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Word power
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Javed Siddiqi will be in town to talk about his writings and more
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Writer’s corner Javed Siddiqi
Javed Siddiqi’s play Tumhari Amrita, the format that inspired many theatre presentations on similar lines, was path-breaking when it was first staged. “To tell you the truth, all of us, including Shabana Azmi and director Feroze Khan had trembling hands before the play. We were apprehensive when theatregoers would accept this experiment. But I congratulate my audience who could see the drama in my words and felt the present of absent,” says Siddiqi.
The highly-admired theatre and screenplay writer will be in Hyderabad to talk on ‘Power of the word in theatre’ as part of Celebrating Theatre series by the Qadir Ali Baig Foundation on February 6. Siddiqi and Mohammad Ali Baig will “converge on the power of the written and spoken word in theatre as seen in my Tumhari Amrita, which was based on letters, and Baig’s His Exalted Highness, based on royal firmaans. I’ll try to highlight Urdu/Hindi theatre scene and the changing trends in cinema, especially in terms of writing,” he explains.
Siddiqi is aptly the chosen one to talk about the written word. Critics have often stated that Siddiqi’s dialogues as are powerful as an invisible character on stage. Having written for theatre, offbeat and mainstream commercial cinema, Siddiqi says, “I am thankful when critics find a character in my expressions. And I’m hopeful about cinema because some of the recent films have created a bridge between audience and the author, which was invisible for a long time.”
Unlike many of his contemporaries who claim to work in mainstream cinema purely for bread and butter, Siddiqi says he loves creating something new on paper. His writing repertoire ranges from classics like Shatranj ke Khilari and Umrao Jaan to Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge and Koi Mil Gaya. “Sometimes I think I’m a child playing with different toys and is yet to decide which one is his favourite. Films are a challenge because a writer has to satisfy himself and many others including a huge audience. In theatre, I have more freedom because it’s a direct communication between me and my audience.”
Siddiqi doesn’t let his mastery of Urdu (he’s worked as a journalist and started Urdu Reporter) overshadow his writings. On the revival of Urdu in recent films, he quips, “Neither a film nor a play can afford to have a language of its own. We write the language of the characters. Since the aim of any filmmaker is to reach as many people as possible the language of his communication should be easily understandable.”
He avers from telling us his views on J.P Dutta’s version of Umrao Jaan but states, “Remakes are welcome; reinterpretation and a fresh look at the classics always bring forth something new; but any attempt to create a caricature should be discouraged.”
SANGEETHA DEVI DUNDOO
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