Shaoli Mitra at the shoot of Putulkhela at Tapan theatre on Tuesday. Picture by Pradip Sanyal

With a pair of knitting needles lying around and two kids stomping about, Shaoli Mitra is deep in a scene from Putulkhela at Tapan theatre in south Calcutta. But instead of her audience, she faces a camera planted at the centre of the empty gallery on Tuesday.

Putulkhela is one of the seven plays from the Pancham Vaidik repertoire being shot for commercial release in video format. The other six are Ekti Rajnaitik Hotya, Hajabaralo, Nathaboti Anathabat, Katha Amritasaman, Lankadahan and Chandali.

?This is the first time a theatre performance will be available on VCD. Since people don?t have the time to come to the halls to catch a play, we thought this would be a good idea,? said Biswa Roy of Bhavna Records and Cassettes, the music company that has taken up the project.

Daylong shoots have been planned for all the plays at Tapan theatre, with cinematographer Barun Raha behind the viewfinder.

?We are trying to retain the flavour of stage and that is a challenge for us. The sets, costumes and lights are what we use for the stage productions... The camera gives you a chance for rectification. But with our time constraints, that is not being of any great help,? said Shaoli, who will be conferred the Ibsen Award by the Norway government next month for Putulkhela, her adaptation of Ibsen?s A Doll?s House.

Shaoli will present a paper on her interpretation of Nora, the protagonist in A Doll?s House, at the ceremony to mark the writer?s 100th death anniversary.

Though through with three plays, the stage veteran is a little tense about the longer plays like Nathabati Anathbat and Katha Amritasaman, both solo shows with lengthy spells of dialogue.

?The VCDs may be a little longer than the real time of the plays, when a few close-ups are included. But there will not be any sort of editing,? stressed Roy.

Putulkhela, Lankadahan, Hajabaralo and Chandali will be released in the first phase, sometime in mid-January. All the seven plays will be sold in individual packs.