Multi-lingual Theatre Festival to be held till October 10

The Multi-lingual Theatre Festival was inaugurated at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan (BVB) here on Monday.

N. Ravi, chairman of Bhavan’s Chennai Kendra, said this year’s theatre festival includes plays in Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu, Hindi, Bengali, and English. “These have been put together with meticulous care. Plays go beyond language; the actors’ talent communicates the story and the theme to the audience,” he added.

Mr. Ravi said the main objective of this institution was to preserve, foster, and spread Indian culture and history. “From a small centre in Mumbai, in 1938, the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan has become a massive complex of Indian culture, education, and publications,” he added.

The event was organised by BVB, in association with the Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited (CPCL), and Nalli.

K. Venkitachalam, deputy director, Bhavan’s Chennai Kendra, said the festival was not only about bringing plays in different languages, but also different cultures, sensibilities, and ways of storytelling, together.

S.G. Venkatesh, director (technical), CPCL, said he was glad such a festival was being organised, and hoped to see such festivals in the future as well.

Nalli Kuppuswami Chetti, vice chairman, Bhavan’s Chennai Kendra, also spoke at the event. The event was followed by the play Haripodogunin (Bengali). The festival is being held from October 5 to 10.

Among the plays to be presented at the festival are Chillara Samaram (Malayalam) on October 6, Ladies Compartment (Hindi) on October 7, Ushaharana (Kannada) on October 8, New Bombay Studio (Telugu) on October 9, and Animal Farm (English) on October 10.