Etched in Marble

“We know that Mumtaz

Mahal was beautiful,that she

accompanied the emperor on his expedition and that she died in childbirth. Beyond that,however,she remains an unknown figure,” says M Sayeed Alam,who has directed the play with Ashok Purang. In Hiro’s script,Mumtaz emerges as an astute manipulator who conspires

actively to kill Shah Jehan’s brother and rivals,Pervez and Shahryar,to secure the throne. Conflicts drive the plot ahead,explains Hiro,whose “other life” involves authoring non-fiction works such as Iran Under the

Ayatollahs,Inside India Today and the recent Jihad on Two Fronts: South Asia’s Unfolding Drama. Unlike most other works on the royal couple,the play

depicts a conflict between Shah Jehan and Mumtaz.

“There’s more strength in one cannon than in 100 prayers,” says Mumtaz,breaking the image of Muslim women resorting to religion in crisis. At another time,she tells Shah Jehan,“Let us not confuse means with ends. They are inseparable like day and night”. “In her,I see glimpses of Mrs Indira Gandhi,the mistress of realpolitik who was once dismissed as a gungi gudiya (dumb doll),” says Alam,while Hiro adds,“Did Mumtaz deserve the wonder of the world? She did,for if she had not plotted and conspired on his behalf,Shah Jehan would have never become the emperor and the Taj Mahal would have never been built.”

The one-and-a-half-hour-long play is bolstered by expert acting,with Ekant Kaul — who played Babur and Akbar in Pierrot’s previous play Sons of Babur — as Shah Jehan,and Niti Phool,a veteran of roles of Noor Jehan and Jahanara,playing Mumtaz Mahal.

The play will be staged at Shri Ram Centre from October 21 to October 23. Contact: 40506826