Theatre director and actor Shamir tells Saimi Sattar that it is appropriate that Sahir Ludhianvi’s birth centenary falls on Women’s Day
Kal aur aayenge nagmon ki
Khilti kaliyan chun-ne wale
Mujhse behtar kehne wale
Tumse behtar sun-ne wale
(Tomorrow there will be more poets who write better verses than I do. There will be listeners who are more attentive than you).
When Abdul Hayee, better known by his pen name Sahir Ludhianvi, wrote these lines for the film, Kabhi Kabhi in 1976, he was drawing attention to the ephemeral quality of fame and public recognition. But even in the centenary year of his birth (and 40 years after his death), we cannot seem to have enough of the impactful words and verses written by the poet.
And so, Team Raabta and one of its members, Shamir, decided to stage Wo Afsaana based on the life of the poet. “His nazms and songs are everlasting because of the words that he has used to convey the message. These remain with you long after you hear them as they are relevant,” says Shamir who has directed the play and also portrays the lead. He quotes the example of the song Tu Hindu Banega, Na Musalman Banega, which he wrote for the film, Dhool ka Phool, and the song’s relevance in contemporary divisive times. Shamir points out that Sahir used words forcefully and these moved the listeners. “In films like Pyaasa and Kaagaz Ke Phool, the poetry took precedence over the music because the director (Guru Dutt) wanted it to be the moving force. The lyrics were inspired by his own personal life and intriguing personality,” he says.
Wo Afsaana is being staged today, on Sahir’s birth anniversary, which also happens to be Women’s Day. Shamir points out, “It is appropriate given how close he was to his mother, the kind of importance he gave to women and his empathy towards them which is evident in songs like Aurat Ne Janam Diya Mardon Ko.”
The play, which starts at his birth, delves into Sahir’s relationship with Amrita Pritam, the Hindi and Punjabi novelist, essayist and poet. It looks at how the association moved forward and how they expressed their feelings towards each other by way of poetry.
To portray the role and direct the play Shamir has relied a lot on Main Sahir Hun, a book by Dr Salman Abid and Chander Verma as the poet did not dwell upon himself or his feelings often. Jaishree, a senior theatre artiste who also works with Doordarshan is playing Amrita. “The character of Amritaji did not need any interpretation. She was an open book and expressed herself in her autobiography, Rasidi Ticket, and other books. Her personality was way ahead of its time,” says Shamir.
The relationship has been the subject of books. A biopic too has been announced though it is yet to get off the floor. Then there is the iconic play, Ek Mulaqat, where Shekhar Suman and Deepti Naval played the protagonists. “That is a legend but I haven’t seen it. In the past, when we staged it there were some in the audience who had watched both so comparisons were inevitable. But we have attempted to use very simple elements of theatre to present the events from our viewpoint. We have tried to be authentic and remain true to what has been documented. We have read and gone into depths of whatever is there in public domain,” says Shamir who staged the play at Satish Chander Dhawan Government College, Ludhiana — where Sahir studied — in its centennial year.
However, that was then. In times when a pandemic has changed our life including entertainment, how did the team go about with rehearsals? “Since it is a play that we have already staged, we did it over the phones. Physical rehearsals took place only on two days,” says Shamir, who has been active in theatre since college.
He points out that during lockdown, people did attempt to do projects online but “the ambience and impact of live theatre is completely different which doesn’t come through in a recording.” Even though theatres can now function with capacity Team Raabta, which usually stages literary performance, has decided to maintain social distancing among the audience.
(The play has two shows — 5.00 pm and 7.30 pm — at Akshara Theatre, Delhi.)