Review: SHABANA AZMI AT HER POWERFUL BEST In Girish Karnad's Broken Images

Okay, first a confession. When you hear the names of two theatre stalwarts and artists par excellence being part of a single play, you know that what you are going to witness on the stage is nothing ordinary.

And needless to add, that the theatre play, Broken Images, written by the late Girish Karnad and enacted by Shabana Azmi, is something that can be called as a piece of theatre that would remain with you in the repository of your stage gems.

The show which has ben staged many times over and across the globe is now back to be staged in Mumbai this August. Those who have seen this masterpiece may want to rebook a spot and for those who have not had the chance to catch it yet, believe me there is nothing that you can do in Mumbai better than this, come August.

And now for the storyline. In this play, brought to the public by Raell Padamsee's Ace Productions, Shabana Azmi plays the role of two sisters on stage. Both the characters are fraught with eccentricities, emotions and their own sensitivities. While one of the sisters is paraplegic the other is a writer. Both under the same roof, harbor within them two different worlds. But there is more to the story as it is not the case of two individuals living their lives in their way. The two may not share much but have a common point of interest -- a man. Azmi who plays Manjula Nayak and also the sister Malini beautifully portrays the flaws that form both individuals. The subtexts in the story give it many layers and that can be attributed to the tight script. Karnad had been an exceptional playwright and his genius comes through in this deeply emotional play.

A writer who had little recognition as a Hindi writer now suddenly finds herself in the midst of success and adulation with her debut English work. The show successfully exploits modern forms of storytelling and while Shabana plays the character of Manjula live on stage, Malini is introduced to the audiences through pre recorded TV visuals.

The show can really be called one of the highlights of Shabana Azmi's career and that indeed is a very big thing to say for an actress who has given Indian entertainment some of the most memorable shows of all times.

Sun 04 Aug at 07:30 PM St. Andrews Auditorium: Mumbai

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