8 months ago
Pret: Ibsen’s Ghosts in Modern India
Pret is a Hindi version of a famous old play called Ghosts by Henrik Ibsen.
It talks about how old beliefs and new ideas fight with each other.
The play is set in India and shows how society sometimes hides the truth to keep up appearances.
The 'ghosts' in the play are not real spirits but ideas like fear and blind faith that haunt people.
The director, M K Raina, says everyone has these ghosts inside them.
The play also uses sickness as a symbol to show how society can be unhealthy when it doesn't face the truth.
It's about how women and other people push against old rules to make things better.
The play is performed by a group of talented actors and is meant to make people think and question things.
Pret is a Hindi adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's 1881 play Ghosts, translated by Nemi Chandra Jain and directed by M K Raina.
The play explores the conflict between traditional beliefs and new ideas in contemporary India, using the metaphor of disease to represent societal ills.
The 'ghosts' in the play symbolize inherited ideas of fear, repression, and blind faith that haunt individuals and society.
The production features a distinguished cast and is produced by Anuradha Dar, aiming to provoke thought and unsettle comfort.
Pret questions the cost of silencing truth and the struggle for progress, particularly highlighting the role of women in challenging societal norms.
- Who
- M K Raina (director), Nemi Chandra Jain (translator), Anuradha Dar (producer), and the cast including Rakesh Kumar Singh, Kavita Seth, Vipin Kumar, Namrata Sinha, and Arpit Anand
- What
- A Hindi adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's play Ghosts, titled Pret, exploring themes of tradition, change, and social hypocrisy in contemporary India
- Where
- Performed in India, with a focus on the cultural and social context of the country
- When
- The original play was written in 1881, and the adaptation is a contemporary production
- Why
- To confront and question inherited morality, social hypocrisy, and the cost of silencing truth in modern Indian society
Key facts
- Play Title
- Pret
- Original Play
- Ghosts by Henrik Ibsen
- Translator
- Nemi Chandra Jain
- Director
- M K Raina
- Producer
- Anuradha Dar
- Cast Members
- Rakesh Kumar Singh, Kavita Seth, Vipin Kumar, Namrata Sinha, Arpit Anand
- Themes
- Tradition vs. Change, Social Hypocrisy, Inherited Morality
- Metaphor
- Disease as a Symbol of Societal Ills
Quotes
M K Raina
Theatre veteran and director of the play “Pret”
“Contemporary is the confrontation between new ideas, new discoveries and new beliefs against old beliefs.”
thestatesman.com
“What my mother did, what my sister does, what my daughter will do in each era is different.”
thestatesman.com
Anuradha Dar
Producer of the play “Pret” and prominent figure in Delhi’s theatre and education circles
“Our endeavour at TAC has always been to bring meaningful, intellectually engaging work to audiences, and Pret continues that legacy.”
thestatesman.com
“Not just a play from the past, but a mirror held up to our present.”
thestatesman.com
