In Two Parts

20 years after the events turned Khan’s life and the country upside down,he brings his story and the stories of hundreds of Hindus and Muslims from that period to the stage through Imaan,his debut effort at script-writing and directing for theatre. The play depicts two landmark periods of communal tension in India – the partition in 1947 and the Babri Masjid riots in 1992. The two periods are woven together through the story of the protagonist,Husain. The play is the maiden stage production by a new theatre group in Pune,Motley Monks. The group consists of young theatre artists and enthusiasts who have all worked on projects with different groups scattered across the city.

The play begins in the early 90s,with a young boy running home to tell his grandfather how he was being teased for being a Muslim in India. The grandfather,Husain,is transported back to 1947 in a flashback to the moment where he decides he wants to stay on in India instead of moving to Pakistan. The riots and his grandson’s despair make him question his decision all those years ago.

“Many people think that all Muslims wanted the partition and move to Pakistan but there are thousands who identified themselves as Indians and decided to stay back,just like my family did,” he says. The play includes few of his personal anecdotes which suggest that despite all the tension,there were few Hindus and Muslims,who were friends through it all. “I personally experienced a Hindu helping a Muslim or vice versa,” he adds.

In the past,Khan has acted in plays such as the Man Who Died Laughing and Toba Tek Singh,both acclaimed plays by groups such as Orchestrated Q’works and Fireweavers. What is intriguing though,is that while all the members in Motley Monks are English theatre artists,’Imaan’ will be staged in Hindustani,a combination of Hindi and Urdu. The group believes that the language will help them do justice to the subject which is too local and close to heart for an English production. The cast comprises Pankaj Sapkal,Aseem Dubey,Abhiroop Gupta,Anwar,Dhira Pir and child artiste Soham and others.

Imaan incorporates all such elements of Khan’s memories through the myriad characters and scenes. “The play highlights that the partition didn’t just divide India and Pakistan; it divided families too,” says Khan.

(The play will be staged on September 7 at Kala Chaya Campus on Patrakar Nagar Road)