Zee Theatre joins the celebration of art and culture at 'ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival 2016'

Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL), India’s leading media and entertainment company’s new venture Zee Theatre is all geared up to dazzle Indian theatre fans with their on-ground performance at the ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival. With the recent launch of Zee Theatre, ZEEL became the first Indian broadcaster to transmute theatrical productions into cinematic experiences, offering an enriching culture experience to the audiences. Zee Theatre has partnered with renowned Indian theatre veterans and playwrights to encourage every generation to experience one of the India’s finest art forms. Through this initiative, theatre will be made available on multiple platforms (online, on-air, and on-ground) for audiences to consume at their convenience.    

The classic ‘Piya Behrupiya’, Hindi translation of Shakespeare's classic ‘Twelfth Night’ will be performed at the ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival on 22^nd January. The play, which first premiered at the Globe Theatre in London, is a winner of the META Awards for Best Ensemble, Best Production, Best Supporting Actor (Male) & Best Supporting Actor (Female.) It has also won the Special Jury award for script adaptation. The play which has travelled across Western Europe and U.S.A has done nearly 200 shows across the globe. Piya Behrupiya boasts of a talented and power packed starcast that is directed by renowned director Atul Kumar.

On the occasion, Mr. Punit Goenka, MD and CEO, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited says, “The ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival has grown into the world’s largest free literary festival. We are into the third year of our valuable partnership with this festival and we are happy to showcase our unique initiative ‘Zee Theatre’ at this platform. Theatre has always been revered by many for the rich content exhibited and we believe that our initiative will only increase the reach and recognition of Indian theatre.” 

Shailja Kejriwal, Chief Creative - Special Projects at Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited says, “We are very excited as this is our first live performance. This year the festival is focussing on culture and heritage and we couldn’t have asked for a better platform to showcase Zee Theatre. It represents the oldest art form of theatre that forms an integral part of our rich heritage. The festival is an eclectic mix of music, literature, art and culture and we are extremely glad to be part of this ensemble. We have handpicked this play as it highlights the unique nautanki art form. It is one of the oldest and most entertaining form of storytelling. The ardent theatre lover will appreciate every bit of it.”

Theatre art, as an institution, has been at the heart of Indian culture for many centuries and has played an integral role in shaping our historical identity. As a medium for art, entertainment and social messages, theatre has played a pivotal role in bringing communities together. However, with the plethora of digital entertainment options available today, the gap between theatre and its viewers has widened. Zee Theatre aims to provide a timely boost that will help create a modern take on this form of performing arts and proudly take Indian plays on the global stage. The initiative also will bring some of the most famous regional plays from Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi and Bengali to households for everyone’s entertainment.