Drama/Cinema/Theatre
'It's showtime' for Alysha
Enacting the role of a choreographer young Alysha Khodaiji impresses the audience in the mythological musical
On her fragile six-year-old shoulders rests the responsibility of unraveling the developments in the popular stage production, It's showtime folks!! The Ramayana revisited. The cast list has Alysha Khodaiji's name at the very top for she enacts the role of a choreographer in the 90-minute play. Whilst she delivers her impressive dialogs that appeal to both adults and children she creates quite a few ripples in the audience.
At the shows held at St Andrew's Auditorium and Sophia College Auditorium the audiences who come to witness the Raell Padamsee directed drama are not just friends and the doting parents of the 75 star cast in the five to 12 age-group. Often seen among the spectators are popular figures from the corporate, hospitality and entertainment world who have brought their own kids to witness the magic and message of the timeless epic. Not that names or faces matter to Alysha who is so absorbed in her role that she has little time to think of anything else. Set in a modern day school, the children's behavior is juxtaposed against relevant episodes from the Ramayana to reinforce the values of sharing, caring, honesty, loyalty in an entertaining manner. Like all the other lines that she has learnt by heart Alysha repeats: "If I'm scared, how can I enjoy myself? And if I'm not having fun, how can I act?" Alysha remembers Padamsee's soothing words when she was anxious before the first show, "Chill out; everything will be fine."
Does she need any backstage prompting? Alysha does not understand the question. If she forgets her lines is there someone to help her? Yes, she says, a person seated in the audience. Ask the little lass which is her favorite scene and prompt comes the reply, "I enjoy the ending where we dance, shout and finally the audience starts clapping." The musical includes participants from The Youth Wing of Sangit Kala Kendra, The Academy for Creative Expression, from Hormuzd Khambatta's dance troupe and kids from Akanksha, a non-governmental organization .
The months of hard work, the reduction in her leisure time, the sacrifice of parties Alysha did not mind. As she puts it, "We did lots of practice, but it was lots of fun too." One particular practice session she found harrowing was when they had to rehearse in excessive heat in the absence of electricity.
Conversant now with Hindu mythology the artiste is familiar with the legends and folklore associated with Zoroastrianism too, she insists. "I ask people and they tell me. My Hindi teacher tells me about the different Gods and Goddesses... Jal Uncle (Ervad Jal Kootar) tells me stories" connected with the Zoroastrian religion. He will soon be readying her for her navjote in December.
Studying in the first standard at the Dhirubhai Ambani International School Alysha's present ambition in life is "to be an actress or a fashion designer." In the past she had nurtured different dreams, she confides. With her fascination for flashy clothes and jewelry will the sudreh-kusti be a part of her regular attire after her navjote? "On my navjote I will be giving a promise to God that I'll wear the sudreh-kusti regularly," she declares. "I like to go to all temples," maintains the child who is a regular at the Mevawalla Agiary in Byculla and enjoys the tranquility at the H. B. Wadia Atas Bahram too.
At the shows held at St Andrew's Auditorium and Sophia College Auditorium the audiences who come to witness the Raell Padamsee directed drama are not just friends and the doting parents of the 75 star cast in the five to 12 age-group. Often seen among the spectators are popular figures from the corporate, hospitality and entertainment world who have brought their own kids to witness the magic and message of the timeless epic. Not that names or faces matter to Alysha who is so absorbed in her role that she has little time to think of anything else. Set in a modern day school, the children's behavior is juxtaposed against relevant episodes from the Ramayana to reinforce the values of sharing, caring, honesty, loyalty in an entertaining manner. Like all the other lines that she has learnt by heart Alysha repeats: "If I'm scared, how can I enjoy myself? And if I'm not having fun, how can I act?" Alysha remembers Padamsee's soothing words when she was anxious before the first show, "Chill out; everything will be fine."
Does she need any backstage prompting? Alysha does not understand the question. If she forgets her lines is there someone to help her? Yes, she says, a person seated in the audience. Ask the little lass which is her favorite scene and prompt comes the reply, "I enjoy the ending where we dance, shout and finally the audience starts clapping." The musical includes participants from The Youth Wing of Sangit Kala Kendra, The Academy for Creative Expression, from Hormuzd Khambatta's dance troupe and kids from Akanksha, a non-governmental organization .
The months of hard work, the reduction in her leisure time, the sacrifice of parties Alysha did not mind. As she puts it, "We did lots of practice, but it was lots of fun too." One particular practice session she found harrowing was when they had to rehearse in excessive heat in the absence of electricity.
Conversant now with Hindu mythology the artiste is familiar with the legends and folklore associated with Zoroastrianism too, she insists. "I ask people and they tell me. My Hindi teacher tells me about the different Gods and Goddesses... Jal Uncle (Ervad Jal Kootar) tells me stories" connected with the Zoroastrian religion. He will soon be readying her for her navjote in December.
Studying in the first standard at the Dhirubhai Ambani International School Alysha's present ambition in life is "to be an actress or a fashion designer." In the past she had nurtured different dreams, she confides. With her fascination for flashy clothes and jewelry will the sudreh-kusti be a part of her regular attire after her navjote? "On my navjote I will be giving a promise to God that I'll wear the sudreh-kusti regularly," she declares. "I like to go to all temples," maintains the child who is a regular at the Mevawalla Agiary in Byculla and enjoys the tranquility at the H. B. Wadia Atas Bahram too.
◆ ◆ ◆
From the archive