I am feeling really very awkward writing a review on Prakriti, as I am one of the Prakriti team. However, I felt that I would be one of the best reviewers on this topic, as I could share

with you an all-round experience....as the music director of this dance ballet and as one of the audience too! So here goes....

ABOUT THE DRAMA

When I was first briefed on the ballet, I was told that it is a ballet about Gurubhakti. However, as I started my work, I could see that more than anything, it was a desperate attempt by a waning star to re-establish herself. Ayesha Jhulka was giving all her energy to make a distinguished comeback. After seeing her enthusiasm, I agreed to work for Prakriti on a shoestring budget.

As a drama, Prakriti is the story of a poor girl, who lives with her mother in the ashram of a Kathak teacher. As she grows up in the ashram, she is naturally drawn to Kathak. Her only source of learning, however, is whatever she learns by observing the other students whom the Guru teaches. Armed with this one beam of ray, and with her undying devotion for the Guru, Prakriti learns Kathak in her free time, memorizing the lessons she has seen the other students perform. Prakriti’s mother is constantly trying to stop her, as she fears that her child may not be able to face failure. But Prakriti always ignores her and continues in her quest for kathak. After facing a lot of humiliation from the other students, she finally thinks of giving up, when her devotion in the Guru gives rise to an illusion. An illusion of the Guru himself, who comes and encourages her to learn. With renewed vigour, Prakriti starts her lessons, and one fine day, challenges the students with her art. As luck would have it, the Guru sees her performing, and accepts her as his pupil. So Prakriti starts learning with the other students and becomes a part of the dance team that goes to the capital for a dance competition. As expected, Prakriti outshines everyone and takes the first prize.

In short, Prakriti is a ballet with a message. The message is- You will succeed if you are focused.

THE PRESENTATION

The presentation of the ballet is quite decent. Ayesha Jhulka has used visual clips to enhance the show, and these video clips are really very impressive. However, the sound system, which is the backbone of such dramas, is ridiculously weak. As the whole drama, including the dialogues, has been recorded, special attention should have been given to the sound system. Sadly, this has not been done, and hence the audio impact weakens. You all may wonder if this is the music director giving excuses....but honestly, when I enquired about it at the premiere, the sound engineers there did not know the difference between Mono and Stereo. What can one expect when you record the whole track on stereo, and then it is played back on Mono?

MY VIEWS AS A VIEWER

When one looks at it with a bird’s eye view, the one fact that is highly evident is that the other students are far superior to Ayesha Jhulka where dancing is concerned. Prakriti comes forward as a showcase for Ayesha Jhulka, rather than as a ballet. Ms.Jhulka seems to have forgotten that the success of the ballet is dependent on the team as a whole. She seems to have concentrated more on how she herself is portrayed in the drama. This is highly evident, especially in the final dance competition, where she is the only one who changes costumes every time she appears, while the other girls are used plainly to give Ayesha Jhulka the necessary time to change her dress.

The other points worth mentioning are the costume designing and lighting. The costumes have been done very intelligently by Sneha Prabha. They look very refreshing. The use of lights by Harshavardhan Pathak have also enhanced the whole experience of the ballet.

In the acting department, Ayesha Jhulka as Prakriti seems to overshadow the others, both in terms of popularity as well as performance.

Guru Ramkumar as the Guru seems very awkward at times. His Kathak movements seem very rigid.

Renu Sharma in the role of Vatsala, Prakriti’s mother, has given a decent performance, though at times, her character seems to slow down the ballet.

The girls, enacted by Mandakini Sharma, Rekha Dhadpade, Deepa Ghadgaonkar, Radhika Phanse and Anuradha Shah give a very nice performance. Their dance is a treat to watch, especially Mandakini Sharma and Rekha Dhadpade.

MY VIEWS AS A MUSIC DIRECTOR

Prakriti has a team of three music directors. One is Pandit Birju Maharaj, the other is Shri Ravindra Jain, and the third is yours truly. Ravindra Jain has given only one song for the ballet. This song is Mere Angane mein aaja, which comes in the first half of the ballet. A major part is played by Pt.Birju Maharaj, who has given an invaluable contribution with his Kathak todas.

Yours Truly has given the rest of the music, that comprises the whole background score, the Navras songs, and the 30-minute long Grand Finale. As a person who owes his whole music knowledge to unseen Gurus like Pancham, the ballet was indeed of a personal nature for me. The Navras, are completely Indian classical, where I have composed in raags like Sarang, Nat Bhairav, Durga and Shankara. However, in the grand finale, I have done a fusion of authentic Kathak pieces with Indian folk music.

The whole ballet, along with the dialogues, was recorded and mastered at Vijigita Digital Studio by Sayyed Salim.

I would like to know some views of other Mouthshut members on this attempt of mine. However, when you watch the ballet, remember that the makers have really goofed up on the sound systems part. For a proper listening, you can always call on me!

IN CONCLUSION

Prakriti was a learning experience. Though it destroyed me financially, still, it was worth the effort. Please note that when I say destroyed me financially, nothing is against Ayesha Jhulka. She paid me in full and in time. However, my over enthusiasm made me go over budget to deliver a good product.

All in all.....Prakriti was a decent experience.

Cheers~

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