Durban: A digital production on how Diwali became a celebratory festival will be released on the South African Hindu Maha Sabha's Facebook page on November 4.
The production, titled The Diwali Story, was spearheaded by Shivani Kara and Yujir Ramparsad from Eastern Moves Production.
They led the team in direction, writing, and choreography.
Kara said as the title suggests, the production told the story on how Diwali came to be celebrated by Hindus globally.
"Adapted from the Hindu scripture, the Ramayan, we go along on the journey of Lord Ram, Lakshman, and Sita and their 14 years of exile from the city of Ayodhya. The defeat of the demon king, Raavan ((SUBS: RAVANA???)), and their much-awaited return home culminates in the celebration of Diwali."
She said the team wanted to make the production engaging and appealing to all audiences.
"We love Bollywood, and so the format we chose is that of a Bollywood short film. It includes song, dance, vibrant costumes, and breathtaking locations. We kept the story traditionally authentic with our team of talented actors portraying the roles of our main characters, and it is narrated to audiences in English."
She said the introduction of modern dance styles, like hip hop, gumboot and ballet, juxtaposed with classical Indian dance forms like Kathak and Bharatanatyam gave a unique flair to the project.
"More than attracting a younger audience, it promotes the cultural diversity of how Diwali is celebrated in South Africa. Having said that, yes, audiences young and old will thoroughly enjoy what we have put together."
Kara said the story was narrated by Shaastra Nagesar and Byron McNiel.
"Our lead roles are portrayed by Sashin Kandhai, Uraysha Ramrachia, Jitesh Ranchod, Zaakir Noor, Priya Patel and Vaughn Lucas. We also have a special performance by singer Rivaan Bechan. Our exceptional dancers are the team from Eastern Moves Productions. It is free and anyone can watch it on Facebook."
She said the production team also included Kapture Studios and its director of photography Yuveer Karunchund and lead videographer, Vicram Purshotam.
"This is the first venture into filmmaking by Eastern Moves Productions, as our pre-Covid forte was theatre. It has been challenging and at the same time exciting to work in the digital space, and we have been exposed to the many opportunities that digital productions bring with it."
She said while they could not wait to put on a performance to a live audience again, the hope was that the digital platform will allow for a much larger global audience to experience the talent that South African artists possessed.
The production will be released at 6am and can also be viewed on the Eastern Moves Productions Facebook page.
The Post