The vision behind Sunil Shankar’s ‘Conversations 2016’

Director to depict Karachi in positive light in ‘Conversations 2016,’ talks collaboration with Chaggar

KARACHI: After having racked up an impressive portfolio in theatre direction, Sunil Shankar is gearing up for a pure movement-based dance drama titled ‘Conversations 2016: A Love Letter to Karachi.’ A common denominator in most of his performances is actor and dancer Joshinder Chaggar, given their spate of collaborations like The Charmed Ring and The Goat or who is Sylvia. The two have become partners in crime and will be co-directing this latest project as well. Talking to The Express Tribune, Shankar discussed the vision behind his venture and fourth collaboration with Chaggar.

As Shankar remains bent on pushing the artistic limits further, Conversations 2016 is set to showcase the metropolis of Karachi as a character in itself. Fourteen dancers will represent the city in the dance drama, with Shankar as their leader, representing the soul of the city and its good and bad events. “Karachi has too many dimensions. It can be a lover, a mother, a father, a friend, an enemy, happy and sad. The list is endless,” Shankar said. “It’s not beautiful at first glance but if you are patient, it slowly reveals its beauty to you. The deeper you go, it’s actually a very universal story.”



However, what makes Conversations 2016 even more interesting is that it is purely performance based with no verbal communication. When asked how he expects the audience to react to this different style of theatre, Shankar said, “I think they will be quite awe-inspired to see how one can express so much with pure movement. Conversations 2013 was beautiful. It said so much. I watched it multiple times and every time I did, it said something different to me.”



Shankar enjoys watching people move and feels a sense of liberation when involved himself. “It really brings forth to my awareness the limitations I have put on myself. Not just physical limitations but also emotional ones. So I feel watching bodies moving on stage for an hour will also be quite cathartic for some audience members,” he added.

Initially, Chaggar approached Shankar with the idea of the storyline. But when asked what urged him to get on with the project he mentioned, “People make a place and too often, we focus on the negativity and not on the positive things that happen all around us, in our day-to-day lives. Of course tragedy affects us all but what about the love? Doesn’t love affect us all too?”



Shankar shared he is thrilled to depict Karachi in a positive light. Having never directed a pure dance drama before, he said, “This play is not just dance. It’s a story. There’s a conflict, strong characters, precise motivations – just like a regular play. So it’s my challenge to make sure that all these elements don’t get lost, even during movement.”

Revealing the secret behind his joint ventures with Chaggar, Shankar claimed he feels their styles complement each other. “Both of us are risk takers. We find ourselves endlessly discussing ideas and exploring new ways of doing things and so naturally, end up working together a lot.”



This time around, the duo has tried to strike a balance between being too artistic while also making sure the audience understand the story. “It’s a play about their city and we really want to include them on the journey with us.” The performances are slated to take place from July 28 to August 14 at FTC Auditorium, Karachi.

Conversations 2016: A Love Letter to Karachi incorporates the city with the obvious and the subtle and also what is personal to Shankar and Chaggar. “I feel if we are able to succeed with our vision, we will create a very artistic portrayal of Karachi through movement and dance and projections,” concluded Shankar.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 11^th, 2016.

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