Kavan
Video & Projection Designer
An Ambedkar-ite Opera about dreams, dilemmas and caste in contemporary India.
Yalgaar Sanskrutik Manch and Nalanda Arts Studio present Kavan, an Ambedkar-ite Opera.
In a rapidly changing India, young Bejul and those around him navigate their dreams, desires, dilemmas while also negotiating caste and class. An operatic satire, written and performed fully in poetry and songs about young Ambedkarite experiences, Kavan attempts to encapsulate the rapidly changing India we see around ourselves - a country with mounting ambition, full of contradictions. Where do we go when the boundaries between right and wrong, sacred and profane, personal and universal are blurred?
Kavan premiered at Prithvi Theatre Mumbai on 8th and 9th February 2025. This play is supported by New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) Arts and Humanities and co-commissioned by The Arts Center at NYUAD.
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Working on Kavan as a video designer was a fantastic, unique experience. Imagined as a concert, the video design focused on displacing the stage action and not rely on representational visuals. The design focused on three kinds of videos. Real-life photographs and images introduced different characters to the audience, offering a distance from the action that echoes Bertolt Brecht's alienation effect. Then there were AI-generated visuals that aimed to bring out caste in Indian cities and how the characters of Kavan see the world they inhabit. A unique challenge in designing this was getting AI to arrive at a distinctly Indian aesthetic that incorporates the visual language and hues of the Ambedkarite movement. Lastly, there were videos that combined stock footage, videos captured by Yalgaar members, song lyrics and poetry to complement musical numbers on stage. The music composed by Yalgaar and MD Pallavi served as a powerful underscore to the animation design, as well as the lighting design by Niranjan Gokhale added to the final projection output.
Cast and Crew
Performed by: Siddharth Pratibhawant, Pravin Mukta, Priypal Dashantee, Dhammarakshit Randhive, Amruta Todarmal, Apurva Kadam
Songs and Playtext: Siddharth Pratibhawant, Sudhesh Jadhav, Pravin Mukta, Priypal Dashantee, Irawati Karnik, Dhammarakshit Randhive, Amruta Pushkar, Apurva Kadam, Abhishek Majumdar
Story: Sudesh Jadhav
Directed by: Abhishek Majumdar
Music composer, music supervisor, music arranger and sound design: MD Pallavi
Music arrangement: Dhammarakshit Randhive, Siddharth Pratibhawant
Dramaturgy: Irawati Karnik and Jocelyn Clarke
Music production, background score and sound design: BamBoy
Producer and Production Manager: Veena Appiah
International producing: Veena Appiah and Karishma Bhagnani
Choreography: Diya Naidu
Associate Director: Neel Sengupta
Assistant Directors: Rituparna Sanyal and Nikhita Singh
Light Designer: Niranjan Gokhale
Set Designer: Busshan Patil
Video Designer: Gaurav Singh Nijjer
Costume Designer: Amruta Todarmal
Assistant costume designer: Bhakti Dange
Set Execution: Vivek Jadhav
Cow Puppet Maker: Kapil Dev
Poster Design: MD Pallavi
Production Associates: Pratik Chandrakant Patil, Kailas Jadhav, Vijay Kamble
Research: The Ensemble and Tanvi Shah
Archive and Publicity Design: Shubham Roy Choudhury
Making of Kavan film: Shubham Roy Choudhury and Rahul Bachate
Documentary Film Workshop: Surabhi George
Music Collaborations: Abdul Asif , Dushyant Deorukhkar
Thanks to New York University, Global Asia Program, Brahma Prakash, Komita Dhanda, Toral Jatin Gajrawala, Bill Bragin, Awam Amkpa, Mark Swislocki, Avneesh Mishra, Rangshila Theater Group, Mumbai, Nirmik Cultural Center
About Yalgaar and Nalanda Arts Studio
Yalgaar Sanskrutik Manch was formed in 2015, inspired by Babasaheb Ambedkar’s vision of cultural reform preceding political change. Rooted in progressive movements across Maharashtra, the group uses Ambedkari Shahiri Jalsa to address caste based social oppression in marginalized communities. Yalgaar unites artists and activists on a common platform to strengthen cultural activism, and promotes a culture of non-violence, democracy, and humanism. Their plays blend storytelling, poetry, song, satire, and improvisation, Babasaheb’s speeches, and collective lived experiences of the members. Active across Maharashtra and beyond, they aim to empower marginalized voices, promote inclusivity, and inspire change through art and collaboration. Kavan is their first foray into proscenium theatre.
Nalanda Arts Studio is a Bangalore-based arts organization working on research, scholarship, training, and practice of performing and fine arts with a focus on collaborations between Asian, African, and Middle Eastern artists and communities.
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