About the Play
 Naachani
is a play, about a dancer (literal meaning in hindi – Naachani) who
reaches an epitame of glory through her talent. In the entire play, the
whole life of the dancer is unfolded, in the form of a CONVERSATION (almost
a monologue) with an absent daughter. The dancer is a folk dancer,
who performs in rural fairs and mehfils of feudal lords in the ninteen
forties and fifties. Abjucted as a child from some mountainous region,
she is rendered without a caste or creed and is forced to become a mere
object of titilation and entertainment. She is denied even the basic material
and emotional needs of a woman and a human being. But through her art,
she reinvents herself into a person of substance and manages to carve out
an identity of her own as a dancer. It is her dance that gives her strength
to face the challenges of life in a male dominated feudal environment.
It also helps her to brave the turbelent and transitory times of social-political
upheavels (Pre Independence to post independence phase). She achieves recognition
as a artist par excellence, rising from a street dancer upto the dance
stages of the Royal courts. After the independence, she is forced to start
dancing in the “Company” from one place to the other. But she is still
recognised for her talent and art of expression.
 On
the personal front, Naachani displays a tremedous strength and vitality
to lead her life in her own way, despite all hardships. Her capacity to
love and express herself through dance trancends from her series of lovers
in forms so different from the accepted ones. Her first lover, was the
one who helped her to nurture her art through his encouragement as a “Dholaki”.
She loved him as Radha loved her Gopal, and danced to please him. After
his death, she is completely overtaken by greif and loses all interest
in life and dance. At this juncture, another man comes to her life, who
is an alcoholic, but helps her to recover from her personal grief and poor
health. This ahcoholic takes the place of her lover and a provider for
her social security, for some time. But as he starts drinking heavily,
she is forced to work harder to take care of the day to day expenses. She
conceives, and has a girl child, but is forced to leave her at a very young
age alone with him as she has to take up a job in a Nautanki. When she
returns, she finds the daughter missing, though her lover claims that she
is dead, Naachini refuses to accept the same. She continues to imagine
her to be alive somewhere and craves to shower her maternal love on her.
After the death of the second
lover, she is forced back to the street dancing and is discovered by Royal
courts. She is invited to dance at the court and is found wanting by the
royalty. She becomes a favoured pastime of the king and conceives again.
But she is forced out of the conception, and with the changes in feudal
structure after the independence she is again forced to the streets. She
is still not intimidated by the twists in her life and finds her
inner strengths through her artistic dance performance. She rejoins Kapoor
Sahib, to perform for his troupe. But, with the changing demands of the
audience, towards the cinema, he is almost on the verge of bankruptcy.
At this stage, she falls in love with him to offer all compassion
she has to share her art with the lover of her art, to be able to support
him. She remains faithful and helpful to him, despite all his family and
company abondaning him.
Towards the end of her life, she remniscences her life and narrates the same to an absent daughter.
She desperately tries to let her see reason to carry on the tragic yet rich legacy of the art of her dancing.
The play, though not conforming to any special theatre forms has been widely appreciated by the audience. The performance of the main artist “Naachani” is truly remarkable. It brings out the depths of women’s capacity to love and exhibit her compassion and inner strengths through her artistic dance form.
About the Group
Aaj Theatre Reperotary was founded in 1984, and has carved out a special place in Indian Theatre.
Based in Udaipur, the Repertory has been widely accailemed, for its innovative
work that involved the tribal actors of Rajasthan. The major productions,
which have international acclaim :
- Pashu Gayatri
- Amar Beej
- Kaal Katha
- Katha Kahi Ek Jale Ped Ne
About the Director
 Born in 1947 in Ajmer, Rajasthan, Bhanu Bharati has graduated from NSD in 1973, bagging the best all rounder student and best Director’s award. He has also studied traditional theatre of Japan at the university of Tokyo.
He headed the Drama department of Rajasthan University, Jaipur, from its inception in 1976 till 1978.
He has served as Director of the Sri Ram centre for Art and Culture.
He has headed Bhartiya Lok Kala Mandal, Udaipur
He was the Chairman of Rajasthan Sangeet Natak Academy.
An eminent director, he has over fifty productions to his credit.
His major works are:
- Chandrama Singh urf Chamku
- Ras Gandharva
- Azar ka Khwab
- Yamgatha
- Pahu Gayatri
- Kal Katha
- Amar beej
He has also directed a film on Gavari, the dance theatre of the bhils of Mewar region of Rajathan.
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