INSIDE

Issue 3 | Year 1 | www.mytheatrecafe.com

“Theatre is like making love”

Says multi-talented Yuki Ellias in an interview with Kirti Arora

Beginning of aTheatrical JourneyPage 3

Search for Moolah!Page 5

6 decades, 3 generations & inherent passion for theaterPage 7

For the love of UrduPage 9

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RendezvousCafe

Yuki Ellias is a performer, teacher, movement director and filmmaker, all rolled into one. Having been trained in movement-based theatre from the Jacques Lecoq School of Theatre, Paris and London International School of Performing Arts, the actress has performed in countries like UK, US, Canada, Australia, Italy and India.

Based in Mumbai, Yuki is currently heading Dur  se  Brothers - a company  that creates unique site specific and musical/ theatre performances. Started along with Sheena Khalid, the company’s first show “The Weird and the Wonderful” was an interactive performance and storytelling show based on Alice in Wonderland. Their second show titled “Superheroes’ was designed on a catwalk with audiences on either side of the ramp.

In fact, the company’s association with Madball Co. and Silverfish Events led to the recently concluded Commedia festival for the first time at the Prithivi Theatre. For the uninitiated, Commedia dell’Arte is an Italian mask tradition, which is all about desperation, urgency and minute-to-minute survival.

Elaborates Yuki, “The masks and the characters are very relatable to Indian society and our physicality. Also, the form is very physical and virtuosic and you can see its DNA in the many comic characters & scenarios of Moliere, Goldoni, and Shakespeare.” She further adds that the audience had a blast during the show and many even came back stage to look at the masks and ask questions about the same.

Interestingly, what adds to her long list of credentials is her work with world renowned opera director Tim Supple. She was chosen as the movement director for UK’s leading opera company Opera North on their production of Mozart’s Magic Flute, which toured many UK cities and venues. Talking about her experience, Yuki recalls, “It was phenomenal. I had to work really hard to prove my mettle as I was quite young.” She mentions

one instance, when the chorus master told her, “You can’t move like that to Mozart, it’s blasphemous!” But after the first show, he came back to her and said, “The audience loved it. It worked.”

Yuki even made her Bollywood debut with the feature film – Love You to Death, as a co-writer and actress. With her father Rafeeq Ellias as the director, the film won an Audience Choice Award at the Anchorage

International Film Festival and the Royal Reel Award at the Canada International Film Festival.

However, she feels that theatre is her first love, which makes an artist vulnerable, strong, poetic, and funny at the same time on stage. “Theatre involves one time act; hence it is important to dedicate yourself completely, whilst in front of the camera, a scene can be stopped many times. Acting in front of the camera is not very good lovemaking,” she quips.

As an instructor, Yuki conducts workshops and master classes for actors, students, teachers and corporates in the UK, US and India. Her organization uses the medium of art to achieve creative solutions at the workplace. “From communication to collaboration, innovation and inspiration, the arts provide great learning for the individual as well as the organization,” says Yuki. l

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“Theatre is like making love”

Better than Bollywood

Yuki even made her Bollywood debut with the feature film – Love You to Death, as a co-writer and actress. With her father Rafeeq Ellias as the director, the film won an Audience Choice Award at the Anchorage International Film Festival and the Royal Reel Award at the Canada International Film Festival. However, she feels that theatre is her first love, which makes an artist vulnerable, strong, poetic, and funny at the same time on stage.

Share Your PassionMy Theatre Cafe is for all theatre lovers to come together and share their passion. We would love to hear from you on the articles or subjects in this issue, meories or simply anything related with the drama and theatre. Shoot your mails to

hello@mytheatrecafe.com

Cafe3 Rendezvous

Kirti AroraRight exposure opens many doors

of opportunities. Exactly that’s what happened with Ayatullah Khan, Founder and Director of Rangrez Theatre Productions in Mumbai. Hailing from a small village called as Nua in the Juhunjhunu in Rajasthan, Khan was like any other village boy. Going to the farm, rearing animals, climbing trees and spending days playing games was his routine. Until one of his maternal uncles took him along to study in Jamia Milia Islamia University in New Delhi and henceforth the life of this carefree village boy changed forever.

Before coming to Jamia, Khan was never exposed to theatre. “Coming to Jamia changed my life entirely. I became an entirely new person,” says Ayatullah. In fact, it was while studying at the University that Khan attempted his first skit, which became quite popular with the students. After that skit, students started recognizing him. And as they say, one thing led to another and he became part of Jamia IPTA society.

