Audition Process of Hosabelaku
The name still
rings a bell in many hearts with the screen adaptation of the same name
starring the icon of Kannada movies, Dr. Rajkumar. The name literally means
New Light or the mild but melting dawn light of the sun. Like the millions
of Kannadigas we are influenced by this cult classic movie about a man and
his heroic efforts to uplift a girl in distress. Music for this movie made
this eternal thanks to well timed songs and music by M. Ranga Rao. We also
read Vani’s classic novel by the same title to realise that it was not
hero-oriented but rather a feminist tale, where the hero is just a medium
for the heroine to achieve her freedom. But it’s still the silver screen
version, which won acclaim for the story of Vatsala.
We have combined both the scripts used for the movie as well as the novel
and created a stage version, which is bound to entertain everyone. The idea
of the play is to bring the masses back into theatre. Theatre is another
medium of entertainment and Hosabelaku aims to do just that., with the
twists and turns needed to keep the audience at the edge of their seats. The
auditions are being held at Kala Soudha on the 18th of September 2010. The
first shows are planned on October 30, 31 & November 1, 2010 coinciding with
Kannada Rajyotsava.
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Remember you don't have to BE the character. Just feel the character!
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Ravi
Ravi represents the male protagonist of the play who acts as the saviour of
Vatsala and walks with her to her Hosabelaku. He uses negative psychology on
his own sister who has been brutalising Vatsala for many years. He is smart,
articulate, precise and practical - a person with high self esteem. He
speaks with authority and gets his job done no matter what the situation. He
has recently quit his job in Delhi with the intent of starting a music
school.
Vatsala
Talented, bright and brilliant but suppressed due to her naive ignorance.
She is the lead actor of the play. She has been a slave to her stepmother
and continuously misses her own mother and a father who cares about her.
Very talented, she sings like a nightingale but has to cheat her stepmother
to go for practise with her close friend Veda. She grows from this naïve
ignorant girl into a mature lady who makes the decisions of her life
independently by the end of the play.
Rajeshwari
A self-centred control freak, she loves to have every one in the house under
her absolute dictatorship. She doesn’t hate Vatsala but prefers her own
daughter who is dearer to her than the happiness that her step-daughter
desires. She is insistent on being ‘the god of small things’ till she
realises how good Vatsala has been to her and her family. She anchors the
whole drama around this play.
Gopal Rao or Gopaliah
He gets into this marriage by circumstance and not by choice. He has seen
the ups and downs of life and has been faithful to his duties as the man of
the house. He avoids his loud wife with his strictness and tries very hard
to keep the house from falling apart. His love for his daughter is not very
evident (as is the case with many fathers in India). But, by the end of the
play everyone realises the sacrifices he has actually made to save the
family.
Murthy
A talented youngster and Ravi’s ‘chuddi buddy’ he has been inventing new
things every day. He loves to experiment with his products and normally uses
Veda as the guinea pig. The comic relief for the play comes through Murthy
and Veda’s antiques. He also becomes the bridge between Ravi and Vatsala
indirectly. Jovial in nature and light-hearted all the time he will bring a
smile to any face. A very dependable friend to Ravi, he supports him all
through the story in achieving
his goals.
Veda
She is Murthy’s long-time love but also is the object of experiments to her
lover. She is the perfect alibi for Vatsala to pursue her music and related
interests. She also supports Vatsala in getting what she aims for in the
play. She supports Vatsala unconditionally and sees to it that she wins Ravi
as her life partner by the end of the play. Quick-witted and charming she
wins the hearts of everyone she encounters.
Vasu
He is the ‘kahani mein twist’ of the play. He is the new-found opportunistic
groom for Vatsala gone wrong. His only interest is the huge inheritance and
property that Vatsala will inherit once she gets married. Not as cunning as
he sounds but desperate to make a mark for himself, Vasu stands apart from
the other characters of the play by the virtue of his self-centred
intentions. Witty and smart, he can convert a piece of rock into butter only
with his words.
Mr. Sharma
Ravi’s Kannada speaking boss in Delhi who intends to get Ravi married to his
daughter. He realises the talents of the boy and recognises his daughter’s
instant attraction to this most eligible bachelor from his hometown. Strict
and bossy, he cracks up into a big laugh at the drop of a hat.
Lata
Smart and sexy, she is the seductress of the play. She likes Ravi for his
singing talent and shows an instant liking for him. She even decides to
marry him within a couple of meetings. She is also indirectly responsible
for Ravi realising his true love for Vatsala.
Crew
OK you do not know how to speak Kannada, don't worry, just come in as the
crew where all the fun is. You get to get behind the stage and lend
the production its backbone. If you can dance, sing or even create
crafts in your free time you too are welcome. Come on give yourself
the fresh rush of Theatre come work with us.
DOWNLOAD FORM
(for downloading &
printing)
We are having our audition team set for the process. Its fairly simple once the auditions start.
The following would be the steps to auditions, please note that in case of selection or huge turn out the audition could spread over to the next day that is Sunday, 19 September, 2010
Step 1:
Filling up a simple form and submission for registration
{DOWNLOAD
FORM}(for
downloading & printing)
Step 2:
Prepare for the character you
have chosen to audition for. We would have made the script available
in a common area for all the characters listed below. We expect you to
prepare your character presentation with these lines.
