Tag: Shekhar Suman

Ek Mulaqat

The poetic play Ek Mulaqat (a rendezvous) explores relationship of two eminent authors of the era – Amrita Pritam and Sahir Ludhianvi. The unrequited love is presented through a fictional meeting between Amrita and Sahir at the terrace. They discuss the unspent moment, the content of the letters and the many challenges on their ways to be together. This is a biographical play where the lives of the characters is dramatized and presented in theatrical presentation, with many poems orated through the performance.

The characterization is detailed and both Deepti and Shekhar complement each other. The oration of the poems and songs is done extremely well. Instead of the Bollywood and popular versions, the play sticks to the original Urdu versions, which is tough to understand at many times. I can only imagine how tough it would have been for the performers to by-heart and orate them live with such intensity and emotions! Knowing Shekhar Suman from ‘Dekh Bhai Dekh’ fame, it was a mesmerizing and captivating experience for me. Dipti Naval was as flawless as ever.

This is an extremely well done piece of art and must be watched by those who have liked the duo’s literary works. In addition to giving a glimpse into the lives of the famous duo, the play also provides a rare opportunity to see two brilliant actors orating the iconic lines. The play would also intrigue those who are interested in understanding and feeling the society at large of the era – a lot of research must have gone in bringing alive the lives of the legends and it shows through the play. The duo talks not only about unrequited love, but also about the inequalities, Indo-Pak partition, marriage and more. And most importantly, all of it comes together beautifully as a complete package!

AglaPlay Verdict: An amazing experience, laced with beautiful Urdu poetry
AglaPlay Rating: 4.5/5
Language: Hindi / Urdu
Duration: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
Writer: Saif Hyder Hasan, Somana Ahmed 
Director: S H Hasan
Cast: Shekhar Suman (Sahir),
Deepti Naval (Amrita)

Below are a few relevant links.

Other Links
Amrita Pritam Wikipedia
Sahir Ludianvi Wikipedia
A good read on the play at HT
A take on duo's relation

Ek Haan

The play attempts to explore the philosophy and thoughts of the controversial author Saadat Hasan Manto, one of the most controversial Urdu writers. It is post-partition era and Saadat is living in Pakistan now. A journalist is visiting from India to interview Saadat. She is intrigued by same questions as are the readers. Who is Manto? Was Manto only interested in cheap publicity? Did Manto know any of his characters personally? Why he wrote such vulgar and unsettling stories? And, more… The play also has acts where two of Manto’s stories are performed – Toba Tek Singh and Kali Salwar, while a small scene plays short piece of another story, Thanda Gosht.

Like Ek Mulaqat, Shekhar Suman again delivers a flawless dialogue delivery with passionate performances – as Manto, as Toba Tek Singh and short-scene where a couple’s relation is mimicked. Suchitra is also good but the role of interviewer has nothing much to offer till the end. Her portrayal of Sultana is well done. Stage is setup in a room in Manto’s house and the right part of the stage (left section of the image) also doubled as Sultana’s house and, the Lahore mental hospital.

Unlike Ek Mulaqat though, Ek Haan does not connect audience to Manto. Manto and his though process still remain enigma to me, even after watching the play. The short stories are performed well, but add little to central premise of the play. I also could not find any supporting evidences of the last scene. [Disclaimer: I do NOT know EVERYTHING, and I may well be wrong].

Overall it is an average play with good execution. The lighting is spot-on and there is the grandeur to the play. The singing by Rekha Bhardwaj is good to ears. That said, there are much better (biographical) performances, like Jauhar, Shabdleela, Ek Mulaqat… which one can choose to watch over this. 

AglaPlay Verdict: An average play with good execution
AglaPlay Rating: 3/5
Language: Hindi / Urdu / Punjabi
Duration: 1 Hour 30 Minutes (Approx., NO Interval)
Writer: Neha Kargeti 
Director: R R Roy
Cast: Shekhar Suman (Manto),
Suchitra Krishnamoorthi (Journalist),
Neha Kargeti (Anwari),
Amit Ghosh, Vikas Tiwari

Below are a few relevant links.

Other Links
Ek Haan Promo
Review at Mid-day
Manto Wikipedia