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 The Kalidas Edit- Nrupa Somane-mail: nrupas@gmail.com Photos: Naresh Gulati September 21, 2025 Kalidasa. The very name evokes visions of scenes set in lush green forests, of comely maidens and mighty heroes and the vast tapestry of human emotions laid out in all its glory. A poet par excellence, known for his ability to observe and express the little details that mark the human experience, Kalidasa has always been a favourite amongst the artistes. The title itself, the Kalidas Edit, intrigued me. A concept brought to life by Madhur Gupta (Odissi) and Shreyasi Gopinath (Bharatanatyam) at Stein auditorium, Delhi, on the 30th of August 2025, the Kalidas Edit explores and reinterprets Kalidasa's works for a contemporary time. An ambitious venture to explore three works - Ritusamhara, Kumarasambhavam and Abhijnana Sakuntalam - in a mere 1.5 hours, made for an interesting watch.  Madhur Gupta & Shreyasi Gopinath The show opened with their interpretation of the Ritusamhara. Seemingly taking a page out of Kathak's repertoire, and perhaps a nod to Madhur's dance roots, they took turns narrating anecdotes, based on their memories of each season. Each anecdote was then duly performed to the chosen jati. From power cuts to icecream carts to winter morning bath times, a variety of ideas were explored as an attempt to bring to life the seasons and their changing phases in modern times. While not unpleasant to watch, it could have been more detailed in the imagery and the talam combinations. When the dancer focuses on a microcosmic idea, letting the audience fill in the colours, it makes for a richer experience. In this rendition, it felt simply a mudra to word translation of their narrated story, which had little to do with the original poem. Kalidasa's sole contribution to this was the title.  Madhur Gupta Kumarasambhavam was a step up. After the rather loosely knitted Ritusamhara, this was a better conceptualised and executed idea. Madhur Gupta brought in his flamboyance and sense of drama through the music and lights, and despite it being a solo performance, could narrate the story well and had the audience celebrating the wedding of Shiva and Parvati. Credit to him for the succinct conceptualisation and to his very talented musicians for the composition. The characterisation could have been more marked and distinct, making the transitions between characters more noticeable. Nevertheless, it was a pleasant watch that whetted one's appetite, and one could look forward to Abhijnana Sakuntalam.  Shreyasi Gopinath Shreyasi Gopinath is certainly talented, both as a speaker and a dancer. However, the overly detailed synopsis that she narrated at the start, along with English dialogues during her piece, meant that her performance of Abhijnana Sakuntalam felt again a simple mudra to word translation, leaving nothing for the audience to explore and savour. The shadow play technique used to show Dushyanta’s entry and hunt was unnecessary. While the gimmick helps create a buzz before the dance begins, it was an underutilised idea, being the sole scene to use this technique. Her main obstacle it seemed was the sheer length and detail of the play itself. Trying to compress it into roughly 30 mins or so meant there were portions she had to rush through, giving herself less scope as an artiste. Barring the small opening and concluding nritta pieces, Madhur and Shreyasi did not dance together, belying the Odissi - Bharatanatyam confluence flaunted in the posters. While Ritusamhara focused on contemporary imagery, the other two acts were very much along the lines of a traditional portrayal and could have done with a little more of the artistes’ personality to justify the title of their show. The Kalidas Edit is supposed to be a conversation between tradition and innovation, but here it feels a little lost in translation.  Nrupa Soman is a Pune/Delhi based dancer, dance researcher and anchor of classical dance and music festivals. |
