SCRIPTING HIS LIFE

Noted filmmaker Girish Karnad’s autiobiography offers a comprehensive look at the events that shaped his beliefs and vision.

A sublime aspect of Girish Karnad’s storytelling has been the nuanced study of human realities and frailties. But while his characters have lived with us years after we first made their acquaintance, few have known about the life of the award-winning playwright and actor. For, until now, his autobiography was in his native language, Kannada (which was also the language of choice for many of his plays).

However, last month, enthusiasts finally got to pore over Girish Karnad’s autobiography, as the award-winning translator Srinath Perur [of Ghachar Ghochar fame] has interpreted it in English.

This Life at Play: A Memoir by Girish Karnad [HarperCollins] is a richly crafted account exploring the many experiences that shaped the filmmaker and playwright’s life— beginning with his mother, Krishnabai’s second marriage to Dr. Raghunath Karnad, which flew in the face of social mores but followed the children like an unspoken stigma. The memoir also follows his life across the many cities he resided in, the family dynamics he and his siblings dealt with, education at Oxford University, and details about the plays and movies Girish Karnad helmed, which featured luminaries like Shabana Azmi, Naseeruddin Shah, Amrish Puri, and Ratna Pathak Shah, among others.

Here is a memoir that is introspective and visually descriptive at once, with storytelling that is honest and inviting. Turn to this book to understand the journey and contemplations that made Girish Karnad one of the leading lights of Indian cinema.