Explore folk art, special screenings this weekend

Some recommendations to enliven your weekend

DELHI

Theatre

Girish Karnad’s Bali comes to Delhi: Actor Factor Theatre Company presents Girish Karnad’s Bali - The Sacrifice. Drawing from an ancient Kannada epic, Bali examines the complexity of the man-woman relationship, within and outside marriage. While looking at it through the lens of caste and creed, it juxtaposes these relationships with the struggle between two religions. This Hindi staging of Bali uses the grammar of movement and physical theatre, trying to capture the psychological and emotional spaces of its characters. By comparing and contrasting, the play questions why acts of violence find validation in the name of religion, tradition and culture.
Where: Amphitheatre, IHC, Lodhi Road, New Delhi
When: August 9, 7.30 pm
Info: Tickets available for Rs 300 on BookMyShow

A Shakespeare theatre-a-thon: Three stand up artists are all set to perform the bard’s 37 plays in less than two hours. Aadar Malik, Brij Bhakra and Neville Shah will be performing in the Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), a play that claims to be the answer to everything you ever wanted to know about Shakespearean works but were afraid to ask.
Where: Epicentre, Apparel House, Gurgaon
When: August 17

Film

Bringing together literature, cinema and fine arts: Stories of Cronopios and Famas (Historias de Cronopios y Famas) is a Spanish film being screened as part of the ‘Homage to Julio Cortazar’ film series at Instituto Cervantes. Every story is drawn by an Argentine painter in a different style in order to find the best pictorial expression for each one of them. The movie maker Julio Ludeña directed this choral work with the aim of putting together literature, cinema and fine arts. That is the reason why he invited the painters Carlos Alonso, Luis Felipe Noé, Antonio Seguí, Daniel Santoro, Crist, Ana Tarsia, Magdalena Pagano, Patricio Bonta, Luciana Sáez and Ricardo Espósito to translate these short stories into animation images.
Where: Instituto Cervantes, Hanuman Road, CP, New Delhi
When: August 10, 4.30 pm

Music and Dance

An alternative fusion act: Adi & Suhail present a special evening in collaboration with 30 musicians from the Delhi circuit at blueFROG. Adi & Suhail are one of the freshest alternative fusion acts. Having been a part of a number of musical setups together and individually, their musical aesthetic is rooted in simple yet powerful songwriting. They have made their presence felt in the independent music scene in India, with their songs like Qalandar, Laage Re and Zindagi. They were featured in Coke Studio@MTV Season 3, and BBC Asia Beats. The duo recently released their debut album Culture Code Landscape to great reviews and reception across India. Some other musicians featured on this free gig include the supremely talented Anindo Bose, the nimble-fingered bassist Saurabh Suman, Parikrama’s drummer Srijan Mahajan and the powerhouse vocalist Vasundhara V.
Where: blueFROG, New Delhi
When: August 10

Celebrating the life of Krishna: Come Janamashtami and Uma Sharma takes to stage once again to celebrate the life of Lord Krishna. She will be performing the Krishna Raas Leela, a dance performance in Kathak and Brij Raas-style. Her performance will be a tribute to Hindi poet Dr Gopal Das Neeraj who has penned lyrics for numerous films. Sharma will be dancing to one of his poems, Tujh Sang Preet Lagayi, Umra Bhar Neend Na Aayi.
Where: India International Centre, New Delhi
When: August 18, 2014\

Art/Design

Affordable art: Those who thought that buying art was an expensive proposition, think again. Art Alive Gallery has come up with a group show, ‘Watch Out!’, featuring affordable art by promising artists. Aditi Saigal, Jayanta Bhattacharya, Sumanto Chowdhury, Tapas Biswas and Vinita Karim are some of the artists who are participating in the event.
Where: Art Alive Gallery, 120, Sector 44, Gurgaon
When: Preview on August 8 at 7 pm. Show dates: August 9 to September 10, 11 am to 7 pm