“My journey in theatre actually began from there. During the same time, I also appeared for the NSD exam but couldn’t clear it. I even went back to Rajasthan, prepared myself for the exam by taking admission in the Dramatics Department of the Rajasthan,” adds Khan. However, as destiny would have it, due to an accident, Khan couldn’t appear for the exam the next time either.

Despite all this, he didn’t give up and ended up training under some of the respected names in the theatre circle. Khan has received extensive theatre training from late Habib Tanveer, Ranvir Singh (National IPTA President) and Adil Hussain. But, according to Khan, Pranab Mukerjee (student of late Badal Sarkar) from Kolkata turned out to be his true mentor, who immensely helped him grow as an

individual.

Call it their hard work, dedication or good networking skills, but the theatre group has made quite a good name for itself in a short span of time since its inception in 2007. The group has staged shows in Goa, Gujarat, Ahmadabad, Delhi, Diu, Mumbai and Rajasthan. Their latest production ‘Gandhi Se Pehle Gandhi’ was staged at the recently concluded Kala Ghoda Festival in Mumbai. The play based on

the life and struggles of the tribal leader Birsa Munda received a lot of critical acclaim and applause. “I can easily call Kala Ghoda as the biggest platform I have performed at till date. It was an amazing experience and I thoroughly enjoyed it,” adds Ayatullah.

Ask him why he chose Mumbai to start his group and he says, “Mumbai is the hub for professional theatre. For an actor or director, there is endless number of opportunities here. Plus, you meet a lot of like-minded creative people, who lead you in the right direction.”

Coming from a family, where Government jobs were considered as the safest career bet, Khan had a difficult time convincing his family for his unconventional career choice. “Initially my family was reluctant. But as they saw my work and my growing passion for the field, they gradually accepted it,” signs off Khan.

For more details about the group, visit https://www.facebook.com/RangrezTheatre l

Beginning of a Theatrical Journey

Kirti AroraHigh spirited audience cheering

the performance of a live music concert/ band with roaring applause. That’s how one can aptly define the music scene of Delhi, where a large number of music concerts are regularly organized throughout the year. Music genre could be varied but loyal fans are always first to reach the venue. That pretty much talks about the passion of Delhiites for their music.

This time around too, Delhiites had a reason to revel with the two-day celebration of Sufi Sindhi Festival on 16th & 17th March at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts. The show was an initiative Delhi’s Government department of Arts, Culture and Languages in association with Sindhi Academy.

One the first evening of the festival, Sufi singers Ghansham Vasvani from Mumbai, Uma Lalla from Delhi and Sanam Marvi from Pakistan presented a glimpse of Sindhi culture with their soulful Sufi renditions. Along with them, Delhi-based Kathak dancer Namrata Pamnani also enchanted the audience with graceful dance moves.

Pakistan-born Sanam Marvi has quite a following in India too, which were present in large numbers at the show. Audience that comprised many from the Sindhi community danced to

the mystical tunes and had a gala time during the event. Trained under Ustad Fateh Ali Khan of Gwalior Gharana, Marvi became a known face after she performed for Coke Studio – Pakistan’s TV showing featuring live musicians. Her music draws inspiration from the compositions of Baba Bulle Shah, Baba Sheikh Farid, Alam Lohar and Shah Adbul Latif Bhittai. Also, Marvi has performed with Indian playback singer Rekha Bhardwaj at Times of India’s Aman ki Asha in Hyderabad.

The first day also saw some distraction from the protesters, who staged anti-Pakistan slogans and interrupted Marvi’s performance. But their menace was controlled within minutes as they were handed over to the police. And as they say, the show must go on; Marvi initially scared continued the performance with the

same enthusiasm.

Marvi’s Indian counterparts, Vasvani and Lalla were also loved by the audience. Vasvani is a much sought after artist in most Sindhi cultural programmes that are organized locally as well internationally. Endowed with a melodious voice, he has trained extensively under music stalwarts like Ustad Aaftaab Ahmed Khan, late Ghazal singer Jagjit Singh, Sushila Pohankar and Pt. Rajaram Shukla. He has also been felicitated globally for his contribution to Sindhi music and culture.

On the other hand, talking about Uma Lalla is more like paying a tribute to the Sindhi music. She is one of the rarest Sindhi singers in Delhi, who is capable of singing Sindhi Sufi as well as Sindhi Folk songs with equal panache. A recipient of Sindhi Ratan Award, Lalla has even performed with Abida Parveen, renowned Sufi singer from Pakistan. A truly versatile singer, she can sing in four languages – Sindhi, Hindi, Punjabi and Bengali.

