Tumhari Amrita
Encyclopedia
Tumhari Amrita is a play directed by Feroz Abbas Khan
. Its two member cast include Shabana Azmi
and Farooq Sheikh. It is an Indian context adaptation of A. R. Gurney
's hugely popular American play, Love Letters
(1988) in Epistolary form, and the Hindi/Urdu version was created in 1992 by playwright Javed Siddiqui
. After its premiere at Prithvi Theatre
, Mumbai in February 1992, over the years it has been staged at venues across India, Europe, US and Pakistan, and is still being performed to date.
, thus had been wanting to breaking away from them. About the same time he read Pulitzer Prize-nominated Love Letters
, a 1988 play by American playwright and novelist, A. R. Gurney
. In 1991 Feroz met Guerney, when the latter was passing through Mumbai, and came away impressed and thus started working on the play himself, impressed by its simplicity. Subsequently he approached playwright and screenwriter Javed Siddiqui
to work on script, Javed in turn also liked the play and wrote it as a new play, set in Indian context. Not only that Javed also decided to produce it under his banner 'Javed Siddiqui Productions'. Shortly afterward approached Shabana Azmi and Farroque Shaikh to play the leads, and when both agreed, the play receive the greenlight. The central character of Amrita is reportedly based on bohemian Indian painter Amrita Sher-Gil
(1913–1941).
, Mumbai
on February 28, 1992, under the direction of Feroz Abbas Khan
, as tribute to Jennifer Kapoor on her birthday, as the director as been associated with the theatre for many years.
The lead role with played veteran Indian actors, Shabana Azmi
and Farooq Sheikh. As per the direction, the actors do not to memorize the script and read out the letters kept on their writing desks, throughout the performance, that lasts 1 hour and 30 minutes. Director Feroz Khan was apprehensive on the outset that the play wouldn't run beyond a couple of shows, as he felt it was too experimental for Hindi audiences of the time. The plays has since toured to many parts of the world, including US, Europe and Pakistan, performing over 300 shows and acquired a cult status.
Incidentally, also in 1992 another Mumbai-based theatre group, first performed the English play, Love Letters, directed by Rahul da Cunha, where in the roles are played by Shernaz Patel
and Rajit Kapoor, this play too is still being performed.
The February 2006 performances, in Karachi and Islamabad in Pakistan were done as a fundraiser for earthquake victims. In her 2009 interview, lead actor Shabana Azmi said, " Amrita is the character I've enjoyed playing the most in my entire career." The play returned to Prithvi theatre in November 2010, performed during the eight-day festival of Jana Natya Manch (Janam), a theatre company set up by Safdar Hashmi
, to raise fund for building a theatre space in Delhi.
) and Zulfikar Haider (Farooq Sheikh), exchanged over 35 years, starting with Amrita's eighth birthday party in the 1940, when she first wrote to the ten-year-old Zulfi.
, ran a headline, "Shabana, Farooque Enthral Audience", while another Daily Timess feature on the play said "From India with Love".
, Juhu, on September 28, 2004. It was directed by Salim Arif and lead roles performed by Sonali Bendre
and Farooque Shaikh.
Feroz Abbas Khan
Feroz Abbas Khan is an Indian theatre and film director, playwright and screenwriter, who is most known for directing plays like Saalgirah, Tumhari Amrita , Salesman Ramlal and Gandhi Viruddh Gandhi.-Career:...
. Its two member cast include Shabana Azmi
Shabana Azmi
Shabana Azmi is an Indian actress of film, television and theatre. An alumna of the Film and Television Institute of India of Pune, she made her film debut in 1974 and soon became one of the leading actresses of parallel cinema, an Indian New Wave movement known for its serious content and...
and Farooq Sheikh. It is an Indian context adaptation of A. R. Gurney
A. R. Gurney
A. R. Gurney is an American playwright and novelist. He is known for works including Love Letters, The Cocktail Hour, and The Dining Room. Gurney currently lives in both New York and Connecticut....
's hugely popular American play, Love Letters
Love Letters (play)
Love Letters is a Pulitzer Prize for Drama nominated play by A. R. Gurney. The play centers on just two characters, Melissa Gardner and Andrew Makepeace Ladd III...
