Master Phoolmani | |
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![]() Official poster | |
Written by | Chandrakant Shah |
Characters |
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Date premiered | 15 November 1999 |
Place premiered | Horniman Circle Gardens, Mumbai |
Original language | Gujarati |
Genre | Musical comedy |
Official site |
Master Phoolmani is a 1999 Gujarati-language musical comedy play that was written by Chandrakant Shah and directed by Manoj Shah. The play was adapted from Satish Alekar's work Begum Barve (1979), which Chandrakant Shah rewrote from a Gujarati viewpoint to be more relatable to Gujarati audience. The play, which is one of Manoj Shah's best-known works, was first staged on 15 November 1999 at Horniman Circle Gardens, Mumbai. It was influenced by the Bhangavadi [lower-alpha 1] theatre style, and depicts the story of two out-of-work theatre actors who enter the fantasy of two aged bachelor clerks. [2] [3]
Master Phoolmani was adapted by Chandrakant Shah from Satish Alekar's work Begum Barve (1979); Shah adapted the script to have Gujarati viewpoints so it would be more relatable to Gujarati audience. [4] The play's premiere, which was directed and produced by Manoj Shah under his company Ideas Unlimited, was held on 15 November 1999 at Horniman Circle Gardens, Mumbai, during the Prithvi Theatre Festival. [5] [6] As of 2015, over 100 performances of the play, which has 29 songs, have been held. [7] Bhupen Khakhar painted the play's backdrop. [8]
Master Phoolmani is about people who create fantasies to contest the harsh realities of the world. Manilal, an actor who uses the stage name Phoolmani, is famous for playing female roles. He is stuck with Bhatia Seth, the owner of a theatre troupe, who provides him employment whilst physically and emotionally abusing. Sumanlal and Vasantlal, government clerks who are bachelors with little chance of getting married, hate their lives and are waiting for a miracle to happen. In an intertwined fantasy, Manilal turns into a heroine named Vanlata and marries Sumanlal. They enjoy their fantasy and Manilal starts believing he is pregnant with Sumanlal's child. Sumanlal also believes he is going to be the father of Vanlata's child. However, Bhatia Seth and Vasantlal shatter their fantasy and the play, which takes a tragic turn. [1] [8] [9]
The original cast included: [1] [10]
Master Phoolmani was a great success and was performed hundreds of times. [5] Utpal Bhayani called the play a "fulfilling experience" and gave credit to the writer, director and actors. He praised the actors for their performances and especially praised the production team for authentically and accurately recreating the old Gujarati theatre experience, including the use of old songs, live music performances and old properties. [11] Dhwanil Parekh praised the "live presentation" of the songs and cited the play as a milestone in Gujarati theatre. [9]
Chandrakant Keshavlal Bakshi 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 in Gujarati literature. He is also addressed as Bakshi or Bakshibabu. Born in Palanpur, he completed higher education and had a business in Calcutta. He started writing there and later moved to Mumbai for his teaching career. He wrote 178 books, and wrote extensively in newspaper columns.
Bhakti Barve was an Indian film, theatre and television actress in Marathi, Hindi and Gujarati. She is best known for her role in Kundan Shah's comedy Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro (1983), where she acted alongside Naseeruddin Shah, Satish Shah and Ravi Baswani.
Satish Vasant Alekar 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), Pidhijat (2003), Mickey ani Memsahib (1973), and Begum Barve (1979), all of which he also directed for the Academy. Today, along with Mahesh Elkunchwar and Vijay Tendulkar he is one of the most influential and progressive playwrights not just in modern Marathi theatre, but also larger modern Indian theatre.
Gauri Deshpande was a novelist, short story writer, and poet from Maharashtra, India. She wrote in Marathi and English.
Amal Allana is an Indian theatre director, scenic designer and costume designer and presently she is in her second consecutive term as the Chairperson of National School of Drama, India's premier institute of Theatre training, she also runs the Dramatic Art and Design Academy (DADA), New Delhi, with her husband Nissar Allana, which they co-founded in 2000.
