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Indian Express
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Iconic play Kaifi Aur Main travels to Pune with star-studded cast, including Shabana Azmi
'Kaifi aur Main is the love story of two individuals but it is not only that,' says poet-lyricist Javed Akhtar in the introduction to the iconic play he wrote that is set to be staged in Pune next month. 'It is also the story of the world in which these two people were born, the society in which they breathed. It was a society where there is oppression and injustice, and these two individuals unite to fight every breach of justice and tyranny. This is a story of a multitude, of every person who holds on to hope that, one day, the world will be free of oppression and there will be friendship and love,' he says about the play he wrote and, for many years, starred in. Kaifi aur Main premiered in Mumbai in 2006 and, as it approaches its 20th year, the star-studded cast of Shabana Azmi, Kanwaljit Singh and ghazal singer Jaswinder Singh, who performs live, will be will be staged at Marigold Banquet and Conventions on August 3 at 7 pm. The story arcs from Mijwan, a little-known village without a pincode in Uttar Pradesh, where the Urdu poet Kaifi Azmi was born, to his meeting with young Shaukat (mother of Shabana Azmi) to their 55-year romance that lasted till his death. 'The story is about love, the relationship of a husband and wife and how they support each other,' says Jaswinder Singh. Kaifi and Shaukat's relationship unfolds against the background of sociopolitical upheaval as a newly Independent India strives towards great ideals. Shabana, the daughter of Kaifi and Shaukat, plays her mother while Kanwaljit has taken over from Akhtar to essay the role of the renowned poet. The personal narrative intersperses with the world context in a way that the play becomes a documentation of an era in a powerful female voice. 'Kaifi sahab was the president of the Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA), a progressive cultural organisation that played a vital part during the freedom struggle. The progressive writers and artistes were from IPTA, and they met, wrote plays and poetry and sent out meaningful messages. As a child, I used to meet Kaifi sahab and we have grown up listening to his poetry, so it is a very personal for us to be doing this performance. It is inspired by love for him, his poetry and his philosophy,' says Jaswinder, in a phone interview from Mumbai. Kaifi aur Main does not have the typical format of a play. Shabana and Kanwaljit sit and narrate on stage with Jaswinder and five musicians who perform timeless songs, such as Waqt Ne Kiya Kya Haseen Sitam, Tumhari Zulf Ke Saye Mein and Kar Chale Hum Fida – the multiple forms uniting to narrate the story. 'I think it is very important that we should do such kinds of plays and music programmes because, as a society, we are getting away from love. Kaifi sahab stood for his fellow being, the villagers and the poor, and the play gives the message where he says, 'Pyar ka jashan nai tarah manana hoga, Pyar ka jashan nai tarah manana hoga, gam kisi dil mein sahi, gam ko mitana hoga,' says Jaswinder. Dipanita Nath is interested in the climate crisis and sustainability. She has written extensively on social trends, heritage, theatre and startups. She has worked with major news organizations such as Hindustan Times, The Times of India and Mint. ... Read More
Indian Express
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Filmmaker Sudhir Mishra unpacks the brilliance of Guru Dutt and its enduring impact
Filmmaker Guru Dutt is like a poet who works with other poets such as Sahir Ludhianvi (he wrote lyrics for Baazi (1951), Jaal (1952) and Pyaasa (1957) among others) and creates enduring cinematic moments. I see his films as a series of moments which resonate with me at various points of my life. I tend to understand myself better in a weird way through those moments. I don't have an intellectual relationship with Guru Dutt but more of a subconscious relationship. Once his films entered my mind, they never left. I don't know whether that shows in my work. If it shows, I am glad. If it does not show, then I am not good enough. Because of him, I am also attracted to people on the margins. Chhoti Bahu in Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962), a character essayed by Meena Kumari, is a woman locked up but bursting with desire and sensuality. She wants to explore the world outside. The way Guru Dutt sees women is very interesting. He is not condescending. There is even a mischief there in Waheeda Rehman's character in this film. There is jealousy and all sorts of desire. Women are not ashamed to express their desire. They are not making any excuses. His women are capable of expressing their deeper desires. He treats them as he treats men. Of course, the experiences of men and women are different. It is remarkable how Guru Dutt almost rewrites a script while making a film. He creates an ambience that's beyond the written pages. Sometimes, it is even contrary to the dialogues. Handled by any ordinary filmmaker, the dialogues can be seen as mundane. A lament can be melodramatic but he makes it poetic. Chhoti Bahu becomes a metaphor for me — much more than just a character. The way he shoots the songs is outstanding. 'Waqt Ne Kiya Kya Haseen Sitam' in Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959) almost foretells the lead characters' parting and encapsulates the inevitability that their lives will go separate ways. It is kind of in the subconsciousness — he is not trying to intellectualise it. Because he was also a dancer and choreographer, he understood rhythm. The way he shoots 'Jinhe naaz hai hind par woh kahan hai' in Pyaasa — with VK Murthy behind the camera — transforms the song into something much more than a complaint. It is as if he completes the poem by Sahir. He rewrites it with the camera. My grandmother identified herself as Meena Kumari (who plays Chhoti Bahu) after my grandfather had walked away, into the arms of another woman. I was around five years old when I first watched Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam with my grandmother. My father founded the film society in Lucknow. I saw Guru Dutt's films there again. I watched them on my own. Whenever there was a screening of a Guru Dutt film — Pyaasa, Chaudhvin Ka Chand, Aar Paar or Baazi — I would go. In hindsight, that was the trigger to my becoming a filmmaker. I am quite intrigued by the fact that he was a passionate man and that his first love was filmmaking. He was obsessed with taking the right shots. He has shot films and dumped them because he was not happy with them. He was trying to make sense of the world. He had certain ideas and it was difficult to replicate them. They are ephemeral. A lot of people can call it confusion. But he was searching as he shot. When he sees Meena Kumari singing 'Na Jao Saiyan Chhuda Ke Baiyan' and Murthy has lit the shot, that's when he realises what he has in his mind. Consciously, he has left those moments for us. He is a poet, painter, and filmmaker. Call it hyper realism, he takes a moment, fits into the art, and thereby creates a third moment. Look at the image he creates with Yeh duniya agar mil bhi jaaye in Pyaasa. He speaks for many. Guru Dutt exists in all my films. I am not claiming that kind of greatness but I am a product of so many things and my lineage. Then, there is something unique, something that I have — my filmmaking is a search for that. It is what Ghalib called 'andaz-e-bayan' (style of expression). That was what Guru Dutt was searching for. He was also trying to understand who he was. His death at the age of 39 was sad. When you die young, you either disappear or become a legend. The latter is justified in his case since his films created the impact that they did. He was discovering the medium through his early movies. He is exploring how to treat a character and how to take a shot. Then, he made Pyaasa. He was getting ready to make these kinds of films. Cinema is a commercial world. You can become independent and explore what you want if you are a producer too. He was a producer-director. The medium of cinema is unique. There are certain things that only cinema can express if you submit to the muse and the medium. Then you will become a filmmaker and express what only cinema can do. That's what he was trying to find. He was saying what can be said only through cinema. His muse was the medium itself. (As told to Alaka Sahani)
