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Classics for all, once again

Stories from literature come alive on stage through Naseeruddin Shah's Katha Collage in New Delhi this Saturday and Sunday. RANA SIDDIQUI takes a peek at the line-up

It's time again for Katha Collage, brought to theatre lovers of the Capital by Naseeruddin Shah's Motley Productions. This Saturday and Sunday, well known characters from Hindi and Urdu literature like Bade Bhai Sahab, Shatranj ke Khiladi and others come alive on the stage of Kamani auditorium, as Shah continues the trend of adapting short stories to play format and presenting them under the title of Katha Collage.

If last year, apart from the literary content of the plays, the main draw was the Shah family - with wife Ratna Pathak and daughter Heeba acting under Shah's direction - this time the actors are drawn from a wider spectrum. However, Shah's son Imaad makes his debut on the Delhi stage this time.

Stories chosen

The stories chosen for this year's festival are "Bade Bhai Sahab" and "Shatranj Ke Khiladi" by Munshi Premchand and "Sankraman" by Kamnanath, Lucknow-based short story writer. Last year's selection included works by Ismat Chugtai and Sadat Hasan `Manto'.

A CLASS APART: Naseeruddin Shah (left) and his son Imaad are ready to give some food for though. PHOTO: K. GOPINATHAN

"Bade Bhai Sahab" is the story of two brothers, narrated in the first person by the younger brother. The story compares and contrasts the two siblings, of whom the younger one is carefree, irresponsible but extremely brilliant, a trait he is blissfully unaware of. The tale of the two brothers is a symbolic study of two approaches to life, two mindsets, the contrast of tradition and modernity and that of natural brilliance and natural mediocrity. In this play Imamuddin takes the role of the younger brother while Jameel Khan of Motley plays the elder brother.

"Shatranj ke Khiladi", which we have also seen as a film made by Satyajit Ray, is a satire about two indulgent feudal lords (Mirza and Meer) obsessed with the game of chess. Set in the days before the 1857 `Mutiny', the tale is about a misguided sense of pride and a lackadaisical approach to the nation of these chess players who continue their game sessions even when they know the enemy has set their kingdom, Awadh, ablaze. Mirza and Meer are played Ahmad Khan and Khalid Mohammad, respectively.

"Sankraman" in which Naseer, Seema Pahwa and Jameel Khan play the character of father, mother and son is a tale of viewpoints of a middle class family of Uttar Pradesh. The story reflects contemporary life and the aspirations of small town, middle class people.

To many in the autumn of their lives, these stories evoke nostalgic memories of a great read. To many youngsters though, they are unfamiliar ground. Thus the effect of such productions is not only to attract the younger generation to meaningful theatre, but also to inculcate in them the habit of reading classics.

"I have been wanting to do these plays for quite a long time despite the fact that these have been staged many times. But after reading them many times I believed that there are great dramatic possibilities. I have tried to make the play close to the writers' viewpoint than the story. Main ise aik alag tarah se dekh raha hoon," says the actor who refuses to call it an adaptation. "The angle is not different, only the point of view is. So it is not an adaptation."

Portraying the nawab

It is one challenge to bring a short story to the stage. Yet another is to authentically portray a historical character. Observes Muzaffar Ali, known among other projects for his television serial Jan-e-Alam on Wajid Ali Shah, "Bringing such literature to theatre lovers is a commendable attempt. I am sure Naseer being a thinking actor would do a good job of it."

At the same time this filmmaker, music composer and designer is apprehensive of Shah's portrayal of "Shatranj Ke Khiladi".

"I hope Naseer does justice to the character of Wajid Ali Shah. He should extract the positive politics out of the story, which Satyajit Ray could not. Wajid in the film is shown only as an indulgent, light-hearted nawab given to amusement. It is a westernised outlook, and Ray was a highly westernised man, though he was rooted in Bengali culture too. I admire Ray as a skilled craftsman, but he didn't portray Wajid Ali as the man who contributed a lot in bringing communal harmony in Awadh during the backlash of the 1857 `Mutiny' and people were resenting his ouster from there. I tried to correct the negative impression of Wajid Ali in my TV serial earlier," opines Ali.

"Wajid Ali Shah is just hinted at in `Shatranj Ke Khiladi'. I agree that Ray's was a prejudiced portrayal of Wajid in this film. I am not changing Premchand's story here but trying to portray Awadh as a home of culture," says the actor.

The funds raised by the plays will be given to the India Foundation for the Arts, which has already provided a grant of Rs.78 million to scholars in 12 States across the country, informs Arundhati Ghosh from IFA.

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