Step 3:
Meeting up of the audition committee which will comprise of our Director,
Crew members and other Theater personalities (Sihi Kahi Chandru & Mandya
Ramesh have promised to stop by)
Step 4:
Character presentation in front of the audition committee
Step 5:
Results
As we all know funding a play like this becomes taxing for any theatre group. Our modest budget for sets and other initial investments adds up to a little over a lakh. We need the support of Good Samaritans and patrons of the arts for our production, and in return, there are many ROI schemes, which we have in our basket. Kindly get in touch with us on khkalasoudha@gmail.com or call us on 9880487682 and we would love to meet up with you to discuss the same. The first shows are planned on October 30, 31 & November 1, 2010, coinciding with Kannada Rajyotsava.
The Hindu - Sept 18; Page 2
Deccan Herald - Sept 18; Page 2
Prajavani - Sept 18; Page 3
Deshabhimani - Sept 18; Page 3
Madhyamam - Sept 18; Page 3
Samvaada.com
They have been in partnership with Kala Soudha from the time Fourth Corner Consultants took over the BBMP auditorium. Radio Mirchi is our on air partner who will be supporting Hosabelaku with on air announcements and programs about what's happening in Kala Soudha.
Buzzintown.com is the premier website which covers happenings in Bangalore and many other cities. Like Radio Mirchi they are also partners from the Fourth Corner times of Kala Soudha. They will support Hosabelaku with online promotions, a dedicated page, online ticketing, and mailers.
One of the foremost production houses in Karnataka, they have made their mark on TV with their path-breaking 1000 episode plus Pa Pa Pandu and Silli Lalli. The founder of the house, Sihi Kahi Chandru, is a strong supporter of Kala Soudha and is the chief advisor of its operations. They are supporting Hosabelaku with their technical and production knowledge.
Fourth Corner Productions
Fourth Corner Productions is into production in the audio-visual medium and
media-related services. We started theatre productions with back end
support. Gradually, we started moving into producing our own plays and this
is our fifth production. Please check OUR PAGE to find out more about our
previous productions.
You too can partner with us. Please write to us at kahkalasoudha@gmail.com
Vani, who
happens to be one of the most acclaimed feminist writers of her time,
originally wrote the story. Many of her novels have been made into huge
banner productions like Yeradu Kanasu, Shubhamangala, Avala Bhagya etc.
Hosabelaku was first printed in 1969 and was converted into the huge silver
screen hit starring Dr. Rajkumar & Saritha in 1982. The movie was adapted by
the director duo Dorai and Bhagwan, who made this female-oriented story into
a hero-oriented movie, suiting the image of Dr. Rajkumar at that time.
We had intensive discussions after watching the movie and reading the novel
before arriving at a stage version of these two masterpieces. This has
helped us achieve a balance between what happens in the movie and what is in
the novel. We are all set to entertain with this new experiment of ours.
Chandan Shankar and our director are working together on the script, which
is contemporary and modern.
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What I have
noted largely in the past five years is that there is a fixed set of
audiences for both Kannada & English theatre productions. Wherever there is
a production we have the same set of audiences watching the play at
different venues and more than 70% of the audience is repeated. This is not
an encouraging development for healthy theatre, as we are not adding new
audiences. This also stands out as the main difference between theatre in
Bangalore and in other theatre-rich cities. As an old school theatre
enthusiast, just mentioning or discussing this point was not enough for me.
I felt a need and desire to do something about bringing back the masses into
theatre. Other large theatre groups are staging the same old Shakespeare,
Karnad, Karanth and the likes. My discussions with various theatre groups
and eminent personalities led me to figure out a way for myself.
My friends and volunteers got together to bring out the initial draft of the
story. This was followed by lengthy discussions to come out with a
storyline, which would not compromise what was shown in the movie or what
was written in the book. I am sure that the final product is going to
concentrate on entertainment and on creating new audiences for Kannada
theatre.
P D Sathish Chandra
Sihi Kahi Chandru: For sharing his valuable advice on the development of the product.
Saleela Kappan: For giving us the most needed PR support.
Chandan Shankar: For being there from the beginning of the project and for his narrations.
Srinivas MG: For doing all the liaisons & promotions
Manish Chandra: For helping me with money matters & promotions
Vinay Seshadri: For all the design work & promotions
Ambarish Purohit: For directing us to do what we were meeting to do than gossip over what’s around us.
Manjunath Jambe: An actor who has lent his hand to the production of the play.
R Kumarswamy: To do all the leg work and specially the typing of our recorded scripts.
Shubhra Bhargava: To update all about this play & all online work.
Rosemary Carroll: For rewriting this auditions page.
This is Sathish's fifth production under the Fourth Corner banner. He has been working with different theatre groups from India at different times. After his hibernation or disappearance for three years, the Ranga Shankara festival in 2004 put him back in line with active theatre. He currently runs Kala Soudha as its Director and aims to run the place to encourage new talent and to bring out performances that are fresh and unique. He is now acting as Paddu in Panduranga Vittala, a Kannada sitcom, on Zee Kannada. He is still known for his theatre columns in newspapers and with special reference to the Sunday reviews in the Times of India. For his personal profile CLICK HERE & Artist Profile CLICK HERE