(1988) in Epistolary form, and the Hindi/Urdu version was created in 1992 by playwright Javed Siddiqui
Javed Siddiqui
Javed Siddiqui is a Hindi and Urdu screenwriter, dialogue writer and playwright from India. He has written over 50 storylines, screenplays and dialogues....
. After its premiere at Prithvi Theatre
Prithvi Theatre
Prithvi Theatre is one of Mumbai's best known theatres. It belongs to the Kapoor family, one of the most influential actor/director families in Bollywood. The theatre is named after Prithviraj Kapoor who first founded 'Prithvi Theatres', a travelling theatre company in 1944. The company ran for...
, Mumbai in February 1992, over the years it has been staged at venues across India, Europe, US and Pakistan, and is still being performed to date.
Development
Prior to its production director, Feroz has remained artistic director of Prithvi theatre, 1984–1992, and done large productions like The Royal Hunt of the Sun (1991) which ran for 52 weeks, All the Best, and the Gujarati play Eva Mumbai Ma Chaal Jaiye based on the musical, West Side StoryWest Side Story
West Side Story is an American musical with a script by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and choreographed by Jerome Robbins...
, thus had been wanting to breaking away from them. About the same time he read Pulitzer Prize-nominated Love Letters
Love Letters (play)
Love Letters is a Pulitzer Prize for Drama nominated play by A. R. Gurney. The play centers on just two characters, Melissa Gardner and Andrew Makepeace Ladd III...
, a 1988 play by American playwright and novelist, A. R. Gurney
A. R. Gurney
A. R. Gurney is an American playwright and novelist. He is known for works including Love Letters, The Cocktail Hour, and The Dining Room. Gurney currently lives in both New York and Connecticut....
. In 1991 Feroz met Guerney, when the latter was passing through Mumbai, and came away impressed and thus started working on the play himself, impressed by its simplicity. Subsequently he approached playwright and screenwriter Javed Siddiqui
Javed Siddiqui
Javed Siddiqui is a Hindi and Urdu screenwriter, dialogue writer and playwright from India. He has written over 50 storylines, screenplays and dialogues....
to work on script, Javed in turn also liked the play and wrote it as a new play, set in Indian context. Not only that Javed also decided to produce it under his banner 'Javed Siddiqui Productions'. Shortly afterward approached Shabana Azmi and Farroque Shaikh to play the leads, and when both agreed, the play receive the greenlight. The central character of Amrita is reportedly based on bohemian Indian painter Amrita Sher-Gil
Amrita Sher-Gil
Amrita Sher-Gil , was an eminent Indian painter, sometimes known as India's Frida Kahlo, and today considered an important woman painter of 20th century India, whose legacy stands at par with that of the Masters of Bengal Renaissance; she is also the 'most expensive' woman painter of India.-Early...
(1913–1941).
Staging history
Tumhari Amrita made its debut at the Jennifer Kapoor Festival held at Prithvi TheatrePrithvi Theatre
Prithvi Theatre is one of Mumbai's best known theatres. It belongs to the Kapoor family, one of the most influential actor/director families in Bollywood. The theatre is named after Prithviraj Kapoor who first founded 'Prithvi Theatres', a travelling theatre company in 1944. The company ran for...
, Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
on February 28, 1992, under the direction of Feroz Abbas Khan
Feroz Abbas Khan
Feroz Abbas Khan is an Indian theatre and film director, playwright and screenwriter, who is most known for directing plays like Saalgirah, Tumhari Amrita , Salesman Ramlal and Gandhi Viruddh Gandhi.-Career:...
, as tribute to Jennifer Kapoor on her birthday, as the director as been associated with the theatre for many years.
The lead role with played veteran Indian actors, Shabana Azmi
Shabana Azmi
Shabana Azmi is an Indian actress of film, television and theatre. An alumna of the Film and Television Institute of India of Pune, she made her film debut in 1974 and soon became one of the leading actresses of parallel cinema, an Indian New Wave movement known for its serious content and...
and Farooq Sheikh. As per the direction, the actors do not to memorize the script and read out the letters kept on their writing desks, throughout the performance, that lasts 1 hour and 30 minutes. Director Feroz Khan was apprehensive on the outset that the play wouldn't run beyond a couple of shows, as he felt it was too experimental for Hindi audiences of the time. The plays has since toured to many parts of the world, including US, Europe and Pakistan, performing over 300 shows and acquired a cult status.