Shanta Gokhale is an Indian writer, translator, journalist and theatre critic. She is best known for her works Rita Welinkar and Tya Varshi.
Chandrakant Kulkarni is an Indian director, script writer and actor associated with Marathi theatre and film. He is known for his works of directing the plays Wada Chirebandi, Dhyanimani, Gandhi Virudh Gandhi and most recently the remake of Hamidabaichi Kothi. He has also directed the acclaimed films Bindhaast (1999) and Tukaram (2012).
Sunil Barve is an Indian film, television and theatre actor, singer and producer. Predominantly working in Marathi, he has also worked in Hindi and Gujarati entertainment industry. He is also a radio jockey. He started doing small roles for serials and theatres and starred in several Marathi films and serials. After 25 years in the industry, he launched an initiative named Herbarium through his production company Subak to "bring back the lost glory of Marathi musical plays".
Anand Modak was an acclaimed Marathi film composer and music director in Marathi cinema and Marathi theatre, known for his experimental style. He is notable films include Lapandav (1993), Chaukat Raja (1991), Tu Tithe Mee (1998), Naatigoti (2006), Harishchandrachi Factory (2009), Samaantar (2009), and Dambis (2011). In theatre, his notable compositions were for Mahanirvan, Mahapoor, Kheliya, Raigadala Jeva Jag Yete, Begum Barve, Chaukatcha Raja, and Mukta.
Utpal Harivallabh Bhayani was a Gujarati language story writer, playwright, critic and translator from Gujarat, India.
Pransukh Manilal Nayak was an Indian Gujarati theatre actor, director, manager, and playwright from Gujarat, India. Born into a family of traditional theatre actors, he joined theatre troupes at a young age and rose to fame for his comic roles and female impersonations. His performances as a woman from Banaras in Kumali Kali and as Jivram Bhatt in Mithyabhiman were acclaimed. During his long career, he worked with many theatre companies and gave 22,455 performances, earning a listing in the 1989 Guinness Book of Records.
Manoj Sakarchand Shah 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.
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).
Mohan No Masalo is a 2015 biographical one-man play about Mahatma Gandhi, starring Pratik Gandhi. Directed by Manoj Shah, it depicts the early life of Mohandas Gandhi. First performed in Gujarati, the play later staged in English and Hindi. It was included in the Limca Book of Records for its performances in three languages in a single day.
Karl Marx in Kalbadevi is a 2013 one-man play about German philosopher Karl Marx played by Satchit Puranik. Written by Uttam Gada and directed by Manoj Shah, the play depicts an imaginary visit by Marx to Kalbadevi, the hypercapitalist area of Mumbai, India. The play tried to introduce to a commercially-minded Gujarati community the ideas of a radical critic of capitalist society, in a style that adopts song, dance, repartee, and interactive badinage with the audience to make his complex ideas more suitable to the taste and cultural background of local audiences. The play was successful and had hundreds of performances. The play received mixed reviews. It was praised for performance and presenting complex ideas simply, while also being criticised for the script.
Hu Chandrakant Bakshi is a 2013 biographical one-man play about Gujarati writer Chandrakant Bakshi, starring Pratik Gandhi. The play is written by Shishir Ramavat and directed by Manoj Shah. It was premiered on 15 June 2013 at Prithvi Theatre, Mumbai.
Dr. Anandibai Joshi: Like, Comment, Share is a 2017 Gujarati-language one-man play about Anandibai Joshi (1865–1887), first Indian woman physician, written by Gita Manek and directed by Manoj Shah. Mansi Prabhakar Joshi played the role of Anandibai in the production. The play premiered on 2 December 2017 at the National Centre for the Performing Arts, Mumbai for its Center Stage Drama Festival 2017. Unlike Shah's other one-man plays, this play features a woman character for the first time. It was later staged in Hindi and Marathi language.
Mareez is a 2004 biographical play about mid-twentieth century Gujarati poet Mareez, written by Vinit Shukla and directed by Manoj Shah. One of Shah's long-running productions, it premiered on 16 November 2004 at Prithvi Theatre, Mumbai.
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.