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Musical tribute to Sahir Ludhianvi: Play explores his bond with Javed Akhtar, Amrita Pritam and the Partition turmoil
Written-narrated by Chandra Shekhar Varma and directed by Gopal Sinha, play Sahir: Har Ik Pal Ka Shayar, staged in Lucknow, is a perfect tribute to the lyricist
The journey of legendary poet-lyricist Sahir Ludhianvi was brought to life during the play Sahir: Har Ik Pal Ka Shayar, held at the Sangeet Natak Akademi's Sant Gadge Auditorium on Saturday.
In a play about Sahir, music was never far behind. Beautifully blended into the narrative, singers Dr Prabha Srivastava and Pankaj Kumar presented his immortal songs, including Kabhi Kabhi Mere Dil Mein (Kabhi Kabhie, 1976), Tadbeer Se Bigdi Hui Taqdeer Bana Le (Baazi, 1951), and Main Zindagi Ka Saath Nibhata Chala Gaya (Hum Dono, 1961).
The play’s director, Gopal Sinha, says, “Writer Chandra Shekhar Varma, who also played the narrator, took the story beyond Amrita Pritam and Sahir’s love story. He incorporated slices from his life which were supported by the musical performances.”
From his childhood in Ludhiana, his time as a progressive writer in Lahore (then India), and his first love—a Hindu girl—to the turmoil of Partition, scriptwriter Varma wove in many lesser-known elements of the poet’s life.
One of the most interesting threads was Sahir's bond with writer Javed Akhtar. The play depicted how a young Akhtar borrowed ₹200 from him, promising to return it, to which Sahir replied, ‘Main tumse wasool kar lunga’. Years later, when Sahir passed away, the man at the crematorium asked Akhtar for ₹200. In the background, the same ‘wasool kar lunga’ dialogue played, moving the entire audience.
Sahir was played by Sudhanshu Mani, creator of the Vande Bharat train, while educationist-actor Rupali Chandra played Amrita Pritam. Javed Akhtar’s role was essayed by Aftab Alam.
Sahir and Amrita’s love story remained the highlight of the play. Sinha adds, “From Amrita’s side, it was well-known and obvious, but Sahir never expressed it. Was it because of his mother, whom he told everything and always obeyed? That remains unknown. But we know the ending—Amrita drifting toward Imroz (Inderjeet Singh, painter), and Sahir towards Sudha (Malhotra, singer)."
The curtains fell on the performance with the chartbuster number Abhi Na Jao Chhod Kar (Hum Dono, 1961). The play was produced by Rajiv Pradhan. Other actors included Anuradha Tandon, Amit Harsh, Jyoti Singh, Adil, and Rohit Tandon. The singers were ably supported by Shyam on synthesizer, Ajay on tabla, Monty on bass guitar, and Deepak on octopad.
