A Cultural Medallion and one of Singapore’s most sought after playwright, Haresh Sharma, and model-actor Shreya Bhargava joined forces to stage Eclipse, a play that deals with the subject of India-Pakistan partition in 1947.
Written by Haresh, Shrey plays three characters from three generations — the grandfather, the father and the son — in this 70-minute production by The Necessary Stage.
Eclipse was a part of the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2025 and staged five shows from January 15 to 18, with two shows on the last day.
Connected to India spoke to Haresh and Shrey before the start of the festival.
This production was first staged in 2008 as a short play, but the 2025 version was elongated for the festival in Singapore.
“I was originally commissioned to write a short play on the theme of separation,” Haresh tells CtoI.
Instead of writing about the separation of Singapore and Malaysia, Haresh chose the Indo-Pak context as his family experienced the turmoil firsthand.
He also used bits from his life to add to the story.
Shrey, who moved to Singapore from India as a toddler, says even though his family wasn’t directly affected by the partition, he would still hear the elders speak about the topic during his trips to India, and that led to the growth of his interest in the subject.
Watch the absorbing Spotlight interview below to know more about Eclipse, Haresh Sharma and Shrey Bhargava.
