24

Jul

We had to innovate in every show of Ghalib in New Delhi-Sayeed Alam

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Amitabh Srivastava

India’s longest running comedy ‘Ghalib in New Delhi’, based on the re-incarnation of the legendary poet Ghalib in today’s Delhi, has created a record of sorts.

Produced by Pierrot’s Troupe, a theatre group established in 1989 by Dr.M Sayeed Alam, which has to its credit over 2000 plays in Urdu, Hindi and English, with shows in India, USA, Dubai and UK, the first edition of the Ghalib in New Delhi was staged in 1997.

By 2023 this hilarious comedy had staged over 557 shows and continues to draw repeated crowds.

Asked how did the audiences return again and again to watch a 25 year old play, Dr.M Sayeed Alam a PhD in International Politics from Aligarh Muslim University, who has written the script and acted the main role, says,  ”The secret of our success is its novelty. We are innovating with every staged performance.”

Basically, the premise of the story is that one fine day Ghalib decides to go back to Delhi, the city he lived in to find out how it would receive him.

The entire plot revolves around Ghalib staring at an omnipotent identity crisis, beginning with the occupants of his ‘Haveli’ mistaking him as Ghalib’s ‘Jinn’.

Says Sayeed Alam, “Even though today there is a Haveli in his name Ghalib cannot enter it, much less occupying it. Obviously, he has neither an Aadhar Card, Ration card or a Passport.”

Under the circumstances he takes up residence with a young man, Jai Hind, from Bihar who is a Delhi University student, in a servant’s quarter. His confidence is further shattered when Jai Hind and his landlady Mrs. Chaddha recognize his worth only when he can mimic the voice of Jagjit Singh and portray himself through Naseeruddin Shah. Persuaded by the duo and in desperate need of recognition, Ghalib decides to ‘market’ himself. The consequent press conference turns out to be a disaster with the journalists more interested in post-conference snacks and looking juicy headlines.

After this Ghalib opts for an advertising agency to mark his presence in the minds of the people. What is the ultimate fate of Ghalib has to be seen to be believed.

Asked what has changed over the last 25 years Ghalib or Delhi Alam says,”Ghalib remains the same but Delhi had obviously changed.

There are some major changes that had to be made.

For instance, in the first staged version Ghalib takes upon himself the responsibility of teaching Hindi to then Prime Minster Deve Gowda. By the end of the play Deve Gowda does not pick up Hindi but Ghalib learns Kannada.

That sequence had to go but Alam says that every show of his play has to be updated according to the new developments.

“In our last show we introduced the line that earlier Yamuna was flowing in Delhi but now Delhi is flowing in the Yamuna. But people are not satisfied. One of the regulars at my plays pointed out that we had not referred to the story of Seema Haider. I have to now work this in my next show. It’s my duty to my audience,” he says.

Other productions of Pierrot’s Troupe are names like Big B (based on (Premchand’s Bade Bhaisahib), Mohan Se Mahatma, Cut, cut, cut, Maulana Azad, K L Saigal (Hindi musical),Lal Qila ka Akhri Mushaira, Sons of Babar etc.

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