The second-day of the festival saw performances of Tufail Sanjrani from Pakistan along with Kajal Chandiramani. Hon’ble Chief Minister of Delhi Sheila Dikshit inaugurated the event. Also, Hon’ble Minister of Education, Women and Child Development Prof. Kiran Walia, was the guest of honour. l

Soulful Sufi Chords

with Indian & Pak Musicians

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Cafe5 Perspectives

T h e early years of Modern M a r a t h i theatre were exciting, not only for the variety of productions up for viewing, but also the

fact that many of them, took flight to foreign shores for staging. Many plays had their tryst abroad, and stories of the hardships they faced to gather funds to reach there, did the rounds in theatre circles. Over the past couple of years, I notice a similar voyage of young theatre groups, as they travel abroad with their productions. It sounds very encouraging and a definite climb in their growth chart, adding bulk to their resumes. But the struggles to fund their journeys remain. Seeing them pull and push their resources to make this dream travel realise, at one end I feel pity but at the other wonder about the need for all this. At the same time it raises many questions which I wish to pen here.

Performances travelling abroad usually are the behest of invitations

by local bodies like the Maharashtra Mandal or then invitations at festivals or collaborative works between theatre groups or exchanges at the academic level through Universities etc. In most of these cases, the host countries are humble enough to take care of local hospitality and lodging and boarding and they are known to do this with élan, but more often than not, expect the travel to be taken care of by the visiting team. In budgets of universities, or larger, prosperous theatre groups this eventuality is foreseen and made provisions for. But the ones that face the brunt are the upcoming groups, who have a locally well received performance in place, a foreign invitation typed out, but are crushed for funds to travel. They are already burdened trying to make ends meet and then this attractive offer. They are then faced with a desperate option to approach cultural government bodies like the ICCR, processing through which is not necessarily a cake –walk, ridden with paperwork and red-tape. Alternatively they approach corporate houses or sympathetic builders, but this comes with tags which are difficult to tackle. The third option is to pass the hat and take whatever comes from

relatives, friends and well-wishers. Here there is an obligation and often embarrassment. Lastly though a tricky proposition is to take a bank loan!

All this with a heart burn and a desperate struggle to make it realise. The lament is universal and definitely hovers like the sword of Damocles, above the heads of budding artistes. For argument sake I shall restrict this discussion to the younger groups.

Seeing this desperate situation, I wonder whether travelling abroad is such a crucial thing? Groups do not necessarily cling together for long, dispersing as opportunities beckon. So for a group this travel may not hold much water except the charm and a momentary ‘kick’, of having performed abroad. For even when they go for jobs or do the rounds for their break in the industry, it is their talent which will see them through more than whether they have travelled abroad with their production.

What then does one achieve by travelling abroad? So much effort is put in to gather funds that they do not dare to venture into this escapade again. Can this money collected (continued on page 8)

Search For Moolah!

Dr. Ajay Joshi

Cafe Canvas 6

Kaustubh Naik“Hauns Sangeet Natya Mandal”,

more popularly known as Hauns, is one of the oldest theatre group active in Goan theatre circuit producing quality plays every year and carrying out various activities to promote and sustain theatre movement in Goa.

Hauns Sangeet Natya Mandal was established in the year 1950, when Goa was still under Portuguese regime, by legendary theatre artist Vishwanath Naik (1935-2003) along with his friends passionate for theatre. It is often said that it’s very rare to find a Goan who hasn’t acted in a play or two in his lifetime. Goa’s love for theatre knew no leaps and bounds during that time. Considering this factor, Mr. Vishwanath and troupe started staging popular Marathi musical classics such as Saubhadra, Matsyagandha, Maanapmaan, Saunshaykallol etc which got traction from the theatre hungry audience of Goa. The group would travel lengths and breadth of Goa performing these plays at various occasions in the stage set up in front of the village temples. Soon, Hauns became a leading theatre company in Goa.

Vishwanath Naik’s love for theatre didn’t stop at only producing and staging plays but he also went ahead to set up a performing space called Hanuman Theater in Ponda city, with a seating capacity of around 1000 people and arranged ticketed shows of Marathi plays from outside Goa, mainly from Mumbai and Pune. This venture of his laid the foundation in creating and cultivating a mature theatre audience Goa.

In the year 1989, Vishwanath Naik

while on a tour to Mumbai saw some new age plays & was impressed to see the various forms of theatre that had evolved by then. He realized that Hauns too needs to push its boundaries in kinds of plays they were producing. Hence he invited Shivdas Ghodke, alumni of National School of Drama to Goa to direct few plays and thus began another chapter in the journey of Hauns to produce new age plays. Plays such as Ghoda, Policenama, Aflatoon produced during that period are still remembered as cult classics in Goan theatre.

