Come September and Delhi’s theatre lovers are in for a special treat. The grand epic Mughal-e-Azam directed Feroz Abbas Khan will be put on board. “Well, Delhi was a definitely one place I wanted to stage the play because of the city is very closely associated with the Mughals and their history,” remarks Khan on the sidelines of an event that gave a sneak peak of the play.
Looking a little jaded, one cannot miss the twinkle and enthusiasm in Khan as he talks about the show. Was the film’s iconic status that drew him to adapt it on stage? “No, I was not attracted and inspired because of its iconic status but it was its structure that drew me to it. I always thought it was like a play and in fact it is. In 1922, Imtiaz Ali wrote the play which was staged in Lahore as ‘Anarkali’ which was seen by K. Asif and then he decided to make the film.”
With some of the legendary names of the industry associated with the film, Khan was also overwhelmed by its dialogues, music and screenplay. “Naushad Sahib’s music and Shakeel Badayuni’s lyrics were just magical as were the dialogues. Sample this ‘Main Hindustan Hoon, Himalaya meri sarhaddon ka nigeban hai, Ganga meri pavitrata ki saugand hai, tareekh ki ibtida se, mein andhere aur ujale ka saathi raha hoon.’ It has history, geography and philosophy all rolled into one. Likewise the line ‘Janaaze ko rukshat ki ijazat dein’ is simply timeless.”
Feroz Abbas Khan
Lamenting that the film never got the status it deserved, Khan says, “Instead of viewing Mughal-e-Azam as another Bollywood production, it should be treated as a piece of literature. If it was a Shakespearean work, creative people would have revisited it several times. So, why not Mughal-e-Azam?”
Adhering to the original script, Khan has tweaked the play to fit the proscenium. “I have used sangtarash (sculptor) as the narrator who ties up the whole play. Besides I have tried to make the play relatable to this generation. Though a period piece, it has a very strong contemporary resonance.”
Feroz reveals, “Voices of women in this play are very strong. While Jodha gives it back to Akbar, Anarkali is not a docile woman either. I have not retained the slapping scene involving Salim and Anarkali from the film as it does not work with me at all and in this period. I have incorporated a dream sequence which shows a wedding scene in Hindu and Muslim custom which is not there in the movie. It is a syncretic sequence with two songs, one a Rajasthani folk, ‘Oh! mere saiyyan’ and the other ‘Aur sakhi piya ghar aaye’.”
Khan adds that he is not trying to convey a message through the marriage scene. “No, I am not responding to any present-day situation. This is a love story and let us enjoy it like that,” he smiles.
The dialogue delivery of the play has been appreciated for its effect. “Yes, because I ensured that the sound of the original dialogues in the film, which at times were theatrical and loud, do not figure in the play. Instead they are intimate and personal. For this, I made the actors attended rehearsals and workshops.”
Inspired by K. Asif, Khan has brought in stalwarts from different streams like Manish Malhotra, the noted designer and well-known choreographer Mayuri Upadhya, to collaborate for the play. Describing them as stars of the show, he says, “Mayuri is an extraordinary talent and world class while Manish is a true artist.”
Changing gears
After having designed apparel for several collections, fashion shows and films, for Manish Mughal-e-Azam is his first foray in theatre. Happy about being chosen by Feroz for this project, he says, “For me, it was like changing gears as unlike a film, all the 550 costumes for the play were required to be ready simultaneously while each dress had to reflect grandeur and glamour.” Virtually giving up everything in hand, I devoted myself completely.”
Manish Malhotra
Making the costumes grand by using velvets, silk, Banaras brocades, Gujarati bandhini and zardozi, Malhotra says, “Each costume speaks for the character. So I used pure fabric and flairs for the dancers to take forward the narrative and set up the ambience and mood. Unlike the film which had superstars like Prithviraj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar and Madhubala, in the play costumes make the audience feel the presence of the characters.”
Malhotra admits the film was a reference point but he had to go beyond that. “I looked at the drawings and paintings of that period. For example, Anarkali’s costume while rendering the song ‘Pyar Kiya To Darna Ka’ is absolutely different from that worn by Madhubala. It has a different combination and colour scheme.” Considering that the scene and the costumes in the play changes rapidly, the designer has made the dress using Velcro and light weight to facilitate quick change.
Song and dance
Like the movie, there are dance sequences in the play too.
“A total of seven songs, four major and interludes are there. For each of them my team and I have done different choreography,” says Mayuri who has worked on several musical productions and Rakesysh Omprakash Mehra’s Mirzya . Giving examples, she says, “The choreography for the song ‘Mohe Panghat Pe Nanda Lal’, will remind one of beautiful miniature paintings on rasleela while the opening number is inspired by Sufi music and the qawwali reflects competitive spirit.”
Trained in Bharatanatyam and contemporary dance, Mayuri has presented all the dances in Kathak style since that form was prevalent in medieval period. Agreeing that choreographing for a film is different from a play, she points out, “In cinema, you can have multiple angles to create the mood while on stage which is stationary the dancer must capture the audience emotionally with certain experience.” She says, this comes only when the dancers have a sense of technique and mastery of the craft.
Summing up this whole spectacular epic, Deepesh Salgia, Director of Shapoorji Pallonji Group, producer of the film and co-producer of the play states, “With such engrossing content and grand scale, we were always confident that the play would turn out to be spectacular because at the core of it is art. Nobody can accuse of not doing justice to K. Asif’s legendary work.”
Salgia is hopeful of the Delhi audience will welcome this theatre experience which is even on a bigger scale than Mumbai.
