Theatre In Odisha: Manoj Joshi Immortalizes ‘Chanakya’ Yet Another Time

Bhubaneswar: It’s a rare feat. Playing the same character for 28 years and for the 1051^st time on the stage, you are bound to start living that character. Manoj Joshi, who has been enacting the role of Chanakya, in a Hindi play of the same name since 1990 did exactly that when he performed to a packed hall at Rabindra Mandap here on Thursday.

Once again, he played the role with such conviction that the audience was glued to their seats. That theatre lovers in the city will remember the performance for years to come was clear when they gave Joshi a standing ovation at the end of the play.

His energetic performance and strength of script transported the audience to the historical era. The true artiste that he is, even after so many years, Joshi rehearses his act before every performance.

The historical play written by Mihir Bhuta also has a contemporary feel to it. Joshi was impressed with Chanakya’s strategies as a school student and wanted to put up a play, citing his ideologies to unite India. “It took us four years to do a thorough research on Chanakya and put up play in Gujarati in 1990. I wanted the audience to relate it to the present political scenario through the historical character ‘Chanakya’ who dreamt of a united India,” said Joshi, who received the Padma Shree Award in 2018 and Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2016.

On the importance of a powerful script, Joshi said, “It is the core of a play, which the director and actor together live on stage. It is the use of words which leaves an impact through the images of actors. It is very important to have a deep understanding of a subject for all this.”

The actor was also roped in to play the same role in the historical show ‘Chakravart in Ashoka Samrat’.

“I feel excited every time we put the show,” he added.

The show was part of Sreshtha Bharat Sanskriti Samagam organised by Sangeet Natak Akademi.

A theatre actor of repute, Joshi has also acted in a number of feature films. Among them are ‘Devdas’, ‘Sarfarosh’, ‘Vivah’, ‘Jogger’s Park’, ‘Hulchul’, ‘Page 3’, ‘Bhul Bhulaiya’, ‘Bhagam Bhaag’ and many more.