New Delhi: As Ramlilas unfold across the capital this festive season, some productions are taking a different route, moving beyond conventional storytelling through cinematic spectacle or a return to traditional stagecraft.
At Netaji Subhash Place, Aryan Heritage Foundation’s Broadway Ramlila compresses the entire Ramayana into a three-hour production featuring more than 100 performers, 3D visuals, elaborate sets and 20 original soundtracks, including the voices of Udit Narayan and Kailash Kher. Running from Oct 14 to 19, the production also explores the emotional complexities of characters such as Kaikeyi, Dashrath and Ram. Meanwhile, Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra’s 69-year-old ‘Shri Ram’ is returning to its classical roots after nearly 25 years. The dance-drama runs at Mandi House until Nov 1. Launched in 2015, the production was also taken to cinemas in 2020. The two-hour-and-15-minute dance-drama traces Ram’s life from birth through exile and the journey to Lanka, culminating in his coronation. Performances begin daily at 6.30pm, with the season concluding in ‘Ram Rajya’. Envisioned by Kendra founder Sumitra Charat Ram in 1957, the production drew contributions from artists like Ramdhari Singh Dinkar, the Dagar Brothers, Rahi Masoom Raza and lighting designer Tapas Sen. Born in Kerala in 1954, Nair began learning Kathakali at nine and later trained in Mayurbhanj Chhau and other dance traditions. ‘Shri Ram’ has reached more than 25 lakh spectators in India and overseas, travelling to 35 countries, according to the Kendra.
Since the 1970s, chairperson Shobha Deepak Singh has introduced contemporary stagecraft, LED visuals and Hindi and English translations on side screens. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Delhi | Silver Rate in Delhi | Bank Holidays in Delhi | Public Holidays in Delhi | Delhi AQI | Weather in Delhi | Petrol Price in Delhi | Diesel Price in Delhi | CNG Price in Delhi | LPG Price in Delhi Stay updated with the latest Delhi news.
“The challenge is considerable — condensing an epic of enormous scale while retaining the characters and turning points that define it,” said Mittal. Foundation chairperson Ishwar Bansal said the endeavour was to reach wider audiences while remaining faithful to Valmiki’s narrative “without compromising on scale and grandeur”. “Shri Ram is a tradition that has lived across generations,” Singh said. The endeavour, she added, was to “preserve its soul while allowing the timeless values of the Ramayana to resonate with audiences today”.
Handmade sets, newly-designed costumes, traditional lighting and original chaupais of the Ramcharitmanas replace modern visual effects. At Broadway Ramlila, this year’s theme, ‘Charitron Ka Adhyayan – The Study of Characters’, brings the human dilemmas within the epic into focus, from Kaikeyi’s transformation from a loving queen to demanding Ram’s exile, Dashrath’s helplessness as a father and Ram’s acceptance of losing his kingdom. Created by foundation president Rajender Mittal and directed by Shashidharan Nair, the production frames the epic as a story passed between generations. Actor Sourabh Raaj Jain voices a modern-day grandfather narrating the Ramayana to his grandchildren, Luv and Kush. At the Kendra’s Open Air Theatre on Copernicus Marg, ‘Shri Ram’ follows a different visual rhythm. Its choreography blends Indian classical and folk traditions. This year’s return brings the original verses and traditional visual language back to the centre. The renewed staging is led by principal choreographer Nair. He has served as the Kendra’s premier choreographer for four decades. Singh’s association with the Kendra began in childhood, watching rehearsals alongside her mother, Sumitra. Trained in Kathak, she later studied theatre direction and stagecraft. Its audiences include families returning with children, continuing a festive ritual across generations. Download the TOI App.