Atul Satya Koushik

Atul Satya Koushik

Atul Satya Koushik is a theatre doyen who is active in Indian theatre as a playwright, director, producer and promoter. He is known for making grand stage productions featuring famous celebrities from Bollywood, TV and theatre. His plays generally feature huge sets, flamboyant costumes and large on stage cast. He is one of the modern pioneers of commercial theatre in Delhi with a large number of ticketed shows running to full houses. After he was denied admission in premier drama and film institutes of the country, he formed his own theatre company in Delhi in 2009 and then entered into collaborations with various producers over years to make larger than life stage productions.

Education and early career

He got senior secondary education in the field of Commerce before joining the prestigious Sri Ram College of Commerce in University of Delhi to finish his graduation in commerce with honours. Soon after he finished his studies of Chartered Accountancy and became a member os Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. He also holds a degree in law from the Faculty of Law, University of Delhi.^[1]

Still in his early thirties, he has written 15 full-length plays so far including Chakrayuh which marks the comeback of Nitish Bharadwaj as Krishna, Raavan Ki Ramayan starring Puneet Issar as Raavan, Draupadi featuring Himani Shivpuri and Rakesh Bedi, Wo Lahore featuring Avtar Gill, Kahani Teri Meri with Kiran Kumar, Saudagar - An Indian adaptation of Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, Couple Trouble starring Kashmera Shah, Dad's Girlfriend, Bade Shahar Ke Log, Kaali Shalwar Aur Khushiya, George Orwell's popular work Animal Farm, Temporary Matter and others in the past few years. He has staged more than 400 shows of these plays which are absolutely different from each other in terms of content as well as treatment.

Atul belongs to the new age of playwrights who are trying to fill the vacuum of good original Hindi plays which is being felt by theatre practitioners in India for quite some time. Having an experience of over 12 years in theatre at various levels, his relation with the art form dates back to 2001. His plays Chakravyuh, Raavan Ki Ramayan, Draupadi, Dad's Girlfriend and Wo Lahore are some of his promising contributions to original play-writing in India. He has also come up with some remarkable adaptations of classic Indian and foreign literature in the form of Kahani Teri Meri, Kaali Shalwar and Animal Farm.

His plays based on chapters from mythology with streaks of his imagination such as Draupadi ^[2] and Chakravyuh ^[3] have won accolades for its performances in various parts of India. Atul was invited by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to perform his play Chakravyuh at Rajya Sabha Auditroium for a show for the Members of Indian Parliament.

Atul's play Draupadi ^[4] starring and shows how the lives of 21st century women resonate chapters from the Panchal princess' life. Using the dramatic device of a play within a play, the director has chosen 11 female actors to enact this juxtaposition. It shows how a set of Haryanvi females take the liberty of the absence of males in their house to perform the banned play Draupadi, but end up finding a reflection of Draupadi's life in theirs. Veteran film and TV actor Rakesh Bedi has also been seen in this women-oriented production.

Atul's another popular play Wo Lahore shows the internal conflicts in an ordinary Indian family against the backdrop of the freedom struggle and social beliefs of the Partition. TV actor Avtar Gill was recently seen in a cameo in the play Wo Lahore that has been staged in over 10 cities including Lucknow, Chandigarh, Delhi and Mumbai.

Atul has recently been awarded with the Saluting The Entrepreneurs Award by Times Group for his excellence in the field of art and theatre. His organisational skill is seen in the formation of The Films and Theatre Society in 2009 encouraging young people working in different fields into its fold. The group is known for organising an impressive festival of literature, films and theatre annually in Delhi. In a short span, Atul has been able to build an audience for his shows that are invariably staged to a capacity hall.

Atul's theatre group The Films and Theatre Society (FTS) has been directing, producing and marketing commercial theatre productions in different parts of India since 2009. It has staged shows and theatre festivals in over 25 cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Shimla, Indore, Baroda, Jodhpur, Dehradoon and Agra. Its productions feature famous film, TV and theatre personalities, and all of them put together offer a wide range of themes, genres and presentation styles. FTS has also been conceptualizing, and organizing various theatre and arts festivals at large scale putting together artistes, sponsors and audience for larger-than-life arts extravaganzas.

The group has been organising its annual mega arts festival with the name of Rang for past five years.

Awards and achievements

RAI Vasundhara Ratna Award for his contribution in the field of theatre and art to be given in November, 2017 by Respect Age International.

Times Entrepreneurship Award in the field of theatre by Times Group in 2016.

Best Performing Arts Promoter Award for his contribution in Indian Theatre by Abhinaya Rangmanch, Hissar in 2016.

Pioneer in Commercial Theatre Award by Artists' India in 2015.

Yuva Natya Nirdesak Puruskar by Sahitya Kala Parishad, Govt. of NCT of Delhi in 2013.

His plays have been performed at various prestigious festivals and platforms such as Jaipur Rang Mahotsav, Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, Bhartendu Natya Uysav, Yuva Satya Utsav, Parliament House Auditorium, residence of veteran Indian politician Lal Krishna Advani.

Only active ^[5] playwright-theatre director in Delhi with a CA degree

Books and published works

His play Chakravyuh has been published by Times Group Books in the form of a book in the year 2016. Foreword of this book has been written by Lal Krishna Advani. His other plays including "Raavan Ki Ramayan" and "Draupadi" are also under publication and will soon be available.

References

• ^[1]
• "The Films and Theatre Society to present a theatre festival at the Kamani auditorium in Delhi - The Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 2015-12-02.
• "Krishna now on stage - The Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 2015-12-02.
• "A kaleidoscope of colours". The Hindu. 2013-07-10. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2015-12-02.
• "The Films and Theatre Society presents RANG". newstrackindia.com. Retrieved 2015-12-02.
• "Celebrity presence on stage: Theatre's success secret? - The Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 2015-12-02.
• http://aajtak.intoday.in/story/draupadi-play-directed-by-atul-satya-kaushik-1-808830.html
• "Nitish Bhardwaj returns as Lord Krishna in play". http://www.hindustantimes.com/. Retrieved 2015-12-02. External link in |website= (help)
• "Draupadi, Now and Then". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2015-12-02.
• "Post-Nirbhaya, Delhi theatre focuses on women-centric issues - The Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 2015-12-02.
• http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/theatre/A-play-on-Draupadis-of-the-21st-century/articleshow/49384764.cms
• "Atul Satya Koushik's 'Wo Lahore' and 'Draupadi' to be staged at Shri Ram Centre on April 25, 26 - The Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 2015-12-02.