The magic of nine: Navrang: Red Earth Design Mela will showcase the magic of nine colours in contemporary design. Curated by Himanshu Verma, this design fair will feature multiple design mediums and some of the country’s creative talents: from paintings to jewellery, fashion to products, home-decor, accessories, crafts, furniture and more inspired by the melodramatic nature of the monsoon. Brands featured include Translate (hand-woven Ikat textiles), Design 5 Studio (home accessories in nine colours), Angikam by Vanashree Rao (Kalamkari sarees and scarves), Resha by Medhavini (sarees and more), Avani (natural dyed wool and silk apparel), Amru (hand-block printed handloom apparel), Notlikeyou (hand-woven and hand-crafted apparel, accessories), Svang (handwoven sarees from Bengal), Friends of Vrindavan (upcycled plastic baskets in cool colours).
Where: Alliance Francaise, New Delhi
When: August 8 and 9, 11 am to 8 pm

Talks

A hard-hitting testimony: Artist Amar Kanwar will be speaking about his work, The Lightning Testimonies, at the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, or KNMA. The work comprises an eight projection video installation that highlights sexual violence against women during times of conflict. The testimonies span multiple sites and eras. This installation is currently part of the exhibition ‘Is It What You Think’ curated by Roobina Karode.
Where: KNMA, DLF South Court Mall, Saket
When: August 8, 6.30 pm

MUMBAI

Music

An evening of Western classical: Sure on these Shining Nights, part of the Con Brio 2014 festival, will allow audiences to experience Western classical music produced in the United States. The festival, produced by Furtados and directed by Parvesh Java, will draw from a century and a half of American art music from the mid-nineteenth century until present day. The concert on Saturday will include the competition semifinals and the finals will be part of the show on Sunday. This year’s semifinalists are Apurva Devarajan, Denesam Gunasekaran, Jay Parte, Milen Manoj Earath, Shirley Manuel and Vineet Panikkar. The festival will also feature Mumbai’s celebrated Paranjoti Academy Chorus.
When: August 9 & 10, 7 pm
Where: Experimental Theatre, NCPA, Nariman Point, Mumbai
Tickets: Rs 300-500

Sufi strains: As part of Independence Day celebrations, folk and sufi music specialists, the Wadali brothers will be performing in the city. They are recognised for their songs like Tu Mane Ya Na Mane, Kadiyan Aa Mil Jaye Yaar. The brothers sing in the gurbani, kaafi, ghazal and bhajan genres of music.
Where: Shanmukhananda Hall, Sion, Mumbai
When: August 15

Theatre

An adult comedy: The Scent Of A Man is an adult comedy play that deals with lust, lies and infidelity, delivered with a liberal dose of caustic repartees and sarcasm. The plot revolves around two married couples - Nikhil, a successful advertising executive and his intelligent but mildly neurotic wife Mallika and Partho, a teacher and his wife Ananya, the Tupperware lady. The characters are involved in a love-quadrilateral that goes awry. Directed by Ashvin Gidwani, the cast includes Ash Chandler, Bhavna Pani, Suchitra Pillai and Deven Khote.
Where: NCPA, Nariman Point, Mumbai
When: August 9, 8 pm

Film

Fine cinema meets fine dining: The White Owl’s Films and Shorts night promises a taste of undiscovered gems of cinema. In its first edition, the restaurant and short film club Shamiana will together present a selection of short films including Cupido, an animated film about 'Little Cupido' fighting for love in Paris and Black & White, a thriller from Chennai. Also to be screened on the night are Banner, a satire based on political banners and Chai, a student film about a melancholic writer and a girl who has nearly figured out everything sharing a cup of tea. For accompaniment, the restaurant menu features refreshments such as gourmet popcorn, slow roast chicken buns, assorted dips with house lavash and chicken franks. Entry is free.
When: Aug 9, 6 pm onwards
Where: The White Owl, One Indiabulls Centre, Lower Parel, Mumbai

