The legendary grand dame of the Indian theatre Shabana Azmi is returning to London in a timely and topical new play that speaks to the fears and anxieties our age.
Directed by Alyque Padamsee, ‘Broken Images’ is a psychological thriller about identity, the politics of language the all-pervasive nature of technology and social media in 21st Century life and is adapted from the acclaimed 2004 Kannada play ‘Odakalu Bimba’ by the renowned playwright Girish Karnad.
Azmi essays the central character of Manjula Sharma, a marginally successful Hindi short-story writer who finds overnight fame and fortune after writing a best-seller in English.
Her new-found success however, leads to a smorgasbord of conflict within Manjula as she begins to question her own competence and whether she has betrayed her own language and identity, leading to her own “mirror image” playing confessor, psychoanalyst and inquisitor.
The character of Manjula is a dual role that demands exceptional technical skills from Azmi and during performances in Mumbai in recent weeks she has showcased those skills to an extraordinary level – capturing the nuances of Manjula’ s conflicts with formidable clarity.
She has received widespread praise for her performance with critics describing her as “marvellous” and “utterly stimulating”.
The award-winning filmmaker Mira Nair said: “Broken Images is cleverly written and wonderfully performed. I don’t know how Shabana Azmi does it. The timing is excellent!”
Azmi herself has described the play as one which she immediately embraced, saying that despite realizing the technical challenges inherent in the role, it “propelled her on” to take on the role.
“Broken Images” is presented jointly by Baithak UK and Bagri Foundation to celebrate International Women’s Day and India at 70 .
Dr Alka Bagri, from the Bagri Foundation, said: “The Bagri Foundation is delighted to collaborate with Baithak UK, who share our passion of promoting the richness of the arts of South Asia, in presenting the UK premiere of Broken Images with Shabana Azmi. Theatre plays a vital role in enabling us to understand the human psyche as it turns a mirror onto ourselves, and to offer social commentary. The stage is a platform for creativity and self-expression as well as a revelatory.”
‘Broken Images’ is at London’s Logan Hall on 12 March.The performance will be followed by a Q&A with Ms Azmi.
For tickets visit:www.chillitickets.com/events/6152/broken-images
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