Charan Das Chor on the loose

THE lit pipe shows Habib Tanvir is on the prowl. Writer, director, poet, musician, set designer8212;the labels only indicate that no aspect...

THE lit pipe shows Habib Tanvir is on the prowl. Writer, director, poet, musician, set designer8212;the labels only indicate that no aspect of theatre production escapes the 81-year-old8217;s eye. He corrects a septuagenarian Chhattisgarhi actor, then breaks off to smile at a four-year-old entrant. He shouts lighting instructions mid-show, steps in for hilarious cameos and includes everyone8212;from retired singer Bhulvaram to wife and colleague Moneeka8212;for the inevitable standing ovation.

Coaxing Tanvir away from run-throughs at Mumbai8217;s Prithvi Theatre Festival, we retrace his journey, through the exhibition on his Naya Theatre, at a public garden. Strolling around with trademark pipe, he peruses old photographs, diary snippets and poetry pieces. Recalling plays with Balraj Sahni and Dina Pathak in his Indian People8217;s Theatre Association days, he remarks, 8220;As a Rajya Sabha member, I8217;d planned a Bhavai folk workshop with Dina. But she was always busy with films.8221;

After acting in a few films like Naaz, he moved to Delhi, and there encountered Ebrahim Alkazi8217;s theatre school. 8220;I was more experienced and he couldn8217;t give me much,8221; he says forthrightly. 8220;I preferred to train where he did8212;the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, in the UK.8221; However, he soon realised 8220;language matters; the mother tongue changes movement8221;. Luckily, renowned artistic director Duncan Ross enabled a year8217;s study of production at the Old Vic. 8220;But on returning, I had to unlearn. It8217;s impossible to ask village actors to move along a graph,8221; he admits.

But the striving to find his own form was preceded by a backpacking trip through Europe. The exhibition8217;s map is heavily dotted: Budapest, Belgrade, Bratislava, Prague, Moscow. 8220;I hitchhiked, did odd jobs8212;and watched theatre,8221; he says, recalling meetings with 8220;great figures like Jean Vilars at Avignon8221;. His escapades included a narrow miss of the Soviet invasion of Hungary. Most memorable was Berlin. 8220;I8217;d gone to meet Bertolt Brecht, who died a week before I arrived. But I met actor-wife Helene Weigel,8221; recalls Tanvir, who was inspired by Brecht8217;s integrated use of song.

His return to India was soon followed by Mitti Ki Gadi, based on Mricchakatika, with six actors from home turf, Chhattisgarh 8220;The best production of Mitti8230; I8217;ve seen is my own8221;. It led to the creation of Naya Theatre and cult plays like Gaon Ka Naam Sasural Mor Naam Damaad, Charan Das Chor, Ponga Pandit and Kamdeo Ka Apna Basant Ritu Ka Sapna.

The festival also celebrates the release of nine scripts in Chattisgarhi, English, Hindi and Urdu. 8220;Sanjna Kapoor galvanised me and I8217;ve almost completed my autobiography,8221; he says.

His association with the Kapoor clan goes back generations. 8220;I8217;ve watched Prithviraj Kapoor8217;s plays at Opera House. In Pathan, his 8216;early morning voice8217; evoked sleepiness and the morning bloom. His father was devoted to theatre, he8217;d be at the entrance, selling tickets,8221; he reminisces. 8220;Jennifer was also a fine actress. Sanjna is the quintessence of these influences,8221; he says, winding his way from the exhibition to rehearsals of Agra Bazar, revived after 15 years. 8220;When I started, my actors were illiterate. But with 8216;education8217;, bechaare, I see the effect on their natural instincts. But I8217;m not concerned with Naya Theatre8217;s future,8221; he shrugs. 8220;I8217;ve worked with them for years8212;they8217;ll find their own path.8221;