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Plays for all seasons

Photo: G. Krishnaswamy

Short narratives Naseeruddin Shah.

First, we turn our attention on some not-so-pleasant happenings. Despite repeated requests from the organisers and Naseeruddin Shah, mobiles did ring, and from the front rows, through the staging of Ismat Aapa Ke Naam. Not everyone believed in turning off their cell phones or putting them on silent, so much so that Ratna Pathak Shah had to punctuate her performance and declare, ‘baat karne do, kuch zaroori kaam hoga’ much to the embarrassment of theatre enthusiasts. And post the 10-minute interval, one had to focus to not miss the lines amidst clinging of soft drink bottles and ruffling packets of potato chips. Whatever happened to the spirit of watching a performance in all its earnestness?

Well, now for the best part. The Shahs did not let down the large turnout that had assembled for the Qadir Ali Baig Theatre Foundation. Ismat Aapa Ke Naam, one of the most successful plays directed by Naseer, strings together three of Ismat Chugtai’s short stories – Chui Mui, Mughal Bachcha and Gharwali. The stage is bereft of unnecessary elements. A raised platform that doubles up as a dewan, a comfy old chair and an earthen pot are all you find. Lighting and acoustics bring in the dramatic effect.

Heeba Shah opens with the presentation of Chui Mui, where a rural woman gives birth to a child in a railway compartment, drawing appalled glances and remarks from the upper class co-passengers. Heeba comes into her own with a powerful presentation.

Ratna Pathak Shah in ‘Ismat Aapa Ke Naam’

Ratna keeps the momentum with Mughal Bachcha, highlighting the emptiness of Kaley Miyan who has inherited nothing else but the arrogance of the Mughal dynasty. The satirical story of Kaley Miyan and Gori Bi is all about his refusal to lift her veil on the nuptial night. The episode recurs after a few years. When Miyan finally spots the unveiled greying Gori Bi, it’s too late.

Naseeruddin Shah does the final honours with the witty Gharwali, a tale of Lajjo, the domestic aide who falls in love not with her employer Mirza saab but with his house. Promoted to bring the l ady of the house, she graduates to wearing the uncomfortable salwar-kameez as opposed to the comfortable lehengas. As the lady of the house, she finds Mirza saab disliking the same qualities she li ked in her as a domestic aide. An ensuing ‘divorce’ later, Lajjo is back as the domestic help and all ends well.

Dear Liar, staged on the second day of the festival , saw Naseer and Ratna effortlessly get into the parts of George Bernard Shaw and Stella Campbell, presenting their intense relationship through correspondence of over 40 years. The s tage engages you with two striking posters of Shaw and Campbell on makeshift window frames. Shaw and Campbell take their positions alternately against the window frames as the play unveils their tumultuous relationship through the scripting and staging of Pygmalion and the two World Wars.

Shifting from being witty to satirical and then melancholic, Shaw and Campbell are stoically part of an unusual romance. If Naseer keeps you in splits with the best one-liners (“Solitude is wonderful, but not when you are alone”), Ratna walks away with the applause with her near flawless portrayal. A stylish portrayal combined with her vivaciousness makes her a winner.

Doesn’t matter even if you’ve seen other versions of this Jerome Kilty’s original play, Naseer and Ratna keep you engrossed.

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