By this time, the second generation of Hauns had already taken over the charge. Vishwanath Naik’s four sons Somnath, Ravindra, Dilipkumar and Vijaykumar brought their fresh vision on the table. Hauns is well known for having nurtured its own playwrights and it has been a tradition of Hauns till date to stage atleast one new play every year. Hauns’ home grown playwrights Somnath Naik, Late Dilipkumar Naik, Vijaykumar Naik, Vishnu Surya Wagh are considered to be most influential playwrights in Goa.

Vijaykumar Naik, youngest son of Vishwanath Naik, took formal training in theatre arts at Goa Kala Academy’s Faculty of Drama began his own theatre training school named Hauns Theater Training Center, which has been working for popularizing theatre amongst children and youth through workshops and productions for last 18 years. He has conducted several workshops in Goa for children, students of Deaf & Dumb school and young students. The training centre every year carries out a project called Rangyatra, a theatre talent hunt across Goa’s colleges. 10 students (continued on page 8)

6 decades, 3 generations & inherent passion for theater

Hauns Sangeet Natya Mandal

Cafe7 Spcial

Kaustubh Naik“Passion for theatre runs in my

family. During my childhood days, we would set up small stages & enact scenes from plays which our father directed back then” says Vijaykumar Naik. His name is synonymous with the theatre movement in Goa. He has been actively working for last 35 years, determined to promote theatre in this small state. Widely known for his stint as the Chief Co-ordinator of Hauns Theatre Training Centre, a theatre training institute, he has also been on stage as a playwright, director, light & set designer. He has conducted more than 300 theatre workshops in Goa, Maharashtra, Rajasthan & Union Territory of Daman & Diu.

His choice of theatre as a career was a conscious one. “Being the son of Goan theatre doyen Late Vishwanath Naik, I had a culturally enriched upbringing. As I grew up, I managed company’s drapery, assisted in production in various capacities and while the plays were on, I would be sitting in the wings for prompting.” He laughs. “Though theatre was all around me, at one point of time I had to make a choice. I was selected for Goa Ranaji Cricket team too. I had to choose between theatre and cricket. Though the choice was obvious, it took me a while to take the final call.”

“I joined Goa Kala Academy’s School of Drama to study theatre. But after passing out, I had no readymade platform for launch myself. I wanted to take theatre to where it really belonged – the common man, children, teens and youth. I had to work to create my own space as the work I wished to pursue

was neither common those days nor given much appreciation. So with support from my father, I founded Hauns Theater Training Center in 1993 to make people understand about various possibilities of theatre as a medium of personality development. These workshops helped me find a team which I was confident to work with, to do my kind of theatre, largely experimental.”

He started with theatre workshops for school children during summertime. Since there was absolute lack of such activities back then, the response he received for this initiative was tremendous. His summer workshops would go full house and still continue to be so. He focuses heavily on improvisations and on encouraging kids to discover their talents on their own instead of him telling them what to or not to do. Vijaykumar’s name has become synonymous with the children theatre movement in Goa.

“Working with kids has always been a joyride. It enriches me every single time. I have seen examples of kids who were low on self confidence but after they underwent training they performed fearlessly on stage. We used to improvise short stories that kids already knew and then perform them at various schools across Goa. We carried out a project called MEFT (Make Education Friendly through Theatre) wherein complex school

concepts like digestion processes, simultaneous equations, geographical concepts etc. were enacted through stories which dealt with day to day life”, he tells.

As a theatre trainer, Vijaykumar Naik has also worked with the children of The Deaf and The Dumbs’ School in Goa. He was invited to Daman & Diu to conduct similar workshops at the Umang festival organized by West Zone Cultural Centre, Udaipur. While narrating his experience with working with the differently abled students, he mentions that “their theatre is totally about body language as that’s their best gift to express themselves. Right from communicating with them to the performance, it’s all physical theatre. It has helped me a lot to develop my non-verbal theatre.”

Parallel to his ventures concerning the children theatre movement in Goa, he started writing one act and full length plays. He travelled extensively in his initial days in Maharashtra and Goa performing his one act plays in every possible competition and (continued on page 8)

My infatuation with theatre is a never ending affair - Naik

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(continued from page 7)

festival.

“Each new play is an experiment for me” Says the proud producer of variety of experimental plays like Mukhavate, Kheliyela, Eklavya, Ek Adhuri Kahani etc. “We just scaled up our craziness and staged a 45 minutes play called ‘Amoort’ wherein there was not a single actor on the stage. The narrative was totally conveyed through set, lights, music and a few recorded dialogues. In 2004, we got an original manuscript of a play titled “Ahilyotdhar” written in 1870 by the Goan saint Krishna Bhatt Bandkar from Dongri village which we staged & completed its 27 shows. Another such attempt we did was to present ‘Sarswat Champu’, a work of Champu Literature written by Ramkrishna Shenvi Kakodkar in 1915 in form of a play. Of late I have been experimenting with non-verbal theatre and we’ve staged plays like ABCD, The Art, Dhwaneet, Vasundhara etc which emerged out of various music compositions” he mentions.

