How Yakshagana shaped Abhinav Grover the actor

The 7th‑century Sanskrit play Bhagavadajjukam (bhagavat: hermit; ajjuka: courtesan) — is among the oldest surviving works successful Sanskrit theatre. Celebrated arsenic a classical lawsuit of prahasana oregon farce, it brims with witty exchanges connected dharma and the absurdity of transmigration, arsenic the yogi and courtesan’s souls swap bodies — leaving different characters bewildered by chaos they cannot grasp.

This past communicative finds its adaptation successful English arsenic Yogi vs Bhogi, directed by Mahesh Dattani and staged by Punaha Theatre. Mahesh’s retelling probes the complexities of sex — its expression, perception, spectrum and stereotypes — with humour and catharsis. The accumulation fuses modern theatre’s physicality with the accepted dance‑drama of Yakshagana, creating a show wherever classical substance and bushed conscionable seamlessly.

It is wrong this satellite that histrion Abhinav Grover’s travel arsenic the yogi unfolds. Born successful Haryana to Punjabi parents, raised successful Rajasthan, and aboriginal drawn to Udupi successful Karnataka done his studies astatine Manipal Institute of Technology, helium discovered theatre arsenic a calling stronger than engineering. He speaks astir however destiny lured him towards Kannada and Yakshagana.

“During assemblage years successful Manipal I ventured into theatre and was hooked. After studies, I headed to the Drama School Mumbai, which was an eye‑opener. I had astonishing teachers who said: ‘Don’t deliberation you person go an actor; you are present a pupil of acting for beingness and proceed to larn forever.’”

“At Drama School Mumbai, I struggled to subordinate to Western carnal theatre, incapable to grasp its language. Neeraj Kabi was 1 of my teachers. He chose to enactment with a module connected epic theatre wherever helium utilized Bharatanatyam and Odissi to nonstop Hamlet. For the play, helium collaborated with Yakshagana teacher Sanjeev Suvarna, who aboriginal became my guru. I recovered it pugnacious to emote done creation oregon movement.”

Then a speech with Neeraj Kabi became a turning constituent successful Abhinav’s life. “I told him I was from Udupi erstwhile I introduced myself, but did not cognize Kannada oregon thing astir Yakshagana. He asked me, ‘you person been determination each these years, yet not experienced its arts and culture?’ That remark stuck with me. Till then, I was nether the content that I wouldn’t request to larn different creation forms being a modern actor. That’s erstwhile I realised wherefore I was not capable to explicit myself done movement. I returned to Udupi and immersed myself successful learning Yakshagana astatine Yakshagana Kendra Udupi and Yaksha Sanjeeva Yakshagana Kendra for 7 years.”

Living successful the gurukul came with its ain acceptable of challenges. “Mornings and evenings were spent successful Yakshagana training, portion days were devoted to moving successful a college. Learning Yakshagana was transformative, though I began precocious — astatine 21. I felt similar quitting aft a period arsenic I did not recognize bushed oregon the language. The recognition goes to my guru who refused to springiness up connected me, saying ‘rhythm is successful the bosom — erstwhile the bosom is beating, however tin determination beryllium nary rhythm?’ He began speaking to maine successful Hindi and told maine that connection cannot beryllium a obstruction successful learning an creation form.”

Soon, months turned to years, “my assemblage started adapting, caput accepting, I adjusted to the gurukul life. At first, the aboriginal dawn‑discipline felt impossible, its repetition numbing. Yet guruji’s unspoken regularisation revealed subject arsenic a holistic way — Yakshagana is full theatre — grooming voice, singing and acting. Meals were cooked collectively, Sundays brought visiting teachers. The gurukul was an oasis wherever creation was absorbed arsenic overmuch arsenic taught and I gradually learnt to talk Kannada too,” shares Abhinav.

By 2017, helium headed backmost to Mumbai, moving determination till 2020. His archetypal large celluloid interruption came with Rocket Boys, followed by The Railway Men with Kay Kay Menon and R. Madhavan, wherever helium portrays the quality of Adil. Then came Superboys of Malegaon, Lucca’s Two Hemispheres, and astir precocious Ikka alongside Akshaye Khanna and Sunny Deol.

Back successful Udupi during COVID, helium co‑founded Punaha Theatre with Venu Madhav Bhatt, staging Harold Pinter’s The Caretaker and present Yogi vs Bhogi. Over time, helium not lone mastered Yakshagana, but besides started directing and acting successful Kannada plays. This travel present finds its look successful Yogi vs Bhogi, wherever Abhinav plays the yogi — a relation that resonates with his ain translation from a hesitant pupil to disciplined performer, embodying the ascetic whose psyche is interchanged with the courtesan. “In Yogi vs Bhogi, I adjacent talk a fewer dialogues successful Kannada. Despite being an English play, Yogi vs Bhogi retains each its songs and immoderate dialogues successful Kannada. Retaining them was important to sphere the taste resonance,” says Abhinav, who besides directed his archetypal Kannada play — Girish Karnad’s Agni Mattu Male — infused with Yakshagana.

Yogi vs Bhogi juxtaposes masculinity and femininity, humour and philosophical depth, speaking concurrently connected metaphorical and existential levels. The accumulation brings unneurotic talents from Mumbai — Abhijeet Singh, Aryan Tandon, Rishabh Kanti, and Anjana Aluwalia — alongside actors from Udupi and Abhinav himself. Together, they make a layered show that blends languages and traditions without losing coherence. Yakshagana is utilized to represent the quality of Yama, portion traces of Kalari signifier the quality of the snake. Though staged successful English, the play feels profoundly rooted successful section culture. Mahesh Dattani adjacent uses soundlessness arsenic a almighty instrumentality of humour.

As for Abhinav, helium looks guardant to exploring different varied people forms of Karnataka and weaving them into his plays. For the moment, helium making the champion of some worlds — surface and theatre.

Yogi vs Bhogiwill beryllium staged connected May 23 astatine Jagriti, Whitefield  successful Bengaluru. Visit Jagriti’s location leafage for details and tickets.