An Urdu play Umrao was staged here on Tuesday under the Adi Vidrohi Drama Festival at Ravindra Bhawan Auditorium. The play made the spectators go back in the era of 19th century and recalling the story of the first female protagonist of Urdu literature ‘Umrao Jaan Ada’.
Directed by a noted and a distinguished theater director Hidayat Sami, the play was spectacularly performed by the artists of Aarambh Theatre Group, Mumbai leaving the audience enthralled.
It is an adaptation of the Urdu novel ‘Umrao Jaan Ada’ written by a most renowned Urdu novelist and poet Mirza Muhammad Hadi Ruswa. Though portraying the great story live on stage was not an easy task, but the director Hidayat Sami is known for working on women empowerment and so he did with this production as well.
The play follows the story of Umrao. Her tale is recalled again and again in the society. The tale of a little girl abducted from her house as a part of revenge and sold to a madame in lucknow in return of some loose change. It is the tale of a young girl who at a very early age manages to earn few asharfis for lighting up the mehfils with her beauty and adayien. It is the tale of an old woman who after having all the riches, wearing the silk think what was her life worthIJ
The play begins with a disoriented Umrao being taken back to her childhood, to a few days before the young Amiran is to get married. The young Amiran is kidnapped and sold to a kotha in lucknow. Influenced by her childhood and Badi Bi’s training, Umrao grows into a nuanced young woman as the country veers towards the first scuffling for freedom around 1857. Shuttling from one city, Umrao faces numerous twists of fate until the very end. The play follows the familiar storyline, more or less.
The highlight of the play is its music. Rekha Bharadwaj’s contribution in music makes the combination even more zestful.
The leading lady, Neetu Chandra, manages to hold the audience with her strong dialogue delivery. The presence of other characters also makes the play a worthwhile watch. Overall, it makes the audience remember Rekha in Umrao Jaan as they leave the hall.