His passion for theatre is multifaceted. He has initiated several projects to promote theatre. He began Creative Theatre for Children & Youth under which he produced plays like Diary, Tisrya Dolyacha Chasma, Tyancha Hoto Khel that dealt with problems of teens and college going students. He spearheaded the Rangvishwa movement, wherein he was instrumental in creating a platform for independent performers in the field of theatre, music, literature and dance to showcase their talent.

“We also initiated a cultural exchange programs with other theatre groups to exchange and share the kind of theatre we do. It has been an amazing experience. For past 10 years, we have been associated with groups from Rajasthan, Calcutta, Kanakavali as well as Goa through this project.”

With all these dedicated efforts, his students are making him proud continuously at various fronts. “Rajdeep Naik, Eknath Naik, Suchita Narvekar are totally dominating the professional theatre scene in Goa. Each of their play completes no less than 100 shows across Goa. Priyanka Bidaye and Avantika Kamat have

appeared in films and television. Laukik Desai has been doing a commendable work in Theatre at Hyderabad. Mandar Jog & Nitesh Naik have been making a name for themselves as an actor in Goa and have won several awards and accolades for their performances. Aditi Barve, Ravindra Pawar, Vrushank Kanekar are some new age playwrights from Goa who were also my students.”

He has authored a book ‘Natak-Abhinay-Rangyatra”, an informative guide on various aspects of theatre such as playwriting, direction, acting, make up, production design etc. He believes that it will be a very helpful resource for young theatre aspirants. For last couple of years he is largely occupied with his new project, Rangyatra which is a theatre talent hunt for the students of College and Junior Colleges in Goa. It includes workshops, seminars and theatre conventions. Each year the handpicked students are made part of a production which is performed at different venues in Goa as well outside Goa. The project has received a tremendous response from the interiors of Goa.

Commenting about the theatre trends in Goa, he says “Theatre of Goa has changed a lot for last two decades. It has come out of traditional notions and is becoming mature technically too. New playwrights are coming up with new subjects and forms of expression which is a positive sign. But they need a huge boost to keep the Goan theatre movement going. Goa needs small theatre spaces where amateur & experimental theatre groups can perform, more theatre training activities for youngsters, infrastructural support for existing theatre movement by the government & media. It’s only then that Goa’s theatre will be recognized at the national and the international level. ”

With so much work to his credit, Naik is still not a satisfied man! “My infatuation with theatre is a never ending affair. I’ve been doing that since my childhood and could never get tired of it. I am constantly in search of ideas to get more people involved in doing theatre. Working with youngsters and kids keeps my energy levels always high” he adds. l

(continued from page 7)

are selected under this project to be part of a theatre production which is performed across Goa, Maharashtra, Rajsthan and Calcutta. The 2012 production of Rangyatra, Majhya Manaa (My Dear Mind), has completed 25 performances.

In the year 2000, Hauns celebrated its 50th anniversary and is now 63 years old and still going strong. The third generation of Hauns is now all set to take the organization to greater heights and spread the love and passion for theatre. l

Hauns Sangeet Natya Mandal

(continued from page 5)

used in better ways, more constructive ways? Can they travel to different theatre groups, performing places, festivals in the country and make their presence felt? On the flip side if they insist on a travel abroad, at least once, is their any forum which will aid their travel? Can an initiative be launched to create a corpus to give travel grants at 0% interest? Can each group plan their travel once in a couple of years and in that period finds ways of raising a corpus through maybe doing performances, hat collection or ticketed shows, take part time theatre teaching jobs in schools, corporate training, workshops etc ?

I think it is not a herculean task. It can be achieved with systematic planning. One needs to get out of the ‘abroad Fixation’ and take it as and if it comes. In the meanwhile India is vast enough to travel and make your presence felt. It will definitely be more rewarding and satisfying. l

Search For Moolah!

Spotlight Cafe9

Keyur SetaProper training is essential to

develop your skills towards a particular art. But for some, passion alone is enough. Urdu playwright, director and actor Dr M Sayeed Alam is one such artist who has made a name for himself in the Urdu theatre without acquiring training or even reading a single book on theatre.

He disclosed this trivia about himself to Keyur Seta during his Urdu theatre festival that took place in Mumbai recently. Among other aspects of Urdu theatre and his biggest inspiration – Mirza Ghalib, the multi-talented artist expresses his displeasure at some artists who prefer to call Urdu plays as Hindi plays.

