The Qadir Ali Baig Foundation is organizing its annual
Theatre Festival from the 27th October, which will continue till 12th November. The festival is a tribute to the Hindustani theatre personality, the late Qadir Ali Baig. It forms a part of the Foundation's initiative to revive theatre in town. and was designed by Mohammad Ali Baig, son of Qadir Ali Baig. The German Ministry of Culture, Goethe-Zentrum, Alliance Francaise and Seagram 100 Pipers are all associated with the festival.
Katha Collage is the first play to be performed at the fest, on 27th October, at HICC. The play will start at 7:30pm.
Actor-director Naseeruddin Shah has come up with Katha Collage based on 3 classic tales by Premchand. The 3 Hindi stories on which the play is based are as follows:
Bade Bhai Saheb (Elder Brother)
This tale of 2 brothers is narrated in the first person by the younger (the carefree and irresponsible but unknowingly brilliant) one about his older sibling (the dour, studious but irredeemably mediocre one). It is a study of contrasts - of mindsets and approaches to life; of tradition and modernity; and of natural brilliance and natural dullness.
The comic study is of 2 people who ought to be alike in every way, but are obviously touched by different stars. Chhote Bhai is being enacted by Imaaddin Shah and Bade Bhai by Jameel Khan.
Shatranj Ke Khiladi (The Chess Players)
This satire is set in the days just prior to 1857, about 2 indulgent feudal lords obsessed with the game of chess at the cost of everything else, personal or political. The fate that catches up with these decadent gentlemen is one which probably awaits all those who refuse to be drawn into taking a stand about anything except their own misguided sense of pride.
The actors playing the characters of Mirza and Meer are Ahmed Khan and Khaalid Muhammad, respectively.
Sankraman (The Circle Of Life)
Most of us, on hitting middle age, are often startled by memory flashes of our own parents and by how similar to them we have unconsciously begun to sound or look or behave. The realisation that we could not possibly have been any other way is sometimes bitter, and always inevitable. Sankraman captures this circle of life, with 3 points of view - those of a man, his wife and their son, all hailing from a middle class home of Uttar Pradesh.
The characters are enacted by Naseeruddin Shah, Seema Pahwa and Jameel Khan.
The play is 105 minutes long, the music has been composed by Vishal Bharadwaj and the sets are designed by Jairaj Patil, Ratna Pathak Shah and Mihir Thaker. Costumes and art direction are by Ratna Pathak Shah.
Tickets are priced at Rs. 1,000, Rs. 500 and Rs. 100. Please contact theatrefoundation[at]cineworksindia[dot]com for further details.
