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Mohit Takalkar

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Mohit Ratnakar Takalkar
Mohit Ratnakar Takalkar
Born (1977-08-18) 18 August 1977 (age 47)
Kalyan, Maharashtra
EducationGraduation from Institute of Hotel Management, Mumbai and Masters in Theatre Practice & Direction from the University of Exeter, UK
Occupation(s)Theatre Director, Filmmaker, Film Editor and Restaurateur
Parents
  • Ratnakar Takalkar (father)
  • Aparna Ratnakar Takalkar (mother)

Mohit Ratnakar Takalkar (born 18 August 1977) is an Indian theatre director, filmmaker and film editor from Pune, Maharashtra.[1] He co-founded the theatre company, Aasakta Kalamanch in 2003.[2]

Takalkar has directed more than 30 experimental plays in Marathi, Hindi, Urdu, Kannada, Marwari and English languages. He has directed movies including The Bright Day and Medium Spicy. He also runs his restaurant Barometer in Pune.[3]

Personal life

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In 2000, he met Geetanjali Joshi, an actor during rehearsals of his first playYayati. They married in 2005 but separated in 2007.

In 2011, he was diagnosed with Bipolar II disorder and has been vocal about it.[1][4][5]

Career

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He completed graduation from the Institute of Hotel Management, Mumbai[6] and briefly worked in the hospitality industry as a chef, before shifting his focus towards the entertainment industry. He then studied animation from the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing.

Theatre

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Takalkar started his theatre career with the Progressive Dramatic Association, Pune. He won the Maharashtra State Award for the Best Play and Best Director for Yayati and Nanephek and later for Tu (2007).[1]

In 2003, he co-founded Aasakta Kalamanch. His plays are known for minimalism in staging with technical excellence and a strong visual language.[7] Takalkar directed a flurry of plays for Aasakta repertory, which were mainly performed in Sudarshan Rangmanch, a small intimate theatre space for about 100 odd audiences, in the heart of Pune. Takalkar often acknowledges the contribution of this space in experiments with his craft.[8]

He received the Charles Wallace scholarship which enabled him to pursue his master's degree in Theatre Practice from the University of Exeter in 2010 under the guidance of Phillip Zarrilli. This exposure changed his practice and upon returning to India he directed plays with large ensemble casts which include Comrade Kumbhakarna, written by Ramu Ramanathan, for the repertory company of the National School of Drama.[9] Deepa Ganesh for the Hindu wrote, “The play, intense and multi-layered, is full of signs and metaphors, weaving into its polyphonic narrative, mythology, politics and life as it were”.[10]

He then went on to direct his Marathi production of Uney Purey Shahar Ek based on the English play, Bendakaalu on Toast by Girish Karnad.[11] Shanta Gokhale for Pune Mirror wrote, “Mohit Takalkar walks with Karnad step for step, giving us a piece of theatre that is memorable as much for its strong conviction as for its refined stage craft”.[12]

In 2015, he directed the Hindostani production of Main Hoon Yusuf aur ye hai Mera Bhai translated from Palestinian playwright, Amir Nizar Zuabi's English play, I am Yusuf and this is my brother.[13][14] It went on to win five awards at the Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards, including Best Play and Best Director. Critic Shanta Gokhale reviewing for Mumbai Mirror wrote, “Followers of this director’s work are accustomed to seeing a stage design that intrigues the eye. In this case, there was just a table at the beginning and a low white ‘rock’ later, that also served as diverse seating arrangements. As the stories of the characters unfolded, the starkness of the stage became part of the meaning of the play, reflecting the fear, confusion and misery that was invading their lives”.[15] In 2017, Takalkar directed Chaheta in Urdu, based on another of Zuabi's plays, The Beloved.[16]

Takalkar directed two plays for Aadyam, an initiative of the Aditya Birla Group. Gajab Kahani an adaptation of Jose Saramago’s The Elephant’s journey, was played in a black box, where the audience sat in the center on swivel chairs while the play was performed in 360 degrees around them.[17] He then went on to direct Mosambi Narangi, a Hindi adaptation of Marie Jones' English play, Stones in His Pockets, in which two actors, Rajit Kapur and Ajeet Singh Palawat, played more than 20 characters.[18][19]

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Takalkar directed a digital play, The Colour of Loss based on Booker Prize winner, Han Kang’s The White Book.[20] When the theatres re-opened after the pandemic, he devised a multilingual theatre piece, Hunkaro which is based on the story Asha Amar Dhan by Vijaydan Detha.[21] Deepa Punjani for Mumbai Theatre Guide wrote, “Mohit's directorial sensibilities put the story and the actor first, but the design though not obvious, is palpable. The simplicity belies the more abstract”.[22] Hunkaro went on the win seven awards at META 2023 including best play and best director for Takalkar.[23]

