Date: 28^th Feb 2020
Venue: Jawahar Lal Nehru Indore Stadium, Delhi

Spring is in the air and it is love all around. If there is any weather for love stories – this is it.

One of the most popular love stories of all times is Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. All of us would have seen many renditions of this classic Shakespeare play in various mediums (Sanjay Leela bhansali’s Ramleela was one of those). Director Feroz Abbas Khan has made his rendition of the Romeo and Juliet. Placing the story in Punjab, he has given the whole play a local flavour starting from the name. This rendition is called Raunaq & Jassi and last week we watched this at Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium, Delhi.

The stage reproduces a mansion and a courtyard in an opulent North Indian rural setting. Given that the piece is based on Romeo and Juliet, the quintessential balcony is a major part of the mansion. We found a photo booth outside that resembled the iconic balcony and took some fun shots. The costumes are designed by ace designer Manish Malhotra and that is it seems one of the selling points during promotion.  The garments are very North Indian – colours, sequins and embroidery.  The grandeur of the clothes befitted the trousseau and guests’ attire at a big fat Indian wedding. In fact, bright colours, happy notes, song and dance and generally exuberant presentation – these characteristics make the play a very spring production.

The story is familiar to most. Based on a musical format, the troupe here breaks into group and solo jigs off and on. The purpose is not to advance the play but to entertain in a somewhat Bollywood style. In keeping with the Shakespearean style, the script is in verses. That while is a little limp in certain parts, evokes laughter at many places. For the benefit of audience who may not follow Hindi, they have subtitles running on monitors placed at two sides of the stage. This sensitivity to comfort of audience is most praise worthy.

The high point of the piece is its live singing. The play starts with a lively rendition of the popular number “Damadum mast kalandar” and the kajri “Barasan lagi badariya” is sung later in the background. The strong voice and the clear diction of the singer capture the audience mood and create a melodious ambience in the auditorium. Many are seen swaying to the tune from the seats. That was clearly a connect.

There are so many great things happening here. Yet somehow the production fails to engage. We suspect it is the all too common story. Romeo and Juliet is so oft repeated on stage, in celluloid, in so many different languages that there is no surprise. We ourselves have seen so many versions of this play on Delhi stages and cinema on screen that there is little expectation from the plot. Raunaq & Jassi perhaps is a victim of this over familiarity. The Punjabi “Oye” stereotypes are also a tad overdone and repetitive. The song and dance routines, while otherwise entertaining, are unable to salvage the plot or predictability of the play.

Yet the play has its moments and overall leaves a happy feeling. Tea and snacks outside, during media preview at the auditorium creates a sense of warmth, like visiting someone’s place. These little things make Raunaq & Jassi a pleasant evening watch.