A festival featuring films based on William Shakespeare’s plays will be screened in Bangalore.
“Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet or Othello — name any Shakespearean play, and it has relevance today, even 500 years later,” says Charu Sapra, manager, British Library, Bangalore. The Bard’s plays, explains Sapra, “involve common people and invoke intense emotion, that’s why they are eternal and remain a subject of current-day cinema, even Bollywood,” she says, mentioning Vishal Bhardwaj’s Omkara.
Considering today’s youngsters do not engage with Shakespearean literature the way the previous generation did, British Library, Bangalore in collaboration with Bangalore Film Society and National Gallery Modern Art (NGMA) Bengaluru is presenting ‘Shakespeare Told and Retold’, a film festival featuring cinematic interpretations of Shakespeare’s plays.
Sapra feels today there are many easier options available for literary enthusiasts and one can’t deny that Shakespeare’s language can be difficult — that could be one reason people are diffident about approaching him.
Nevertheless, that doesn’t imply he’s not popular amongst the current generation, as there are still a large number of people who like to read and discuss the Bard. Screening films rooted in his plays “will familiarise the younger lot with his literature — they’ll learn to appreciate it and perhaps even pick up one of his plays to read,” feels Sapra.
‘Shakespeare Told and Retold’ is showcasing a mix of BBC production films — straightforward renditions of Shakespeare plays (curated by British Library), along with some films that adventurously interpret them (curated by Bangalore Film Society). While the BBC Production films are classics of sorts produced between 1979 and 1982, the films that have evolved from the plays are more contemporary. “We did in fact contemplate showing some Bollywood ones too, but decided against it,” says Sapra.
The festival kicked off last weekend and is on till September 18, with shows every weekend. NGMA on Palace Road, partners in the event, have provided their auditorium for this programme. Sobha Nambisan, director, NGMA, Bengaluru feels the theme has struck a chord with Bangalore, as a huge number of people showed up last weekend.
Both Sapra and Nambisan noticed that many young parents had brought their kids for the screening, not discounting the fact that many others had come out of their own interest. Some schools, too, are keen on booking slots for some of the popular films such as Othello and Macbeth, especially ICSE schools as Shakespeare is part of their English curriculum.
Watching films, feels Nambisan, is a great way for kids to get acquainted with their texts. And for adults who have strayed from Shakespeare, this festival might get them re-hooked.
Venue: NGMA Auditorium, 49, Manikyavelu Mansion, Palace Road. Call 080-22342338.
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