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Theatre festival: Javed Siddiqui, Nadira Babbar get the Thespian Award; four plays and two dastaans performed in Lucknow
Javed Siddiqui and poet-actor-director Nadira Babbar were conferred with The Thespian Award during the Natya Nirvan Festival held in Lucknow
The state capital witnessed four plays and two dastaangoi shows during the three-day Natya Nirvan Festival, held at the UP Sangeet Natak Academy. On Sunday, veteran film writer-playwright Javed Siddiqui and poet-actor-director Nadira Babbar were conferred with The Thespian Award during the event held to mark World Theatre Day.
Theatre personalities Salim Arif and Anil Ranjan Bhaumik held a discussion on theatre legends Ebrahim Alkazi and Badal Sircar. “People like Ebrahim Alkazi and Badal Sircar are pillars of theatre in India. Their contribution is enormous. The young generation needs to know about them and the history of our theatre world,” says Salim Arif. They were joined by BFTA founder Tariq Khan, Shubham Tiwari, Vindu Khare Das, and Prateek Mahant.
The plays staged on the occasion were Savita Rani’s Notions in Between You & Me, Shubham Tiwari’s India After Bhagat Singh, Swati Dubey’s Agarbatti, and Tariq Hamid’s Marhoom Ki Yaad Mein.
Gunjan Jain and Ajay Jain performed dastaan Hum Dekhenge. Directed by young director Shubham Tiwari, this dastaan was not only adorned with the nazms and ghazals of poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz but was also presented in a fresh style, while retaining the traditional essence and attire of the old art of dastangoi. Highlighting various facets of the life of the poet, this presentation won great appreciation from the audience for its music and singing.
Dastaangoi Dhanush Yagya was performed by Vineet Mishra and Pallavi Raj. The artistes brought the Sita Swayamvar episode from the Ramayana to life with their remarkable acting and vibrant energy. The performers skillfully portrayed the roles of King Dasharath, Parashuram, Lakshman, Ram, and Sita. The combination of costumes, sound, songs, music, and lighting was appreciated by the audience.
At the closing ceremony, senior theatre director Surya Mohan Kulshreshtha, Lalit Singh Pokhariya, Veda Rakesh, Mridula Bhardwaj, Bharatendu Kashyap, and Pooja Prasad were present.
