Sunil Shanbag
{{Short description|Indian theatre director and filmmaker (born 1956)}}
{{EngvarB|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Sunil Shanbag
| image = Sunil Shanbag.jpg
| caption = Shanbag in Mumbai, 2008
| alt = A middle-aged Indian man with a warm, empathetic look.
| nationality = Indian
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1956|10|7}}
| occupation = {{hlist|Theatre director|screenwriter|filmmaker}}
| years_active = 1974–present
| alma_mater = University of Bombay
}}
Sunil Shanbag (born 7 October 1956) is an Indian theatre director, screenwriter and documentary filmmaker. He has graduated from University of Bombay, and although he didn't have any formal training in theatre, he has worked extensively with Satyadev Dubey,{{cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/fr/2007/01/26/stories/2007012601140300.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070706125837/http://www.hindu.com/fr/2007/01/26/stories/2007012601140300.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=6 July 2007 |title=Friday Review Delhi / Theatre : The relentless march of time |date=26 January 2007 |accessdate=16 October 2011 |work=The Hindu |location=Chennai, India}} who considers him one of his foremost protégés.{{cite web|url=http://www.rediff.com/movies/report/satyadev-dubey-on-his-art/20110715.htm |title='Problem with teaching and acting is same as sex' |work=Rediff.com |date=15 July 2011 |accessdate=16 October 2011}} In 1985, Shanbag founded the theatre company Arpana. Its work is characterised by "contemporary and original texts by Indian and international playwrights (in translation), strong performances, minimalist staging, and innovative use of music and design."{{cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/fr/2007/03/16/stories/2007031601540300.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071127142900/http://www.hindu.com/fr/2007/03/16/stories/2007031601540300.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=27 November 2007 |title=Friday Review Delhi / Theatre : Celebration of Mumbai |date=16 March 2007 |accessdate=16 October 2011 |work=The Hindu |location=Chennai, India}}
Plays
In 2007, Shanbag directed the critically acclaimed Cotton 56, Polyester 84 which won three META awards at the Mahindra Theatre Festival, including Best Original Script for its writer, Ramu Ramanathan. The play is a celebration of Mumbai, through the culture spawned by rapid industrialisation, specially in the mills of Girangaon.
In 2010, Shanbag opened the play S*x M*rality & Cens*rship.{{cite web|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/interview_several-of-my-plays-have-run-into-resistance-says-sunil-shanbag_1344281 |title='Several of my plays have run into resistance,' says Sunil Shanbag – Entertainment – DNA |work=Daily News and Analysis |date=7 February 2010 |accessdate=16 October 2011}} The play revolves around the censorship woes faced by Vijay Tendulkar's Sakharam Binder in Mumbai in 1974, juxtaposing this against the sanitising of tamasha traditions by middle-class conservatism.{{cite news|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2001-10-10/mumbai/27255466_1_nathuram-godse-boltoy-government-bans-sakharam-binder |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120913043205/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2001-10-10/mumbai/27255466_1_nathuram-godse-boltoy-government-bans-sakharam-binder |url-status=dead |archive-date=13 September 2012 |title='Banning a play is not the solution' |date= 10 October 2001|work=The Times of India |accessdate=16 October 2011}} The play was funded by a grant from the India Foundation for the Arts and underwent research and rehearsals for almost a year.{{cite news|author=Devina Dutt |url=http://www.thehindu.com/arts/theatre/article53006.ece |title=Arts / Theatre : Cynosure of many eyes |work=The Hindu |date=22 November 2009 |accessdate=16 October 2011 |location=Chennai, India}} Ultimately, it was nominated for nine awards at the META Awards,{{cite web|url=http://www.metawards.com/plays/2010/sx-mrality-and-censrship/ |title=S*X, M*Rality, And Cens*Rship | Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards |publisher=Metawards.com |date=5 March 2010 |accessdate=16 October 2011}} with supporting actress Geetanjali Kulkarni finally winning for her performance.{{cite web|url=http://www.metawards.com/awards/winners/2010-winners/ |title=Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards |publisher=Metawards.com |accessdate=16 October 2011}}
Also in 2010, through his play Dreams of Taleem, Shanbag tried to cope with the death of playwright Chetan Datar by incorporating Datar's play 1, Madhavbaug in a narrative that dealt with the isolation felt by its gay protagonists.{{cite web |url=http://www.timeoutmumbai.net/theatre/theatre_details.asp?code=228&source=1 |title=city guide and fortnightly listing magazine :::: |work=Time Out Mumbai |access-date=16 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101128205341/http://timeoutmumbai.net/theatre/theatre_details.asp?code=228&source=1 |archive-date=28 November 2010}} According to The Hindu, it did not seem to ask any new questions in the areas of theatre and sexuality, "despite its strong performances and a script that was otherwise quite seamless."{{cite news|author=Deepika Arwind |url=http://www.thehindu.com/arts/theatre/article405179.ece |title=Arts / Theatre : Seeking answers |work=The Hindu |date=19 April 2010 |accessdate=16 October 2011 |location=Chennai, India}}
