A barber correcting a tonga wala with lines from Ghalib – don’t we all wish to live in a world like that? A microcosm of that world was presented beautifully at the picturesque venue, Taramati Baradari, in the production Ishq Malangi by director Mushtaq Kak and his team, Amateur Theatre Group, from Jammu. This was as a part of the Qadir Ali Baig Theatre Festival, 2017.
The tale of Ishq Malangi , set in pre-Independence 1940 in Jammu, during the rule of Raja Hari Singh, is a dichotomy of two tales of love – of the coachman, Kale Khan, obsessed with his love for Feroza, a greedy lady who entertains rich folks with her singing and dancing, and of Shaadan, another entertainer who falls deeply in love with a Sufi mystic, Yousuf, and turns her attention from worldly pleasures to God. The tale ends well, materialistically speaking, neither for Kale Khan, who is spurned and detested for his poverty by Feroza, nor for Shaadan who is heartbroken, when the vile Gaje Singh, out of envy and spite, murders Yousuf. While Kale Khan loses himself in dejection, the burden of the country’s partition adding to his woes, Shaadan takes the opposite route, losing herself to mausiquii, singing and dancing away with deep emotions only the Lord deserves. That subtle message wasn’t lost on the audience, accentuated by velvety dialogues and some purposeful acting by all the characters.
Famous lines like ishq ne Ghalib nikamma kardiya, varna ham bhi aadmi the kaam ke and Ye Ishq nahin aasaan itna hi samajh liije warmed the audience up to what would be a dialogue and thought-heavy screenplay. Particularly interesting was the decision to break the ‘fourth wall’, a dedicated character conversing with the audience, explaining and narrating to them the events, context, and the setting. Apart from drawing you into the story, it also helped you relate to a time long gone by, experiencing emotions in a setting not so relatable anymore. A scene where Yousuf and Shaadan hum Sufi songs together in blissful soul-searching remains particularly etched in your mind; so does an interesting conversation between a burkha-clad Shaadan and a lecherous thanedaar, a cop, transforming the latter and making him realise his folly.