What is your background and how did you enter the field of theatre?

Earlier, I wasn’t so involved in theatre although I did plays during my school days. I was born in Faizabad. My father used to get transferred at nearby places like Basti and Lucknow. In fact, it was 40 years ago that I first performed my play ‘Lal Qile Ka Aakhri Mushaira’. But I didn’t do theatre during my college days as I was into sports. Later when I migrated to Delhi, I lost connection with sports. Actually, I can’t spend evenings at home. One day when I was out I met someone from Pierrot’s Troupe. They only used to do English plays then. That person said now they also wish to diversify to Urdu and Hindi. I just wrote a play ‘Tumko Chahoon’ for them and they liked it. But this is one play for which I don’t get much audience although critics love it (laughs). The play is adapted from Oriana Franci’s novel ‘Letter To A Child Never Born’.

From there onwards, I did theatre as a hobby for 5-6 years as I was working as a journalist. I was India correspondent for Iranian News Agency from 1992 to 1999. I was also a university lecturer for three years. But soon I realized I had to choose either journalism or theatre. So I left journalism in 1999 and chose theatre.

You haven’t undergone any training in theatre?

No I haven’t. In fact, I have not even read a single book on theatre!

My parents used to encourage me when I was doing theatre during school. I am from a small town so we were used to performing on makeshift stages without sound and light. Due to this, it was vital for the performances to be script based which I can’t see in today’s school performances despite having resources at their disposal. Hence, script and actors suffer. Nobody bothers about actors who just perform like animals in circus. So I have always felt script and performances have to be genuine.

Tell us about your special and deep interest towards Mirza Ghalib.

I am reading Ghalib since childhood. I don’t know if this is an advantage or disadvantage but I have never learnt theatre and the subjects I use in theatre; I have been reading them since childhood. But I never read them, including Ghalib, with the intention of doing plays but simply because I wanted to. Ghalib was a great poet and a fascinating personality. I did a play ‘Ghalib In New Delhi’ where I brought back Ghalib in today’s era. I have shown how much people know Ghalib and how much they pretend to know him. This has been our most successful play with more than 340 shows.

But few people rejected the play and they had their reasons to do so. So I did a play called ‘Ghalib’, based on his life and times. I also realized that our plays are too hero centric. While doing research on Ghalib, I was highly impressed by his wife’s character. We normally make fun of the wives

of famous personalities. Just imagine this – she never had a share in Ghalib’s fame but she always had a share in his problems. In order to throw light on the important character of his wife, we did a play ‘Ghalib Ke Khat’. She is the central character in the play while the character of Ghalib is nowhere in it!

What is your opinion on the current scenario in Urdu theatre?

I don’t categorize theatre in terms of languages. But people have a pessimistic approach towards Urdu theatre. Some people do Urdu plays and call them Hindi plays. People are afraid to mention that it is an Urdu play purely out of fear that audience might not turn up. For example, Nasseruddin Shah says ‘Manto Asmat Hazir Hai’ is a Hindi play but actually it is an Urdu play. Manto and Asmat never wrote it in Hindi. If I write Shakespeare’s drama in Devanagri script, will it become a Hindi play? Some people are not good in Hindi as they have grown up in an Urdu atmosphere and studied in an English school. Yet, they call their play as a Hindi play just to get audience. So if you are putting your name in the play, it is your responsibility to call an Urdu play an Urdu play. They shouldn’t do this because there is an audience for Urdu theatre else my plays wouldn’t have had these many shows. It is a sweet language and a rare one that is enjoyable even if you don’t understand it.

A lot of people from the upcoming generation speak only in English. Naturally, they are not interested in (continued on page 8)

For the love of

Urdu

For the love of

Urdu

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(continued from page 9)

a language like Urdu or even Hindi. Due to this, do you think the future of languages like Hindi and Urdu is in danger?

That is true. They can’t even speak English properly! Actually, this has been a historical problem. We made a national language which is not spoken in the entire nation. Then we made English an official language. But we didn’t decide whether in education English should be a means of communication, instruction or a subject. So there is a big gap between people from Hindi and English medium. Those who study in Hindi medium are forced to adapt to English while pursuing higher education. So, children don’t get proper training in

Hindi during their childhood.

Another issue is that due to our multi-lingual society, a language called Hinglish has developed which is dangerous. People should remember that if they are good in their mother tongue, they will automatically be good in a foreign or a second language. But the type of English today’s generation speaks is really very funny! Due to this, you forget your own culture and heritage. I just love English language but it should be your second language. It shouldn’t dissociate you from your language. So this problem is there. But anyways, theatre is a medium through which you can at least communicate in our languages.

