About the Director

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Chittaranjan Tripathi

 

Chittranjan Tripathy is a NSD graduate and a well known name in Delhi’s theatre circle. The play, Tajmahal ka Tender, directed by him, became a hit and ran in Delhi for 10 years. Not only this, he has composed over 500 songs for drama and films. CHITTARANJAN TRIPATHY, an award-winning multifaceted NSD alumnus, Theatre, TV & Film Writer-Director-Composer (severally awarded 2007 Odia feature film ‘Dhauli Express’ & widely acclaimed (‘Mukhyamantri’). Tripathy is also the Music Director, co-producer and acting in the film.

Dhauli Express was his first debutant as a director in Odiya film industry which was shown at completion of 75 years of Oriya cinema, organised by the ministry of information and broadcasting. He has directed some TV serials like Jaaney Pehchaney Se Ajnabee, Mano Ya Na Mano, Yeh Ishq Haaye, Dhoond Legi Manzil Humein and some episodes of Savdhan India and even made his debutant in Hindi bollywood movie named, “ Tera Mera Tedha Medha”.

Tajmahal Ka Tender

About the Play

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Taj Mahal ka Tender is a social and political satire. It deals with the pressing issue of wide spread Corruption in India. The dramatist has potrayed a situation where Shah Jahan, the Mughal Emperor, is reigning in today's times and intends to build the Taj Mahal to commemorate the death of his beloved.

He entrusts this task to his Chief Engineers and owing to the deep rooted corruption he waits in vain till his death... for just the tender to pass. Through several hilarious epiodes, it showcases the greed, malice and shrewdness of the chief engineers and various other government officials involved.

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It took Shah Jahan twenty years to build the Taj Mahal for Mumtaz owing to the hardwork put in by his workforce and the intricacies of the marvel. Now that’s a fact. But how long do you suppose the Taj Mahal would take to build if Shah Jahan made an attempt at it today, with the resources and more at his fingertips? Never, probably. Not so much a fact anymore is it? Tajmahal Ka Tender explores the possibility of the Emperor coming alive in our age, amongst us, giving orders to construct the Taj Mahal in collaboration with engineers, contractors, babus, politicians, social workers et al, which come into action and take the emperor for a roller-coaster ride.

The play first got commercial notice by the National School of Drama under the direction of Chitranjan Thripathi, for which it won the Mohan Rakesh Samman in 1996. Since then several directors have made an attempt at the play with farce as a theme, while some took it up as a serious observation of corruption.