In 2011, Shanbag presented his musical, Stories in a Song. The show was conceived by noted classical vocalist Shubha Mudgal and percussionist Aneesh Pradhan for the 2011 Baaja Gaaja festival in Pune.{{cite web|author=Vikram Phukan |url=http://www.firstpost.com/blogs/hindustani-music-in-bite-sized-morsels-17999.html |title=Hindustani music in bite-sized morsels |date=31 May 2011 |publisher=Firstpost |accessdate=16 October 2011}} According to Mumbai Mirror, the stories in the play "reflected the socio-historical times in which they happened, and are lightly lined with satirical or sympathetic comment."{{cite web|url=http://www.mumbaimirror.com/article/57/20110609201106090443559778cfb44ab/Voice-on-centerstage.html |title=Voice on centerstage, Columnists – Shanta Gokhale |work=Mumbai Mirror|accessdate=16 October 2011}}
In 2012, Shanbag was invited to perform a Gujarati adaptation of All's Well That Ends Well as part of the Globe to Globe festival in London, in which all 37 of Shakespeare's plays were performed in 37 different languages at Shakespeare's Globe.{{cite news|author=Andrew Dickson |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2012/apr/20/world-shakespeare-festival-globe-theatre-rsc |title=World Shakespeare festival: around the Globe in 37 plays |work=The Guardian |date= 20 April 2012|accessdate=1 June 2012 |location=London}} The play was well received in the UK press, with The Guardian giving it a four-star rating,{{cite news|author=Andrew Dickson |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2012/jun/01/alls-well-that-ends-well-review?newsfeed=true |title=All's Well That Ends Well – review |work=The Guardian |date= 1 June 2012|accessdate=1 June 2012 |location=London}} and the Arts Desk stating, "Shakespeare's problem play is solved by a buoyant Gujarati staging from Mumbai."{{cite news|author=Matt Wolf |url=http://www.theartsdesk.com/theatre/globe-globe-alls-well-ends-well-shakespeares-globe-0 |title=Globe to Globe: All's Well That Ends Well, Shakespeare's Globe |publisher=The Arts Desk |accessdate=1 June 2012}} Titled Maro Piyu Gayo Rangoon in India, the play had previously premiered in Mumbai, with veteran theatre critic Shanta Gokhale describing it as "a truly remarkable achievement".{{cite news|author=Shanta Gokhale|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-05-17/news-interviews/31748326_1_heli-bharat-ram-bertram |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120711152744/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-05-17/news-interviews/31748326_1_heli-bharat-ram-bertram |url-status=dead |archive-date=11 July 2012 |title=All's well that ends well |date=17 May 2012 |accessdate=16 October 2011 |work=The Times of India|location=Mumbai, India}} In 2014, the play was invited back to the Globe for another run of shows in a month that marked the 450th birth anniversary of Shakespeare.{{cite news|author=Vikram Phukan|url=http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/5Xs39ixRtC9tEtSDderr6I/Happy-ending.html |title=Happy ending |publisher=Livemint |date=26 April 2014 |accessdate=6 August 2014 |location=Mumbai, India}}
In April 2016, Shanbag directed his inaugural tiatr production titled Loretta, which is an English play set in Goa during the 1970s. Its initial performance took place in Mumbai. The original script, crafted in Konkani by Pundalik Naik, was subsequently translated into English by Milind Dhaimade.{{Cite web |last=Dore |first=Bhavya |date=2016-03-31 |title=Tiatr, Goa's best-loved theatre form, is getting an English-language twist from a veteran director |url=https://scroll.in/article/805490/tiatr-goas-best-loved-theatre-form-is-getting-an-english-language-twist-from-a-veteran-director |access-date=2025-01-29 |website=Scroll.in |language=en}}
Films
Shanbag has worked with Shyam Benegal and was a co-author, along with Shama Zaidi, for the television serials Yatra and Bharat Ek Khoj. In 1993, he produced Maihar Raag, which won the National Film Award for Best Non-Feature Film in 1994.{{cite news|url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080727/jsp/graphiti/story_9600426.jsp |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120918085214/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080727/jsp/graphiti/story_9600426.jsp |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 September 2012 |title= Breaking new ground |work=The Telegraph|date=27 July 2008 |accessdate=16 October 2011 |location=Calcutta, India}}
In 2009, Shanbag directed the short film, The Sword and the Spear, which was based on an international tour undertaken by contemporary dancer Astad Deboo and his troupe of Thang-ta martial arts performers from Manipur.{{cite news|author=Savitha Gautam |url=http://www.thehindu.com/arts/dance/article34819.ece |title=Arts / Dance : Moving beyond the stage |work=The Hindu |date=16 October 2009 |accessdate=16 October 2011 |location=Chennai, India}}
References
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Category:Indian theatre directors
Category:Indian male dramatists and playwrights
Category:Screenwriters from Mumbai
Category:Indian television writers
Category:Indian documentary film directors
Category:Film directors from Mumbai
Category:Hindi-language screenwriters