Considering your talent, you never thought of trying your hand at films?

I would be lying if I say I never thought of it. But I am a lazy kind of

a person. I always thought that a big director should approach me and ask me to write a movie which never happened. I won’t say that I don’t like movies. It’s just that I never tried searching for an opportunity. So if I am approached by a filmmaker to write a movie, I will go ahead.

What are your forthcoming plays?

Currently, we have 11 running plays. I believe a lot in rehearsal even if the play is 300 shows old. I am doing a couple of interesting things. I am adapting Maulana Azad’s book for a television serial for Doordarshan. I am also making a docu-drama on Ghalib. These are subjects which are normally not touched. Talking about staging a new play, it just happens. I have at least five plays in pipeline. We wish to do ‘Shatranj Ke Khiladi’ in English and a play on Gujarat riots. I also wish to revive my play ‘Tale Of The Taj’. l

For the love of Urdu

Cafe11 Curtain Raiser

Kirti AroraÞeSaus vius fy, ,d ljk; cuk;k ysfdu ,d jkr eq>s [;ky vk;k dh eSa clus ds fy, ugha] pyrs jgus ds fy, gw¡Aß l”- Tom Alter, Actor

Dweep Mithun Debnath, an FTII pass out from the 2007 acting batch describes his journey in the above written Tom Alter’s words. Start-ing his career as an RJ with All In-dia Radio (AIR), he soon realised that acting is his true calling as he enjoyed entertaining the audi-ence. And get praised for it too.

Ask him if acting was a difficult career choice and he says, “Nothing comes easy in life. It is important to choose something that you enjoy doing and that’s what I did.” After acting in several short films made in FTII and Jamia Milia Islamia University, he received his first Bengali film offer from director Shyamal Karmakar. Titled Chokher Pani, the film was also screened at Berlin, Tehran and Japan Film Festival along with MAMI and IFFI in 2012. In fact, it was his Bengali co-star Bidita Bag in Chokher Pani, who lat-er suggested his name for the Hindi feature film titled ‘From Sydney with Love’. Following few meetings with director Prateek Chakroborty, Dweep had his first role in a Bollywood film. Though the film bombed at the box office but his role was much appre-ciated and even fulfilled his mother’s dream of seeing him on big screen. Dweep sincerely thanks his the-atre background, which he feels has played a major role in refining his acting skills. He started acting during his school days and has also been part of various theatre groups in Delhi like Bikalp, Jamia IPTA and Akriti. Also, he has been associated with the theatre group of Pravaah NGO. “Theatre has made me a much more confident indi-

vidual, which is a very crucial ingre-dient for every actor,” adds Debnath. And then, there was his training at FTII, where Dweep further learnt the finer nuances of acting. Some of the people, who made a major contribu-tion to his work, include renowned teachers like Arvind Pandey, Adil Hussain and Alok Chatterje. Remind-ed of his FTII days, he adds, “FTII days formed the most beautiful memories of my life. I have learned a lot from each and every teacher, including my batch mates as well,” says Dweep. His admiration list is long and draws inspiration from stalwarts like Satya-jit Ray, Spielberg, Guru Dutt, Kim-Ki-Duk, Al Pacino, Abhay Deol, Mit-hun Chakroborty and many others. Ask him about what kind of roles would interest him and he says, “Anything that gives immense sat-isfaction to me as an actor and as a performer.” He further adds that act-ing is more about practising. “It’s

like polishing your shoes every day. It’s an ability to react to an imagi-nary stimulation. It’s also not about impressing others but more about ac-cepting risks and going ahead with a lot of confidence,” elaborates Dweep. The FTII pass out further feels that he is still a beginner in the field and has a long way to go. In fact, at the end of each day’s hard struggles, which are a staple in each actor’s life, he remains optimistic. He sums it all by quoting few lines from Charlie Chaplin’s biography ‘My life’: “For an actor, the most important element when he or she is performing or act-ing, he/ she must love him/ herself. Only passion is not enough. Love and trust are equally important.” l

Nothing comes easy in life

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Cafe12Reviews

Keyur SetaWriter-director Dr M Sayeed Alam

achieves something unique by bringing Mirza Ghalib alive in his Urdu drama Ghalib Ke Khat without the character being present on stage at any moment. This was possible due to the precious letters of the great Urdu poet. But the presence of Ghalib’s numerous well-wishers and their interactions make sure that the play cannot be termed merely a letter-reading session. Instead, it turns out to be an insight into Ghalib’s life thereby making it a pleasing theatrical experience for the lovers of Urdu theatre.

