The musician has composed for an upcoming English play based on Tagore’s works
Soumya Vajpayee Tiwari (BOMBAY TIMES; August 5, 2018)

After wowing music aficionados with his successful Bollywood soundtracks for almost two decades, composer Pritam Chakraborty is set to tread off the beaten track. He has composed music for an English play, Sundays With Chitra & Chaitali, directed by writer musician Isheeta Ganguly.

Ask Pritam what encouraged him to explore theatre, and he says, “I had no plans to compose for a play, but when Isheeta approached me, I felt intrigued. I had heard about the success of her musical, Three Women. And when I realised that her play is inspired by Rabindranath Tagore’s works, I got excited. I grew up listening to the songs from Tagore’s dance drama Chitrangada, which the play is loosely based on. So the story and songs resonated right away.”

The play, which premieres in the city on August 10, gave Pritam an opportunity to rediscover Tagore’s classic songs after years. “As far as the melodies and rhythm structures go, I kept the original Tagore compositions intact, but worked contemporary, acoustic and layered rhythmic arrangements around them,” says Pritam, adding that composing for films and theatre has similarities and differences. “Making music for a play is similar to a film in the sense that one has to follow the narrative, plot and character arcs. But, for a play, the concept of live performing and dancing brings in a new layer of excitement for the composer.”

The cast of the play features Pritam’s wife, Barbie, which makes the project all the more special for him. “She is making her theatre debut in Mumbai with this play. She has a rich background of Bengali dance dramas,” says the composer, who took a month to put the music for the play together.

Anirban Das (MID-DAY; March 17, 2016)

Shilpa Shetty has stayed away from acting in Bollywood films for a decade now. She may have been seen in a couple of item numbers in films including, Dostana (2008) and Dishkiyaoon (2014), but her last film as an actor was Life In A... Metro (2007) and Apne (2007). Now, if the latest buzz is to be believed, the actress is all set to make a comeback. Apparently, theatre director Isheeta Ganguly is in talks with the actress for a project.

“For nearly a year, Shilpa has been looking at scripts to make her comeback. However, she has not signed any film till date, as she wants to play a powerful woman-centric role in a story driven film. Recently, Isheeta met the actress to narrate the story of her play, Three Women, based on which she plans to make a film. The play deals with Ravindranth Tagore’s works and issues that today’s women face in society,” informs a source.

Shilpa remained unavailable for comment, but the source confirms the news saying, “ Shilpa will give her confirmation only after watching the play at NCPA on March 18. However, Shilpa won’t be producing the film.”

RJ, costume designer, now stage actor - Madhurima Nigam on finally finding herself.
Kunal Guha (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 24, 2014) 

Madhurima Nigam is currently a confused, self-obsessed know-it-all. Or at least, she is trying to be. Bimola, the character she plays in Three Women, an English play by Isheeta Ganguly that's set to make its Mumbai debut this weekend, isn't close to her own reality, thankfully, she 'phews!'

But that's not the only challenge. Being on stage before hundreds isn't easy either.

The first time Nigam, who is married to playback singer, Sonu Nigam, held stage was last year at a local Durga Puja celebration in Kolkata. "They were staring at me excitedly, although they had no idea who I was," she laughs. If the husband could do it every day with poise, she could to, she told herself.

And since that one went well, when Ganguly (her son is Nigam's son Nivaan's classmate at a Mumbai school), came to her with the part in April, she accepted.

A theatre workshop she had attended with veteran Nadira Babbar and daughter Juhi a few years ago helped her slip into Bimola's skin. "Remembering my lines isn't difficult. I just have to remember who I am at the time. How will Bimola react to the given situation is all I need to know," she says, admitting she is an introvert. The workshop, she says, made it easier for her to approach strangers and overcome inhibitions. "The only time I did approach someone, was at a night club in Kolkata on December 24, 1995. It was a Christmas party, and I had been given permission to attend. My friends were crazy about Sonu. Since I was to feature in one of his music videos, I walked up to him. To my surprise, he greeted me with a blank expression. I felt like such a fool!"

She followed Sonu to Mumbai, although her father didn't think pursuing a career in entertainment was wise. Despite being trained in textile design, her first job was as director Kunal Kohli's assistant on television shows. "I learnt a bit of everything then, exploring editing machines like Avid and Smoke which had just been introduced," says Nigam, who was the one to edit Nivaan's kiddy version of Kolaveri Di in 2011.

But her career hit a wall with her wedding to Sonu. "When you live with a celebrity, you forget who you are. But as you grow older, you feel the need to find yourself," she says.

Stardom brought with it what it always does — constant media scrutiny. "I had to choose my career carefully too. If I did well, good. But if I didn't, people would go, 'what is Sonu Nigam's wife doing!' That Sonu left it to her to make every decision concerning herself was encouraging, she thinks. "He'd end those conversations with, 'It's your life, your decision and your burden'.

Finally, it was the role of costume designer that worked out. Returning to the craft she trained in, she was signed on as designer for the occasional TV show, and Sonu's public appearances.

A gig for a radio channel where she interviews film industry veterans has survived a year because it allows her the freedom to record at will. "I didn't want to take up anything that takes away from my role as wife and mother," says Madhurima. She is clearly enjoying being both, and that's a solace after the couple hit a rough patch a couple of years ago, with Sonu declaring before the press in 2005 that they have split.

The balm of time has brought with it maturity, and Madhurima says while she was warm in the sympathy women in torn relationships tend to receive, Sonu was hit hard by it. "He is way more emotional than I am," she says.

The open struggle she waged to save the relationship could be the reason she is quasi-counsellor on Facebook.

"People approach me with their issues, and I listen, empathise and counsel," she says, building a case for how she'll make the perfect tell-all talk show host. "I'd be as memorable as Oprah Winfrey and as classy as Simi Garewal," she declares.