1857: Turrebaz Khan ranks among the prestigious plays orchestrated by the Qadir Baig Theatre Foundation, directed by Mohammad Ali Baig. The play, a retelling of Turrebaz Khan’s story, who’s the very reason behind the popular word in Hyderabadi lingo Turram Khan (someone who’s heroic), links us to a crucial story during the 1857 Sepoy Mutiny. Theatre director-actor Mohammad Ali Baig gets talking on the play’s global appeal.
A UK premiere, Edinburgh last year and 1857: Turrebaz Khan comes to Falaknuma Palace, what do you think ensures its global appeal?
A world premiere at Edinburgh Festival is a cherished moment, equally flattering was the London premiere and also at the Delhi International Arts Festival.‘1857: Turrebaz Khan’ though set in the early days of the Indian freedom struggle is a universal story of discrimination and triumph of unfailing human spirit. Its acclaim reaffirms my premise that theatre should be a total experience for audience and must be done with prestige and dignity.
How much has Turrebaz Khan’s part grown over you?
His is a very powerful character. Not much is really known about his life – personal or otherwise, except that he led of a band of Rohilla soldiers to attack the British Residency of Col. Davidson to free his comrade Jamedar Cheeda Khan of the 3rd Cavalry during Nizam V’s regime. As an actor, it is a challenge to play a fiery, rebellious soldier who’s tied up for the entire play duration. I still don’t let characters grow over me beyond a certain fine line of internalisation and detachment.
What care did you take for the story in balancing fact and fiction and in ensuring a theatrical appeal?
While facts are researched, I dramatised the hour of captivity. It is researched that Turrebaz Khan was captured by Qurban Ali Baig, the Talukdar of Toopran. Their conversation in captivity of Toopran forests is imaginary. Their own standpoints during the course of an hour-long interrogation are fictional, but contextual. A female character who drifts in and out draws attention to the struggle that women go through during times of such conflict.
What was the reason behind the play’s focus on Ali Baig and Turrebaz Khan’s conversations?
I wanted to bring centrestage characters of two different mindsets; one which play-caters to the establishment for his own agenda, the other who rebels for a cause for his country. Both of the same soil, ideology and era but two completely different human beings, both victims of circumstances. It’s this hour of interrogation that provides a vignette to the Deccan’s brief and modest claim in India’s freedom struggle.
How do the musical references of the 1800s come forward in the play?
We did a lot of research on instruments, raagas and taals used during the era. In 1857: Turrebaz Khan, there is live percussion; duff representing the supportive woman, marfa representing Turrebaz Khan’s rugged valour, and the bass drum representing Qurban Ali’s power and strength. (The play will be staged at Taj Falaknuma Palace on March 19, 7 pm)
