Review: Actor Sumeet Raghavan Does Perfect Justice To His Role In Marathi Hamlet

Shakespeare's Hamlet, is one of the most adapted plays across the globe. The complexity of the characters and the depth of the story has led to people from various cultures and languages find similarities in the storyline.

Shakespearean plays have found a particular resonance with Indian story tellers and many Indian movies have also borrowed from the story. Recently, when Zee Marathi undertook the adaptation of the famous tragedy Hamlet in Marathi, there was bound to be interest in it.

National award winning director Chandrakant Kulkarni, did an exemplary job of bringing the story to Marathi speaking audiences. The Marathi version has to its credit of the most stunning performances and acting. Actor Sumeet Raghavan plays the protagonist Hamlet to the hilt. The story that revolves around extreme emotions of love, power and betrayal sees Hamlet, son of the king of Denmark, mourning the loss of his father. But the story gets even more complex from here. The king of Denmark has a brother named Claudius who takes the authority of the throne immediately after marrying Hamlet's mother and Queen, Getrude. Claudius played by Tushar Dalvi and Getrude played by Mughda Godbole, both manage to do justice to their roles. While the story of Hamlet is well-known, and often people may have seen many adaptations it is the skill with which these new characters perform the roles and lend that unique appeal that makes Hamlet in all its versions still extremely engaging.

The director deserves credit for managing three of the very well-known theatre actors who brought along with them their dextrous performances. The music by Rahul Ranade has got a lingering quality to it. The sets and productions values too are exemplary and therefore the Marathi version is definitely a must watch.

The comic relief in terms of excellent one-liners lends the tragi-comedy some lighter moments but never without losing the depth of emotions it entails.

The play is being show in Mumbai so do catch it if you can

Venue: Ravindra Natya Mandir: Mumbai, Near Siddhi Vinayak Temple, Sayani Road, Prabhadevi, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400025, India

Prabodhankar Thackeray Audi: Borivali(W), Near Chamunda Circle, Sodawala Lane, Borivali (W), Mumbai, Maharashtra 400092, India

Date: August 23 onwards

Director; Chandrakant Kulkarni

Cast: Sumeet Raghavan, Tushar Dalvi, Mughda Godbole