Incidentally, also in 1992 another Mumbai-based theatre group, first performed the English play, Love Letters, directed by Rahul da Cunha, where in the roles are played by Shernaz Patel
Shernaz Patel
Shernaz Patel is an Indian film and theatre actor, who works in Hindi and English films, most known for her roles in films like Black and Guzaarish and English language theatre in Mumbai. She made her theatre debut with The Diary Of Anne Frank in 1984...
and Rajit Kapoor, this play too is still being performed.
The February 2006 performances, in Karachi and Islamabad in Pakistan were done as a fundraiser for earthquake victims. In her 2009 interview, lead actor Shabana Azmi said, " Amrita is the character I've enjoyed playing the most in my entire career." The play returned to Prithvi theatre in November 2010, performed during the eight-day festival of Jana Natya Manch (Janam), a theatre company set up by Safdar Hashmi
Safdar Hashmi
Safdar Hashmi was a Communist playwright, actor, director, lyricist, and theorist, chiefly associated with Street theatre in India, and is still considered an important voice in political theatre in India....
, to raise fund for building a theatre space in Delhi.
Synopsis
The story of unrequited love read out through reams of love letters between Amrita Nigam (Shabana AzmiShabana Azmi
Shabana Azmi is an Indian actress of film, television and theatre. An alumna of the Film and Television Institute of India of Pune, she made her film debut in 1974 and soon became one of the leading actresses of parallel cinema, an Indian New Wave movement known for its serious content and...
) and Zulfikar Haider (Farooq Sheikh), exchanged over 35 years, starting with Amrita's eighth birthday party in the 1940, when she first wrote to the ten-year-old Zulfi.
Cast & crew
- Amrita Nigam: Shabana AzmiShabana AzmiShabana Azmi is an Indian actress of film, television and theatre. An alumna of the Film and Television Institute of India of Pune, she made her film debut in 1974 and soon became one of the leading actresses of parallel cinema, an Indian New Wave movement known for its serious content and...
- Zulfikar Haider (Zulfi):Farooq Sheikh
- Production design: MS Sathyu
- Chief Assistant Director: Saghir Ahmed Choudhry
- Lighting Design: Nilesh Mehta
Reception
After its 2006 performance in Pakistan, leading daily DawnDawn (newspaper)
Dawn is Pakistan's oldest and most widely read English-language newspaper. One of the country's two largest English-language dailies, it is the flagship of the Dawn Group of Newspapers, published by Pakistan Herald Publications, which also owns the Herald, a magazine, the evening paper The Star and...
, ran a headline, "Shabana, Farooque Enthral Audience", while another Daily Timess feature on the play said "From India with Love".
Sequel
After the success of Tumhari Amrita, a sequel also written by Javed Siddiqqi, had its premiered at Prithvi TheatrePrithvi Theatre
Prithvi Theatre is one of Mumbai's best known theatres. It belongs to the Kapoor family, one of the most influential actor/director families in Bollywood. The theatre is named after Prithviraj Kapoor who first founded 'Prithvi Theatres', a travelling theatre company in 1944. The company ran for...
, Juhu, on September 28, 2004. It was directed by Salim Arif and lead roles performed by Sonali Bendre
Sonali Bendre
Sonali Bendre is an Indian actress and model. She has mostly starred in Bollywood films but has acted in many Telugu films as well as a number of Marathi, Tamil and Kannada films. She was also one of the four judges in the fourth season of Indian Idol and India's Got Talent...
and Farooque Shaikh.
External links
- Tumhari Amrita at Feroz Abbas KhanFeroz Abbas KhanFeroz Abbas Khan is an Indian theatre and film director, playwright and screenwriter, who is most known for directing plays like Saalgirah, Tumhari Amrita , Salesman Ramlal and Gandhi Viruddh Gandhi.-Career:...
website