A Royal Romance Revisited

The story of Anarkali,a courtesan who dared to fall in love with a Mughal prince and was killed brutally as a punishment,has fired the imagination of storytellers,historians and feminists for centuries.

• March 31, 2013 02:22 AM IST
2 min read

The story of Anarkali,a courtesan who dared to fall in love with a Mughal prince and was killed brutally as a punishment,has fired the imagination of storytellers,historians and feminists for centuries. Now,Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA) will present its version of the star-crossed love in the play Akbar Ki Mehbooba-Anarkali at Kamani auditorium next week.

Written and directed by theatre veteran Aziz Quraishi,the 90-minute play overturns popular versions of the story by positing that Akbar was enamoured by Anarkali’s beauty. “It was English merchant William Finch who first mentioned that Anarkali was Akbar’s favourite concubine. Finch had visited India between 1608 and 1611,a decade after the reported death of Anarkali,” says Laxmana Dalmia,treasurer of IPTA.

You’ve Read Your Free Stories For Now

Sign up and keep reading more stories that matter to you.

Create Free Account

Already have an account? Sign In

This story requires a subscription

Select a plan and use IE10 code to get 10% extra off

POPULAR

EXPRESS EDGE

Daily ePaper access

Premium stories & archives

UPSC Section + UPSC Essentials Magazine

Starts at ₹117/month

Best for news lovers

UPSC PACK

Daily ePaper access

Premium stories & archives

UPSC Section + UPSC Essentials Magazine

Starts at ₹133/month

Best for UPSC aspirants

Already a subscriber? Sign in

This premium article is free for now.

Register to continue reading this story

Free Read

Already have an account? Sign In

This story requires a subscription

Please Select A Plan

POPULAR

EXPRESS EDGE

Daily ePaper access

Premium stories & archives

UPSC Section + UPSC Essentials Magazine

Starts at ₹117/month

Best for news lovers

UPSC PACK

Daily ePaper access

Premium stories & archives

UPSC Section + UPSC Essentials Magazine

Starts at ₹133/month

Best for UPSC aspirants

This content is exclusive for our subscribers.

Subscribe now to get unlimited access to The Indian Express exclusive and premium stories.

Continue

Already a subscriber? Sign In

In the play,Anarkali is a belly dancer from Venice,who is gifted to Akbar by a Turkish sultan in his attempt to establish favourable trade relations with Hindustan. Soon,Anarkali becomes the star of Akbar’s harem and his favourite concubine. When the emperor introduces her at the durbar,few can look away. Among those transfixed is young Salim. The prince decides to bribe Akbar’s harem keeper to spend time with Anarkali,but is caught. An angry Akbar sentences Anarkali to death and Salim to exile in Afghanistan. Dalmia adds that the first half of the play is different from the popular versions of the romance but the second half is almost the same.

This is not IPTA’s first tryst with Akbar,Anarkali and Salim. In the ’70s,the group had staged the ill-fated story,with Pankaj Kapur and Neelima Azeem playing Salim and Anarkali respectively. In another version of the story,in 2000,the play showed Anarkali as a victim of honour killing.

The play will be staged at Kamani auditorium from April 2-4 at 6.30 pm. For passes,contact: 9818433222

Curated For You

Jana Nayagan Release Date Postponed LIVE Updates: Madras HC to pronounce verdict for Vijay’s film today, fans hopeful of a positive outcome

The Raja Saab Movie Review LIVE Updates: Early reviews say Prabhas has a ‘magnificent screen presence’ in the film; benefits from Jana Nayagan postponement

FIR against Bengaluru school for collecting admission fees without approvals