The singer’s voice is soft but audible. She is sitting at the edge of the stage, a guitar in her hand. She does not seem nervous. As the last act of the evening, she invites us to join her singing a popular Indian song. I do neither know the lyrics nor the melody, but I start humming along with the crowd by the end of the first chorus.
I am sitting in the yard at the Prithvi Theatre – a hidden gem in the heart of Mumbai. Having the stage right in front of you so that you can nearly touch the actors – and this only for 350 Indian Rupees, slightly more than $4 – is only one of the advantages when you go to see a show here. The other one is the experience I have just described: as a cultural hub, the Prithvi hosts numerous events, including this open-mic night which I attend spontaneously while waiting for the play to begin.
Prithvi Theatre thrives solely on passion and backing. As a non-profit force, it is powered by individuals and corporations alike who share a commitment to the advancement of performing and fine arts. Initiating Prithvi Theatres in 1944, Prithviraj Kapoor founded this place during the peak of his film career. Many of his productions were topical, tackling contemporary issues, and crafted specifically for his theater company. Visiting 112 towns and bringing 2662 performances on stage in 5982 days, show the passion the whole company put into their love for the performing arts.
This night, I and the other members of our interterm-class group HashtagBollywood enjoy a play which is loosely based on the Hindu story of Sita, a central narrative in the epic Ramayana – one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient Indian literature. Being performed by only one actress who dances and acts in an impressive way and is accompanied by one musician, the story includes elements of women rights and decision-making by the woman main character. Using the break to exchange with the others and reading the background about this story, helps understanding the several cultural hints hidden in the performance.
Still having the calming sound of the Tabla in my ears, I attend the next cultural immersion nights, this time organized at the campus of Whistling Woods International, the film university we cooperate with for learning the in and outs about Bollywood and producing our individual documentaries. Now we are sitting on a carpet in front of three musicians. Every time before starting the next song they explain about the historic background not only of the song but also the typical instruments for Classical North Indian music: Sitar, Tabla, Voice. They also use a harmonium which was introduced into this style of music a bit later and originates from France.
I enjoy the different melodies and harmonies. For me as a Jazz Voice student, I am particularly interested in the different patterns the musicians use for improvisation and how they interact with each other during the performance. I am more than happy to meet all these professional musicians face to face and getting the chance to ask several questions. That way I learn that it takes up to 40 years to really master this genre of music, that Bollywood singers are stars for themselves and often differ from the actors and that nowadays also Western string instruments are used for film orchestras.
Inspired and magically touched by all of these performing arts events, I step into the cutting room continuing my work on my documentary about sustainability in Bollywood. Now reflecting the topic from a slightly different angle, I can imagine that Classical North Indian Music and Hindu mythodology are two elements which will still sustain in Indian movies for a long time in the future.
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