''Saubhagya Sundari'' () is a

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- ...

play, originally written by Nathuram Shukla and then rewritten by

Mulshankar Mulani Mulshankar Harinand Mulani (1 November 1867 – 14 December 1957) was a Gujarati playwright from the Gujarati theatre of India. After working as a village development officer and as an editor with a weekly newspaper, he joined the Mumbai Gujarati ...

. It starred

Bapulal Nayak Bapulal Nayak (25 March 1879 – 4 December 1947) was an Indian stage actor, director and manager of the early Gujarati theatre. Born into a family of traditional folk theatre performers, he joined the theatre company Mumbai Gujarati Natak Manda ...

and

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 imp ...

in lead roles, the later started his acting career with this play in

Gujarati theatre Gujarati theatre refers to theatre performed in the Gujarati language, including its Gujarati language#Dialects, dialects. Gujarati theatre is produced mainly in Gujarat and Maharashtra, in cities like Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Baroda, Surat and els ...

. It was produced by

Mumbai Gujarati Natak Mandali Gujarati Natak Mandali (1878–89) and its successor Mumbai Gujarati Natak Mandali (1889–1948) was a theatre company in Bombay, British India. It made immense contribution to the Gujarati theatre, with productions of more than hundred plays, a ...

in 1901.

History

The play was originally written by Nathuram Sundarji Shukla, a Gujarati poet. On the request of

, it was rewritten by Mulshankar Mulani. Mulani majorly modified all the aspects of this play like prose, poetry, major events, characterization, style etc. Thus, generally Mulani is regarded as the author of the play. The play was first performed at Gaiety Theatre on 19 October 1901. The play is influenced by

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's ''

Othello ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'', often shortened to ''Othello'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare around 1603. Set in Venice and Cyprus, the play depicts the Moorish military commander Othello as he is manipulat ...

''. The play was published as a book in Gujarati titled ''Saubhagyasundari ane Bija Natakonu Navneet'', in 1951 by Sastu Sahityavardhak Karyalay,

Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ), also spelled Amdavad (), is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 ...

Plot

Bapulal Nayak in Saubhagyasundadri in 1923

Saubhagyasinh is the son of king Chatursinh of Durgeshnagar, who was lost in a river. Sundari is the daughter of Sundarsen. Once, in a garden, Saubhagyasinh saves Sundari from a madly rushing elephant, and they fall in love with each other. Kumati, a step-mother of Sundari, raises obstacles in their marriage. Madhavsinh, friend of Saubhagyasinh, helps them and arranges their marriage.

Legacy

Jaishankar Bhojak's role as Sundari became very popular, and he earned his

sobriquet A sobriquet ( ) is a descriptive nickname, sometimes assumed, but often given by another. A sobriquet is distinct from a pseudonym in that it is typically a familiar name used in place of a real name without the need for explanation; it may beco ...

, ''Sundari'' ('pretty woman'), for the lifetime. The play was adapted into the 1933 Indian silent film ''Saubhagya Sundari'' directed by

Homi Master Homi Master (?–1949) was an actor-director of early Indian cinema. His work extended from the silent era to the talkie era and up to his death. He produced his best films for Kohinoor Film Company and he has been referred to as "silent cinema ...

, starring Dinshaw Bilimoria and Jillo''.''

References

External links

* {{Gujarati Vishwakosh 1901 plays Gujarati-language plays Works based on Othello Indian plays adapted into films