The play features letters of Mirza Ghalib which are read by the numerous people who are a part of his life, including his wife Umrao Begum, the central character, and his favorite disciple Munshi Har Gopal Taftah.

The highlight of the play is the letters which produce a wide range of emotions including humor. Very soon you realize that these letters are truly precious, not just because they contain personal interactions of Ghalib but also due to its witty and rich language. This is something which makes you feel Ghalib despite his physical absence. There is a possibility that Alam might have tweaked the letters slightly but that was necessary to make sure they fall under theatrical parameters, if at all he has done that.

As hinted earlier, the numerous amusing characters and the entertaining interactions between them play a vital role in producing the dramatic effect needed in a play, especially the constant nagging between Begum and their maid Wafadar. The writer has also taken care of the narration part by maintaining the sequence of the events well. However, there does come a moment where the proceedings threaten to become

redundant but the dramatically moving climax ensures you don’t think about that.

Set designing is simple but at the same time very effective and apt for the subject. It is not easy to create four different scenarios on one stage simultaneously and this is where the set designer scores. No stone is left

unturned in the costume department too which is vital in such period dramas. Perfect lighting and music complement the proceedings well.

Playing the central character of Ghalib’s wife, Jaskiran Singh is flawless. Her earnest performance is an important aspect of the play. Tom Alter once again shines with a brilliant act as Munshi Har Gopal Taftah. Anju Chhabra shines as Ghalib’s maid. The play is wonderfully supported by Harish Chhabra, Dr M Sayeed Alam, Himanshu Srivastava, Ram N Diwakar and others.

Overall, since Ghalib Ke Khat is more than mere letters, it deserves to be savored. l

Ghalib Ke Khat

How letters can make a person alive!

Director and Writer: Dr M Sayeed Alam

Cast: Jaskiran Singh, Tom Alter, Anju Chhabra, Harish Chhabra, Dr M Sayeed Alam, Himanshu Srivastava, Ram N Diwakar

Cafe13 Reviews

Keyur Seta Biography of a yesteryear artist

who died young due to alcoholism will probably sound as a serious topic to most of us. But in the Hindi/ Urdu play ‘K L Saigal’, writer-director Dr M Sayeed Alam shows that even such sagas can be narrated in an entertaining manner with lots of rib-tickling humor and impressive music.

The play follows singer cum actor Kundan Lal Saigal aka K L Saigal’s struggling days, his dramatic rise to fame and lastly, the end of his journey. Numerous people who became a part of his life at different stages also find an important place in the narration.

Alam’s passion for narrating Saigal’s life story can be seen from the in-depth research he has carried out, not only on the important events of his life but also the minute ones. These events are skillfully included in a watertight script that has no dull moments. He has also succeeded in the hugely important task of defining Saigal’s character. But this wouldn’t have been possible without actor Yashraaj Malik’s dedication and talent, both as an actor and a singer. The idea of having him perform with the audience once was a masterstroke!

In the brochure, Alam has honestly mentioned of adding fiction to the narration. Since it doesn’t take away the overall essence of Saigals’s journey, one shouldn’t mind that. This also gives him scope to include some amusing characters that produce a number of hilarious moments. Veteran artist Tom Alter’s delightful narration also plays a big role in keeping the audience glued and entertained.

But in a biographical play with such in-depth research, it is unusual not to find any mention whatsoever about Saigal’s marriage. Even the important

event of him becoming a drunkard isn’t given much footage. However, due to the delightful nature of the play, these turn out to be just minor points that won’t hamper your overall satisfaction.

Coming to the set designing, the makers have left no stone unturned in providing the right props in each and every scene. High production values are visible due to this and also from the apt costumes and perfect lighting. Music plays an important part over here and the play scores very high in

that area too.

There are some performances that force you to stand up and applaud the artist. Yashraaj Malik’s performance over here is one such. The actor does complete justice to K L Saigal’s character, even as a singer. Despite a bravura act from the central character, Tom Alter manages to super impress as a narrator. His dedication is seen from the fact that he is constantly performing, from either side of the stage, even when the focus is not on him.

Hareesh Chhabra also shines by playing five starkly different characters with remarkable ease. The play is also well supported by good acts from Vijay Gupta, Anju Chhabra, Ram N Diwakar, Dr M Sayeed Alam, Madeeha Sadaf, Manohar Pandey and others.

Overall, ‘K L Saigal’ is a delightful tribute to the acting and singing legend that shouldn’t be missed! l

An artist in love with his art! K L Saigal

Director and Writer: Dr M Sayeed Alam

Cast: Yashraaj Malik, Hareesh Chhabra, Vijay Gupta, Anju Chhabra, Ram N Diwakar, Dr M Sayeed Alam, Madeeha Sadaf

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