COLLECTIVEMADNESS
Aao Sathi… is a musical set in Chandni Chowk area of Old Delhi. It is a love story of a boy (Baiju Khan), and girl (Gauraiya), the events of which are planned by their respective fathers (Miya Khan and Chironji Lal Gupta)… but soon things begin to take their own course. The story is told by a narrator (Bahumukhi) and his assistant (Sur, a mute).
Aao Saathi... closing play at National Theatre Festival 2009.
Aao Saathi... closing play at Rangshankara Festival 2009.
Aao Saathi... Opening play at META Festival 2009.
Actors' Cult got BEST ENSEMBLE for Aao Saathi Sapna Dekhen at META Festival, 2009.
Lyrics and direction by National Award Winner Swanand Kirkire.
After the tremendous success of the songs of 3 Idiots, Papa, Hazaron Khwahisein Aisi, Parinita, Lage Raho Munnabhai, Khoya Khoya chand, Laaga Chunri Maine Daag, it showcases the some of the most awesome and sensitive poetry of recent times.
The play operates at the intersection of the rich simplicity of indian folk theatre and the best of popular Hindi cinema.
The language is Hindustani at its best, weaving effortlessly the mandane, the comic and the philosophical.
Every single sound on stage is live.
Aao Saathi a dreamlike musical, is a sheer joy to watch...
- Jyoti Vyas, Mumbai Theatre Guide.
City's Theatre could do some good with their energy...
- Deepa Gahlot, Theatre Critic.
One of the top five plays of 2007...
- Hindustan Times.
The play proves that slapstick is a highly skilled science...
- Pragya Tiwari, Mumbai Mirror.
Swanand's lyrics and singing gently carry the hilarious action to the level of sensitive poetry...
- Rajiv Valichetty, Reader, University of Hyderabad.
The first part of Aao Sathi… unfolds like a dream, that magical time all of us have experienced in our youth… those days of listless abandon, that mad pursuit for love and what it felt like to have your heart pounding against your chest when found it, that strange innocence which allowed you to see rainbows even when it didn’t rain… the second half continues with this dream bit more but later brings you face to face with the brightness of the day, that painful transition when you can no longer shut your eyes to the harsh glare of the reality, that strong grasp which threatens to crush your very soul when you are separated from the one you love, when ambition begins to rule you and you stop finding joy in simple pleasures. What happens then, do you succumb or do you still hold on to your dreams?
Sometime we need to travel back in time to know ourselves… come, take the journey with us.
As somebody said...
Life is a celebration.
So let’s celebrate...
Our dreams and our realities,
Our happiness and our sorrow,
Our togetherness and our loneliness,
Our success and our failure,
Our frustration and our excitement,
Our madness and our sanity...
For me theatre, because it is dynamic and frenetic as it makes use of living instruments, continues to stir up shadows and emotional nuances. My theatre uses everything - singing, gestures, sounds, words, screams, light, darkness and rediscovers itself in the most naked manifestations of human emotions. And these emotions never fail to cascade into the audience which experiences them as a reflection of their own life, their own dreams. An emotional intimacy, the collective nostalgia is what one achieve through creating an energetic, lively theatre where laughter and pain, song and dance, cries and whispers all are whipped up on stage in their purest most visceral form. This play is a tribute to the inner hum which is present in every living being.
Season 1 |
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| 11th Nov 2007 | 2 Shows | Opened at Prithvi Musical Festival |
| 24th Dec 2007 | 1 Show | Bhopal, Ustad Allauddin Khan Festival |
| 5th & 6th Jan 2008 | 4 Shows | Prithvi Theatre, Mumbai |
| 24th & 25th Jan 2008 | 2 Shows | Hydrabad University, Hydrabad |
| 3rd & 4th May 2008 | 4 Shows | Prithvi Theatre, Mumbai |
Season 2 |
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| 20th Sept 2008 | 1 Show | Mysore Association, Matunga, Mumbai |
| 21st Sept 2008 | 1 Show | Manik Sabhagriha, Bandra, Mumbai |
| 27th Sept 2008 | 1 Show | ISCKON Auditorium, Juhu, Mumbai |
| 28th Sept 2008 | 1 Show | Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan, Chaupatty, Mumbai |
| 2nd Oct 2008 | 1 Show | Sophia Hall, Breach Candy, Mumbai |
| 11th Oct 2008 | 1 Show | ISCKON Auditorium, Juhu, Mumbai |
| 12th Oct 2008 | 1 Show | Y B Chavan, Mantralay, Mumbai |
| 25th Oct 2008 | 1 Show | TATA Main, NCPA, Mumbai |
| 26th Oct 2008 | 1 Show | Manik Sabhagriha, Bandra, Mumbai |
Season 3 |
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| 16th Jan 2009 | 1 Show | Lakhnow, National Theatre Festival |
| 19th Jan 2009 | 1 Show | Delhi, National Theatre Festival |
| March 2009 | 1 Show | Delhi, META Festival |
| 15th Nov 2009 | 2 Shows | Banglore, Rangshankara Festival |
| March 2010 | 5 Shows | Prithvi, Mumbai |
| 11th Aug 2010 | 1 Show | Times of India, Banglore |
| 2nd Oct 2010 | 1 Show | Times of India festival, Mumbai |
| 11th Dec 2010 | 1 Show | Jan Natya Manch festival, Mumbai |
| In all | 35 Shows |
Cast |
|
| Bahumukhi | Harsh Khurana |
| Sur | Viinod Rai |
| Baiju Khan | Amitosh Nagpal |
| Gauraiya | Neha Saraf / Vega Tamotia |
| Chironji Lal Gupta | Vinod Nahardih |
| Miyan Khan | Swanand Kirkire |
| Lallan | Kuldeep Ruhil / Kranti Prakash |
| Natha Ram Gaur | Satish Trivedi / Vishwanath |
| Jhanak Singh | Jai Hind Kumar |
| Lead Singer | Swanand Kirkire |
| Chorus | Shiva Chopra, Shyam, Maneesh Verma |
Crew |
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| Direction & Lyrics | Swanand Kirkire |
| Script | Harsh Khurana |
| Music | Sneha Khanwalkar |
| Design | Kalyani Hiwale |
| Lights | Narayan Chauhan |
| Choreography | Viinod, Maneesh |
| Stage Manager | Kuldeep Ruhil |
| Poster & Brochure | Maneesh Verma |
| Executive Producer | Maneesh Verma |
Special thanks to Sheetal Ladha, Bijesh Jayarajan and Vidu Vinod Chopra for their support.