Playing with emotions: La Désintégration, directed by Phillipe Faucon, will be screened at Alliance Francaise. The film is set in the projects on the outskirts of Lille and deals with the ghettoisation of young immigrants. Moroccans Ali, Nasser and Hamza, in their twenties, meet Djamel, who is ten years older than them. They see him as a big brother but soon he begins to indoctrinate the three, using his familiarity with their disappointments, weaknesses and problems in getting integrated.
Where: Alliance Francaise, Mumbai
When: August 11

Art

Depicting divinity: ‘Art meets Spirituality’, an exhibition around India's Gods and festivals will include paintings, murals and sculptures. Pieces from the brand ‘The Artist’, traditional gold-plated paintings from the artists in Nathdwara and paintings by self-taught artist Dr Sakshi Batla will be part of the display. Some of the artworks and idols can be purchased for gifting. The works depict Lord Ganesha and Lord Krishna in different avatars giving people a chance to experience the culture and heritage of India.
When: Until August 28, 11 am to 8 pm
Where: The Easel, ahead of Prithvi Theatre, Juhu Church road, Mumbai

BANGALORE

Art

G is for Gandhi: “His Gandhi act never ceases to surprise. Some dismiss him as insane, some throw money at him assuming he's an innovative beggar and many quiz him” The “he” here is Bagadahalli Basavaraju, a school teacher in rural Karnataka, who dresses as Gandhi to inspire his students. Cop Shiva, the policeman-turned-self-taught photographer, follows Basavaraju while he is dressed up in silver paint, dhoti and the trademark glasses. The striking black-and-white images, curated by Christine Rogers, will be the inaugural exhibition for Kala Ranga, titled ‘G is for Gandhi’.
Where: Kala Ranga, RBANMS Heritage Auditorium, 32 Dickenson Road, Bangalore
When: August 15 to 25, 2 pm to 7 pm on weekends and holidays, 4 pm to 7 pm on weekdays

Festivals and Workshops

A smorgasbord of folk art: At this international folk art festival, there will be Indonesian puppetry and folk dance, Purulia chau dance, sufiana qawwali by the Warsi brothers, ottan thullal from Kerala and “When the gods meet”, an Indic-Greek production by Sonal Mansingh. Folk arts of Karnataka will be showcased at the inaugural ceremony.
Where: Jayamahal Palace Hotel, Bangalore
When: August 8, 9 and 10
Info: For the full schedule of performances, visit http://www.tiffblr.com

A toy story: Social entrepreneur and IIT alumnus Arvind Gupta is famous for his toys from trash. Manish Jain from Gupta's team, also an IIT alumnus, will be taking a session on these toys and the nuances of what goes into making them in “Toy-a-thon”. Jain will also be making a few, depending on time, and everyone above 3 years is invited.
Where: Paradigm Shift, Koramangala (near Sony World), Bangalore
When: August 10, 4 pm to 7 pm
Info: Details available on http://www.khulamanch.org/calendar/

Theatre

Interpreting ideologies: Macbeth by Manipur's Chorus Repertory Theatre, Beyond Binary, an Indo-Korean collaboration and Colour Blind by Mumbai's Aaranya, starring Kalki Koechlin, are the highlights of the Bangalore leg of the Metro Plus Theatre Festival. Macbeth in the Chorus Repertory production is interpreted as a product of a diseased mind, while Beyond Binary is the result of a series of workshops and interviews held in India and South Korea, and explores sexual orientation and identity, drawing inspiration from Indian mythology. Colour Blind, meanwhile, looks at Rabindranath Tagore, the man behind the persona.
Where: Chowdiah Memorial Hall, Malleshwaram, Bangalore
When: August 15, 16, 17 at 7.30 pm
Info: Full schedule on www.thehindu.com

Music

A tribute to the legends: In the second weekend of Counter Culture's Time Capsule series, one of Bangalore's best-known bands, Thermal And A Quarter takes the stage to pay tribute to Steely Dan, the American jazz rock band.
Where: Counter Culture, Whitefield, Bangalore
When: August 9, 9 pm