For all theatre-lovers who believe that art is meant to provoke, think, and give meaning to life, the play Broken Images is a treat. Shabana Azmi, one of the leading Hindi cinema icons, who graced the screens with her powerful and spellbinding performance, was in London to perform Broken Images on the 12th of March, Sunday at Logan Hall. This play was originally written in Kannada by the legendary playwright Girish Karnad. The English version is directed by the Indian theatre personality Alyque Padamsee.
Azmi enacts the protagonist Manjula Sharma, a Hindi story writer who shoots to fame overnight after writing a best-seller English novel. As the play unfolds, it is revealed that Manjula is attempting to cover up a horrifying truth with multiple layers of self-admittance. 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, inquisitor, and her finally, her own deceased sister. The character of Manjula is a dual role that demands exceptional technical skills, as except for Azmi on stage, there is a TV screen with pre-recorded conversations, requiring perfect sync of both the voices. Broken Images is a mono-act, a psychological thriller about identity, betrayal, the politics of language the all-pervasive nature of technology and social media in 21st Century life.
In an exclusive interview with Asian Voice, speaking to our reporter Charusmita, Shabana elaborated on how it was one of the most technically challenging performances of her career. She said, “Alyque (Padamsee) and I had a lot of disagreements on technical aspects of the performance, but he left a lot of room for improvisations. He understands the pulse of the audience.” She further added, “It was a continuous performance for an hour without any interval, and hence, there was no room for mistakes.” The complexity of human psyche is embodied in the two characters that Azmi plays. According to the actress, “we are flawed in some way, and that’s what makes us human”. This is the premise that the script rests on.
‘Broken Images’ was presented by BAITHAK UK and the Bagri Foundation. BAITHAK UK showcases the grand legacy of South Asian arts, encourages cultural dialogue and offers a unique artistic experience for the audience. The Bagri Foundation provides philanthropy across the fields of fine art, film, music, literature and theatre in order to create awareness and promote engagement with Asia’s rich cultural heritage.
