by Mihir Bhuta and directed by Manoj Shah. The play depicts the life of 19th-century Indian writer and philosopher Manilal Dwivedi (1858–1898).
Backg ...
'' based on the life of the 19th-century Gujarati philosopher and writer
Manilal Dwivedi
Manilal Nabhubhai Dwivedi (; 26 September 1858 – 1 October 1898) was a Gujarati-language writer, philosopher, and social thinker from British India, commonly referred to as Manilal in literary circles. He was an influential figure in 19th-c ...
.
''Mummy Tu Aavi Kevi'' (2010) is a children's play written by
Dhiruben Patel
Dhiruben Gordhanbhai Patel ( gu, ધીરુબેન પટેલ) is an Indian novelist, playwright and translator.
Life
Dhiruben Gordhanbhai Patel is born on 29 May 1926 in Baroda (now Vadodara, Gujarat) to Gordhanbhai Patel, a journali ...
.
He directed ''Apoorav Khela'' (2012), a biographical play on 17th century
Jain
Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...
monk
Anandghan
Anandghan was a 17th-century Jain monk, mystical poet and hymnist. Though very little is known about his life, his collection of hymns about philosophy, devotion and spirituality in vernacular languages are popular and still sung in Jain temples ...
.
Mahatma Gandhi is the subject of ''
Mohan No Masalo
''Mohan No Masalo'' (English: ''Mohan's Recipe'') is a 2015 biographical one-man play about Mahatma Gandhi, starring Pratik Gandhi. Written by Ishan Doshi and directed by Manoj Shah, it depicts the early life of Mohandas Gandhi. First performe ...
'', a
monodrama
A monodrama is a theatrical or operatic piece played by a single actor or singer, usually portraying one character.
In opera
In opera, a monodrama was originally a melodrama with one role such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau's '' Pygmalion'', which ...
. It starred
Pratik Gandhi
Pratik Gandhi is an Indian actor. He worked in Gujarati theatre before entering Gujarati cinema. He received wide acclaim for portraying Harshad Mehta in Sony LIV series ''Scam 1992''. He acted in several Hindi films thereafter.
Early life
...
as
Mohandas Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...
. The play recounts the early days of Mohandas Gandhi in India and South Africa before he came to be known as
Mahatma
Mahatma (English pronunciation: , sa, महात्मा, translit=mahātmā) is an honorific used in India.
The term is commonly used for Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, who is often referred to simply as "Mahatma Gandhi". Albeit less freque ...
. 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
Atul Dodiya (born 20 January 1959, in Ghatkopar, Mumbai, India) is an Indian artist.
Biography
Atul began exhibiting and selling his work in the early 1980s following his graduation from Sir J. J. School of Art in Mumbai where he received a ...
created the play's set and backdrop, which featured images of a young Gandhi in black and white.
The
Gujarati script
The Gujarati script (, transliterated: ) is an abugida for the Gujarati language, Kutchi language, and various other languages. It is a variant of the Devanagari script differentiated by the loss of the characteristic horizontal line running abo ...
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
The ''Limca Book of Records'' is an annual reference book published in India documenting world records held by Indians. The records are further categorized into education, literature, agriculture, medical science, business, sports, nature, advent ...
'' for "Performance of One Play in Multiple Languages in One Day".
[ ]
In 2013, he produced another biographical drama, ''
Hu Chandrakant Bakshi''. Written by Shishir Ramavat, the play focuses on Gujarati writer
Chandrakant Bakshi
Chandrakant Keshavlal Bakshi ( gu, ચંદ્રકાંત કેશવલાલ બક્ષી) was a Gujarati author from Gujarat, India and a former Sheriff of Mumbai. He was known for his bold and new concepts in writing during his time ...
(1932–2006). In this production,
Pratik Gandhi
Pratik Gandhi is an Indian actor. He worked in Gujarati theatre before entering Gujarati cinema. He received wide acclaim for portraying Harshad Mehta in Sony LIV series ''Scam 1992''. He acted in several Hindi films thereafter.
Early life
...
played the lead character.
The play, along with ''Mohan No Masalo'', helped to solidify Gandhi's reputation as an actor.
That year he directed ''Karl Marx in Kalbadevi''. The play puts German philosopher
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist, critic of political economy, and socialist revolutionary. His best-known titles are the 1848 ...
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.
''Popcorn with Parsai'' (2014) is a biographical solo-act based on Hindi writer
Harishankar Parsai
Harishankar Parsai (22 August 1922 – 10 August 1995) was an Indian writer who wrote in Hindi. He was a noted satirist and humorist of modern Hindi literature and is known for his simple and direct style. He wrote vyangya (satire), which descr ...
. Co-written by Shah and Nilay Upadhyay, it premiered at NCPA on 6 December 2014.
''
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
Dr. Anandibai Gopalrao Joshi (31 March 1865 – 26 February 1887) was the first Indian female doctor of western medicine. She was the first woman from the erstwhile Bombay presidency of India to study and graduate with a two-year degree in west ...
, 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
The Theatre Olympics is a non-profit organisation that promotes theatrical exchange where dialogue between different theatremakers, irrespective of ideological, culture and language differences is encouraged. The primary output of the organisatio ...
.
Plays
List of plays directed by Shah:
Footnotes
References
External links
Official websiteof Ideas Unlimited theatre group
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shah, Manoj
1955 births
Gujarati theatre
Indian theatre directors
Indian theatre managers and producers
Living people
People from Mumbai