Indore HD got a chance to see one of its kind play, for the first time in Indore, in Daly College – Ismat Apa Ke Naam. I will be honest; I’m an Art loving guy but I haven’t seen a play in my entire life before this, so I was quite excited. I have read Ismat’s works in the past and I was blown by her raw writing, but, the main attraction of the play, for me, was Mr. Naseerudin Shah.
The play started with Mr. Shah greeting the audience; clad in a black Jodhpuri and looking at his best. Mr. Shah is both director-actor here and he introduced the audience to the work and life of Ismat Chughtai. He told us about the life and the controversies she faced during her career as a writer. Each of the three stories that are featured in the play, are different from each other and basically deal with the problems that women faced in the male dominated society of that era.
Chui Mui
The first story of the play was Chui Mui, narrated by Shah’s daughter, Heeba Shah. The story tells about a lady, who wants to become pregnant as soon as she wants, so that she could lead a happy life. During those times, men used to leave their women for another, so the main character wants the attention and survival by becoming a mother. She is contrasted by another character in the story who dares to have a child in the train without wedlock and she portrays the strength of a woman and the willingness to live life on one’s terms. What was impactful in the story was Heeba’s portrayal but the essence failed to hit me.
Mughal Bacha
I found this one to be a lot better, in terms of the story, as compared to the first one. Ratna Pathak Shah starts it off with her signature style and tone, swaying swiftly between the roles of a narrator and characters like Gori Bi and Kaale Miyaan. This story is all about the battle of Egos, arrogance and failure. The act is quite smooth and there was a time when Ratna grabs your attention by superbly playing a simple act of washing her hands and feet. Ratna narrates this with so much calm and simplicity, as your Grandmother would, during your stay at her place in summer holidays.
Gharwali
The third and the last story of the play were by Mr. Shah himself and this was something I was waiting for. To be honest, I wasn’t looking forward much to the story itself and all I wanted to see Mr. Shah perform on the stage and he took my heart away. The story comes as a raw meat that you need to chew a lot before you gulp it down, especially if you consider the time it was penned down. The story is about a beautiful girl Lajjo of no known background but who has hundreds of admirers and depicts a prostitute cum maid. The man who appoints her as a maid of his house- Mirza gets sexually involved with her and then marries her only to realise later that he has committed a mistake which later results in divorce. The girl realises that marriage was just a way to control the desires of women in a patriarchal world and gets immensely happy after she gets divorce. The only thing to watch here is the way Mr. Shah lives the characters and makes you watch him in awe.
All in all, the play is all about the performances and you might not like the stories much. The music is simple and easy to hear and the lights throughout the play changes as the tone of the play do. In short, the play is must watch for anyone starved to see the excellence of theater.
Review : Rahul Cornelius