Indian musical theatre has a global resonance today,” says Amitosh Nagpal

On World Music Day, the multi-talented star behind Zee Theatre’s teleplay, ‘Piya Behrupya’ discusses his passion for all things musical

Music is integral to every experience in India and be it cinema or musical theatre, songs are an essential part of the narrative and through their melodies and lyrics, can express a million emotions. Be it pathos, joy, love, longing, loneliness, or a sense of community, there is always a song that perfectly articulates life in all its complexity. Actor, screenwriter, and lyricist Amitosh Nagpal who adapted Shakespeare’s ‘Twelfth Night‘ to ‘Piya Behrupiya‘, a joyful theatrical musical, agrees.

He says, “Musical stories continue to thrive because our emotions are deeply interlinked with music. This is why in films and in theatre, very often songs are woven into situations where a character itself is a singer and expresses emotions musically. We have also had films and plays where there is absolutely no justification for songs and yet they are sprinkled generously across the story. This is not to say that we don’t enjoy them. Of course, we do!”
Amitosh however longs to see a fully-sung musical where even mundane situations and thoughts will be expressed through songs. He says, “I have always enjoyed transported musical plays and this is why writing ‘Piya Behrupiya’ was such an interesting and fulfilling experience. The adage that the language of music is universal is really true because ‘Piya Behrupiya’ interpreted a Shakespearean comedy in the ‘nautanki’ tradition and yet it was well-received wherever in the world it traveled.”

The team performed the play also at London’s hallowed Globe Theatre and Amitosh recalls, “To stand on the floor where the great William Shakespeare himself had performed was a great experience! The outpouring of love we received also made us realize that Indian musical theatre has come of age and has a global resonance today.”