PICTURE SPEAK

ACTION: Scene from Taramati (top); Sathyu (left) with actors from the play The Foundation has consistently planned, prepared and put out productions to contribute to the resurgence of theatre

"We have finally broken the syndrome of performers saying there are no audiences and the audience, in turn, saying there are no performances," says Mohammad Ali Baig who is the catalyst of the Foundation. He instituted it as a tribute to his father and Hindustani theatre legend Qadir Ali Baig who formed the New Theatre of Hyderabad in 1970. Relying on a mix of period and modern themes, the Foundation draws even the young in their 20s and 30s to enjoy a play overlooking other forms of entertainment.

To create awareness there are inter-active sessions at which doyen of theatre world including the likes of Mohan Maharishi, Habib Tanveer and Prasanna share their experiences with enthusiasts.

After staging Taramati-The Legend of an Artist-the story of a quintessential artist who falls in love with Abdullah Qutb Shah, grandson of the founder of Hyderabad Mohammad Quli Qutb Shah, at Taramati Baradari near Golconda Fort in January, the Foundation is getting ready to put up another period pageant. This time in March at the Chowmahalla Palace. Titled His Exalted Highness, this play is based on the royal farmaans (royal decrees) of the last Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan Bahadur, once the richest man in the world, who ruled the Deccan for 37 years and shaped Hyderabad's identity, culture and life style.

"The play is an effort to present the VIIth Nizam in the right light. The distinct Hyderabadi tehzeeb, and lifestyle was shaped during his rule. Some of the measures that he took during his rule are still unparalleled in governance and administration. Hyderabad owes a lot to him," explains Baig who has directed the play.

In the past two years, the Foundation has worked consistenly towards revival of theatre in the city which had once witnessed plays like Qadir Ali's Quli Qutb Shah; Tana Shah; Mahboob-e-Deccan; Kohinoor ka Lutera, Sakharam Binder; Adhey Adhoore; Khamosh Adalat Jaari Hai and Kehron ke Rajhans.

"Our aim is much more than staging plays, to impart basic training in all aspects of theatre so that the young players are not only professional but can also compete in any part of the world," says M.S. Sathyu, director of the Foundation. The Foundation has made sure that the audience gets a rich variety with each play being distinctly different from the earlier one.

Javed Siddiqui's Begum Jaan, Nadira Zaheer Babbar's Ji Jaisi Aapki Marzi, Will Russel's Shirley Valentine featuring Mahabanoo Mody-Kotwal, Suhasini Maniratnam's Reading Between the Lines and Eugene Ionesco's The Chairs are among the other offerings that have helped revive interest in theatre. As actor and theatre buff Shankar Melkote puts it: "With powerful plays contributing to the revival, Hyderabad could not ask for more."

-By Amarnath K. Menon

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