In 2023, Takalkar returned to Marathi theatre after a hiatus of 9 years directing an adaptation of Sam Steiner's, political two-hander Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons starring Lalit Prabhakar.[24][25]

Films

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  • The Bright Day (2012)
  • Chirebandi (2017)
  • Occasional Reflection on the contingencies of life (2021)
  • Medium Spicy (2022)
  • Toh, ti ani Fuji (2024)

In 2012, Takalkar scripted, edited, and directed his debut feature film The Bright Day in Hindi-English which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.[26][27][28] It was in competition at the Shanghai International Film Festival, Mumbai International Film Festival, and was showcased at the London Indian Film Festival, Vancouver South Asian Film Festival, Calgary International Film Festival, Indian Film Festival -The Hague.[29][30][31] It won the Grand Jury Prize and Best Director at the South Asian International Film Festival. The film stars Sarang Sathaye, Radhika Apte, Rajit Kapur, Shernaz Patel and Mohan Agashe.[32] Katherine Matthews for Bollyspice wrote, “The Bright Day occasionally feels staged, the dialogues occasionally stilted, but there is much in Takalkar’s film that is thoughtful, joyous and charming”.[33]

In 2017, he scripted, edited, and directed his debut non-feature in Marathi-English, Chirebandi on the life and works of celebrated Playwright Mahesh Elkunchwar, which was commissioned by the Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi.[34][35]

In 2019 he went on to direct his debut Marathi feature film, Medium Spicy for Landmarc Films starring Sai Tamhankar, Parna Pethe and Lalit Prabhakar. The film released three years later in June 2022 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[36] Meenakshi Shedde for Mid-Day wrote, “Takalkar’s film is a nuanced reflection on the unreliable rewards of love and marriage. It is an astute, funny, thoughtful and philosophical film about people like us, with enough romance and romantic songs to make it a rather satisfying indie film that is streets ahead of Bollywood in many ways”.[37] The film was screened at Norway Bollywood Film Festival, Pune International Film Festival, Dhaka International Film Festival, River to River Florence Indian Film Festival and the Stuttgart Indian Film Festival.[38]

In June 2021, soon after the pandemic, Takalkar directed an English language experimental feature film, Occasional Reflection on the contingencies of life shot entirely on an iPhone. It was produced by his home production, Nek Iraada Films and mostly non-actors were cast. However, the film remains unreleased.[39]

In July 2022, it was announced that Takalkar would direct his next Marathi film Toh, Ti ani Fuji (Him, Her and Fuji) produced by PlatoonOne Films. The film was shot in Pune and Tokyo and stars Lalit Prabhakar and Mrinmayee Godbole and remains unreleased.[40]

Takalkar has edited over 20 feature films which include, Cobalt Blue, Soyarik, Kaasav, Astu, Badha, Dithee, Chidiya, Nital, Samhita among others.[41][42]

Acting

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He has played minor roles in films like, Godavari, Gho Mala Asla Hava, CRD, Devrai. However, Takalkar maintains that he acts only for fun and that he lacks the conviction and hard work necessary for being an actor.[43]

Accolades

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  • Homi Bhabha Fellow 2016–2018[44]
  • Shankar Nag Theatre Award for the year 2015[45]
  • Best Production and Best Director at the Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards for Mein Huun Yusuf Aur Yeh Hai Mera Bhai (2016)[46] and Best Production and Best Director for Hunkaro (2023)[47]
  • Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar
  • Grand jury prize for Best Director and Best Film for The Bright Day at the New York South Asian Film Festival[29]
  • Charles Wallace Scholar 2009-2010

