[ English & Hindi Play with English supertitles ]

CHEKHOV EXPRESS

AN ICS THEATRE PRODUCTION

 

​

Meet the Director:

​

Mr. Mahesh Dattani is a renowned playwright, stage director, screenwriter and filmmaker. His works include Final Solutions, Tara, A Collected Works, Brief Candle and Other Plays and most recently Me and My Plays published by Penguin.  In 1998, Mahesh Dattani won the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award for his book Final Solutions and Other Plays, the highest award for literary work in India. Mahesh is the first playwright, writing in English, to receive this award. Today his plays are produced in all the major cities of India. His works have been produced in cities outside India as well including London, Leicester, New York, Washington DC, Sydney, Colombo, Toronto and Dubai.

 

Most notably, his play, Dance Like a Man, has completed 600 performances and continues to tour to date. He has written and directed, Mango Soufflé, a film that was adjudged best motion picture at the Barcelona Film Festival in 2003. His film Morning Raga (for which he was writer and director) had its international premiere at the Cairo Film Festival where he won the award for best artistic contribution. Most recently, he has directed his play, 30 Days in September, for Zee Theatre Productions. 

 

Chekhov Express is Mahesh’s fourth directorial collaboration with ICS Theatre after Rakt Phera (2018), Chak De Chekhov! (2017) and The Masrayana (2016). 

 

​

​

​

Meet the Assistant Director:

​

Barkha Kishnani, the founder and heart & soul of ICS Theatre has always had a passion for the arts. Together with her mentoring skills and a keen eye for detail, she has led ICS Theatre to a prominent spot in the theatre landscape. Some of her on-stage theatre achievements include Rudali, The Little Clay Cart, Never Mind, Tartuffe and Rakt Phera. She has assisted Dr. Farley Richmond in Romance in the Garden and Silence! The Court is in Session and Mr. Mahesh Dattani in The Masrayana, Chak De Chekhov! and most recently in Chekhov Express. She has also been the Artistic Director for Satrangi School of Fusion’s Winter Manmohini, for the past 8 years. Barkha, who is a realtor by profession, is a past president of ICS and has been playing a leadership role in the organization for over a decade. She lives in East Brunswick with her loving husband and two beautiful daughters, both of whom are budding professionals in the field of Arts...to people that have known and worked with Barkha, that comes as no surprise.

 

​

​

Synopsis:

Chekhov Express is a collection of short stories by Anton Chekhov, adapted to an Indian setting. These short stories transcend the barrier of time and place. Stories that transport you to modern day India in a voice that’s fresh, unique and resonant with Chekhov’s delicate humor.

 

Chekhov Express will help you relive the magic of Indian railway stations and train journeys!

 

Yaad aa jaayega woh guzara zamana! Khushbu bheeni bheeni-zaayka suhaana!

Chai, Soda, Thanda, Garam,

With Anton Chekhov

 

​

​

CHEKHOV EXPRESS - STORIES, CAST & CREW

 

English adapatation: Mahesh Dattani                               Hindi adapatation: Aditya Datey

 

 

​

A COUNTRY COTTAGE

 

English adaptation of A Country Cottage

 

Narrator: Gayatri Desai

Varsha: Jyoti Presswala

Sirish: Suraj Songire

Coolie: Sanjay Kripalani

 

​

 

CHOR KISKO BOLTA HAI !!

 

Hindi adaptation of The Malefactor 

 

Narrator/Constable: Anil Joseph

Inspector Kadam: Sanjay Kripalani

Prisoner: Shailendra Khurana

Constable Jadhav: Suraj Songire

Jankibai: Lavanya Gopal

Fisherwoman 1: Debjani Banerjee

Fisherwoman 2: Gayatri Desai

Fisherwoman 3: Jyoti Presswala

 

 

​

JAANWAR

 

Hindi adaptation of The Cattle Breeder

 

Narrator: Lavanya Gopal

Narayan Joo: Shailendra Khurana

Gopi: Suraj Songire

Officer/Shunter/Station Master/

Cattle Buyer/Street Seller: Anil Joseph

Driver/Guard/Sadhu/Butcher: Sanjay Kripalani

​

​

 

UFF! YEH PUBLIC!

 

Hindi adaptation of Oh! The Public

 

Narrator/Man 2: Shailendra Khurana

TC Pandey: Anil Joseph

TC: Suraj Songire

Wealthy Woman: Gayatri Desai

Passenger 1: Debjani Banerjee

Passenger 2: Lavanya Gopal

Passenger 3: Jyoti Presswala

Station Master/Man 1: Sanjay Kripalani

 

 

​

​

SAALGIRAH

 

Hindi adaptation of The Arrangement

 

Singer: Gayatri Desai

Narrator/Drunk Man: Sanjay Kripalani

Abdul: Suraj Songire

Nawab: Shailendra Khurana

Girl: Debjani Banerjee

 

 

​

​

KISKO KAHEN?

 

Hindi adaptation of Misery

 

Narrator/Constable: Anil Joseph

Bhimpalas Mahato: Shailendra Khurana

Ghodi: Debjani Banerjee

Sarkari Babu/Drunk Man 1: Sanjay Kripalani

Drunk Man 2: Suraj Songire

Rosie: Jyoti Presswala

 

 

​

​

AN ENIGMA

 

English adaptation of An Enigmatic Nature

 

Narrator: Shailendra Khurana

Shakuntala: Debjani Banerjee

Girish: Suraj Songire

Manoj Banerjee: Sanjay Kripalani

 

 

​

CREATIVE TEAM

 

 

Production Manager/Slideshow: Sanjay Kripalani            Stage Manager/Lights/Sound: Barkha Kishnani

Props & Set: Sri Alathur, Ronak Kumar                                 Costumes: Poonam Tawney, Simran Chugani

Publicity: Debjani Banerjee, Gayatri Desai                                  Flyers: Debjani Banerjee, Komal Mehra

Supertitles (created by): Aditya Datey                                           Supertitles (run by): Dhritiman Banerjee

Choreography: Puja Daga                                                             Music: Vikram Kumar, Aditya Datey