Play it Again

Directed by Dinesh Thakur,Hai Mera Dil,the longest running play in the history of Hindi theatre,is also one of Ank’s longest running productions. In its 35 years,Ank has staged more than 75 plays,but Hai Mera Dil takes the cake.

“Some things stand the test of time,” says Thakur. Like this play,there are many other plays that are being staged for more than a decade now,but still keep absorbing the audiences and the directors alike.

For instance,Karmawali (The Lucky Lady),a novel by KL Zakir,gave thespian MK Raina’s creative concerns a new lease of life when he decided to adapt it into a play in 1990. He then staged it for six long years. The play depicts the pangs and pathos of Partition and the endless trauma of a generation separated from everything that was theirs. Raina says since the story is a pointer that how a reckless political decision can change the course of history,it’s relevant in today’s times as well. Referring to conflict situations in Afghanistan,Pakistan,Iran,Raina talks of reviving the play again.

Theatre directors feel a story that strikes a chord with the common man is bound to leave a long-lasting impact,and so,they keep reinterpreting it from time to time. Thakur’s Hai Mera Dil is a success because it’s based on simplicity and humour. “A hypochondriac husband and his relationship with his wife — simple humour like this is a therapy that never fails to make people smile,” he says.

Apart from being classics,it’s the enduring quality of the subject matter of these plays that makes them timeless. Ank’s Jis Lahore Nahin Dekhya is another example.

Completing more than 200 shows,Thakur’s production of Asghar Wajahat’s novel not only depicts the pain of Partition,but also the horrific aftermath of Godhra riots. He uses slides and music to give audiences a picture of today’s terror,which is not so different from 1947.

“As theatre people,it’s our responsibility to keep classics alive. We are reviving Vijay Tendulkar’s Khamosh Adalat Jari Hai in modern context,” says Ank’s lead actor Preeta Mathur. Girish Karnad’s Tughlaq is another classic that will never go out of fashion.

Om Katare,Mumbai-based theatre actor and director with the group Yatri,has always received a resounding response to his play,Hadh Kar Di Aapne. Over the last 450 shows,he’s seen the play grow and each time,the challenge is to keep creating humour in the same story,which is about a 52-year-old man,with a 23-year-old married daughter,becoming a father again. The situation is not only hilaroius,but also has an emotional appeal that audiences connect to. “How the newborn brings the husband and wife closer adds to the emotional quotient,’’ says actor Damini Kanwal,who has been with the group for the 21 years.

Some stories that transcend the boundaries of time. For more than 10 years now,celebrated director Salim Arif has been staging Lakeerein,a collage of three stories and poems written by lyricist Gulzar,exploring the old-age oral traditions of music and poetry,the core of Indian theatre. “Lakeerein reflects on the relationship between people of India and Pakistan,50 years after Independence. Seperation and pain have no boundaries,” he says.

Mohan Rakesh’s classic Hindi play Adhe Adhure is another example. Written in 1969 and interpreted by various directors over the last 40 years,now Lillete Dubey is staging it all over India and abroad. “Shakespeare is being played for more than 500 years now. Likewise,classics such as this one needs to be reinvented and kept alive for the coming generations,’’ says Dubey. Of course,she infuses the production with her own sensibility and style. “When we keep on doing Alfred Tennyson and Anton Chekhov,why not Mohan Rakesh?’’ she makes a point.