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c Nath, Dipanita (2 July 2017). "The Pursuit of Stillness: How a bipolar disorder drives this theatre director's work". Indian Express. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  2. ^ Phukan, Vikram (6 August 2016). "Pune: a theatre epicentre". Mint.
  3. ^ Phukan, Vikram (29 August 2017). "Culinary adventures in theatreland". The Hindu.
  4. ^ Deepak, Sukant (9 April 2023). "Indian theatre not taking risks". IANSLife.
  5. ^ Sibal, Prachi (3 May 2024). "An Act of Happiness".
  6. ^ Gehi, Reema (19 October 2019). "Director's Cut". Mumbai Mirror.
  7. ^ Ray, Shreya (30 March 2016). "Mohit Takalkar: The Minimal Master". Open Magazine.
  8. ^ Phukan, Vikram (6 August 2016). "Pune: a theatre epicentre". Mint.
  9. ^ Joshi, Ajay (8 February 2020). "The edge of seventeen". The Bridge Chronicle.
  10. ^ Ganesh, Deepa (18 October 2011). "In bits and pieces". The Hindu.
  11. ^ Gahlot, Deepa (15 June 2019). "Rooted in Reality". The Bridge Chronicle.
  12. ^ Gokhale, Shanta (11 March 2013). "Crafting a city". Pune Mirror.
  13. ^ Karnoor, Maithreyi (28 April 2016). "The story of real people". The Hindu.
  14. ^ Gupta, Manik (24 February 2017). "Play Explores Love In The Time Of War". Ten News.
  15. ^ Gokhale, Shanta (19 November 2015). "Bound by love". Mumbai Mirror.
  16. ^ Phukan, Vikram (8 March 2019). "Abraham and Isaac's story". The Hindu.
  17. ^ Phukan, Vikram (13 July 2017). "Mammoth journey, fragmented dramatics". The Hindu.
  18. ^ Banerjee, Kaushani (3 November 2019). "From the other end of glamour". The New Indian Express.
  19. ^ Phukan, Vikram (10 October 2019). "Shifting stories of aspiration, loss and exploitation". The Hindu.
  20. ^ Bhuyan, Avantika (19 December 2020). "How the covid-19 pandemic scripted Indian theatre's second act". The Hindu.
  21. ^ Singh, Deepali (2 July 2022). "Mohit Takalkar: 'In each of the three stories, the essential fulcrum is hope'". Money Control.
  22. ^ Punjani, Deepa. "Hunkaro Play Review". Mumbai Theatre Guide.
  23. ^ Nath, Dipanita (30 March 2023). "META: Mohit Takalkar's Hunkaroo sweeps prestigious theatre award". The Indian Express.
  24. ^ Nath, Dipanita (18 August 2023). "Mohit Takalkar's new Marathi play 'Ghanta' to premiere today". The Indian Express.
  25. ^ Singh, Deepali (12 September 2023). "IHC Theatre Festival: Mohit Takalkar to stage his most political play yet". The Mint.
  26. ^ "Mohit Takalkar set to make his mark at Tiff with the Bright Day". 4 September 2012.
  27. ^ "Bright Spot - Indian Express".
  28. ^ Chatterjee, Saibal (16 September 2012). "Mumbai makes its mark". The Tribune.
  29. ^ a b "Pune filmmaker's debut film wins jury award in New York | Pune News - Times of India". The Times of India.
  30. ^ "Mumbai film festival unveils competition sections".
  31. ^ "Mohit Takalkar's film to compete at a film festival in Shanghai - Times of India". The Times of India.
  32. ^ "The Bright Day: Goa Film Bazaar Review". The Hollywood Reporter. 2 December 2012.
  33. ^ Matthews, Katherine (14 September 2012). "TIFF Special: The Bright Day Movie Review". Bollyspice.
  34. ^ Phukan, Vikram (3 June 2017). "A film on Elkunchwar by another playwright traces a rich legacy". The Hindu.
  35. ^ Unnithan, Vidya (30 March 2018). "NAGPUR VANTAGE POINT". The New Indian Express.
  36. ^ "Theatre director Mohit Takalkar on his debut Marathi film Medium Spicy, and the possibility of Indian commercial cinema telling personal stories". 2 June 2019.
  37. ^ Shedde, Meenakshi (10 July 2022). "Love: great, but optional". Mid-Day.
  38. ^ "Mohit Takalkar's Medium Spicy is being screened at Norway's Bollywood Film Festival". Archived from the original on 3 August 2022.
  39. ^ "Occasional Reflection on the Contingencies of Life". filmfreeway.com. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  40. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (25 July 2022). "'Him, Her and Fuji' Sets Japan and India September Shoot". The Variety.
  41. ^ "Mohit Takalkar". IMDb.
  42. ^ "Interview With Mohit Takalkar : www.MumbaiTheatreGuide.com". www.mumbaitheatreguide.com.
  43. ^ "Nikhil Mahajan's Marathi Film Godavari To Premiere at 75th Cannes Film Festival". News 18. 18 May 2022.
  44. ^ Bari, Prachi (6 January 2019). "Meet Mohit Takalkar, the accidental director". Open Magazine.
  45. ^ "Enjoy Uney Purey Shahar Ek on Ranga Shankara's View from the 4th Row programme". The Times of India.
  46. ^ Unnithan, Vidya (28 February 2018). "A wartime saga". Pune Mirror.
  47. ^ Nath, Dipanita (30 March 2023). "META: Mohit Takalkar's Hunkaroo sweeps prestigious theatre award; Lavani artiste Shakuntalabai Nagarkar wins Best Female Actor". The Indian Express.
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