Anurag Jain's Blog on Bangalore Events, Travel, IIM Bangalore, IIM, IIMB, Management

Monday, May 10, 2004

Posted 6:18 PM by Anurag

ART & Alliance Française de Bangalore presents Dirty Hands (Les Mains Sales)

ART & Alliance Française de Bangalore presents
Dirty Hands (Les Mains Sales) by Jean-Paul Sartre Directed by Arundhati Raja.

On 6, 7, 8 May 7 p.m. at Alliance Française. Tickets: Rs. 120 available at Alliance Française

Featuring
Kartik Iyer, Sukhita Aiyar, Abhijeet Shetty and Sabreen Baker with Kartik Kumar, Pritham Kumar, Anish Singh and Nilanjan Choudhury.
Stage Manager Gitanjali Calro
Lighting - Pradip Belawadi
Sound - Madhav Costume - Sankeerthi Make-up - B. Ramakrishna
Backstage Amol & Selvan
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Jean-Paul Sartre, France's famous philosopher and author was one of the most popular playwrights of the 60s. Although his philosophy remained more
talked about than read, his novels were popular and his plays were much performed. In fact, it was almost a binding obligation in the 60s for student drama groups to perform Huis Clos (No Exit).

His not so popular play, Les Mains Sales or Dirty Hands, was first performed in 1948 and was widely interpreted as an attack on communism. However, as a political thriller, peppered with satirical humour, it's theme is not so simplistic. It raises many issues: power play; political choices and how far should one go for one's ideals? Touching even on women's rights, it is very much a play for today, timeless and universally located.

In a fictional east European country ("Illyria") in the dying days of the second world war, a young man is commissioned by a revolutionary Socialist Party to assassinate the leader of a rival faction. This leader is thought to be diluting the party's principles by forming a coalition government with liberal and right wing parties. Is he able to carry out this assassination? If so, was it for the right reasons?

With costume, music and sound effects of the period (1943-45), this is a play not to be missed. Come and watch a piece of classic drama!