Zikr-e-Ghalib - A review by Kay S

ZIKR-e-GHALIB - A Celestial treat

A Kathputliyaan Theatre Group Production directed by Zafer Mohiuddin

“The actor creates with his own flesh and blood all those things which all the arts try in some way to describe!” - Lee Strasberg

It is indeed not every day that we mortals wake up to a beautiful day, experience magic, express without inhibitions, dance as if nobody is watching you, sing with the chords of our souls, or portray words with panache.  Today, July 13, 2019, for me will go into the annals of history as a day which allowed me to witness one such treat, a celestial one at that, where music, dance, drama, and poetry joined hands to create an undeniable, unmatchable, spellbinding magical confluence of sorts leaving each one of us in the audience speechless, stuck in our seats hoping for it to never end.  Yes, this was the feeling I experienced from watching ‘Zikr-e-Ghalib,’ an amazingly directed play by Zafer Mohiuddin Saab who created history by bringing the best of singers, dancers, with himself portraying the inimitable, unmatchable, brilliant poet, Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib himself.  Khalil Gibran could not have put it more aptly when he wrote, “But let there be spaces in your togetherness and let the winds of the heavens dance between you.  Love one another but make not a bond of love: let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls!”  This is what I witnessed today on stage.  If I dare to say that this was a one-of-a-kind production, I am sure I am not wrong because we have seen the confluence of music and dance or music and drama or dance and drama but never theatre, dance, music, and poetry coming together on the same stage.  This was one play that achieved all the things you would want to see even though it was a repeat from 2016 when it played to houseful audiences in India and abroad.

Zafer Saab as I address him is an amazingly multi-talented, multi-faceted, baritone-voiced director and an actor who is flawless in his direction and acting.  Being a stickler for detail and perfection, he chose to bring back the old team of Raghupathi Jha and Ankita Kundu, brilliant singers who rendered every piece with panache; Smitha Srinivasan, a talented and brilliant Kathak dancer along with her team; musicians, Ashwini Kaushik, the awesome flautist; Ajay Kumar Singh on the tabla and Aranya Kumar on the israj.  The play based on the letters of Mirza Ghalib which starts out with a musical rendition by Raghupathi Jha accompanied by the talented group of musicians unraveled itself as though a celestial gift opened by the angels themselves.  Magic started spinning its golden web around the hall of Alliance Francaise de Bangalore mesmerizing one and all rooting them to their seats as though they were caught in a spell that was woven by the soul of Mirza Ghalib himself. Zafer Saab’s rendition of all of his dialogues were par excellence and as if that was not enough for us to be bamboozled, Smitha Srinivasan with her two dancers danced to the soulful voices of Raghupathi Jha and Ankita Kundu supported by the musicians to the hilt.  Not a note, not a step, not a tune, nor a dialogue was missed and that in itself was a commendable job. Professor Ramesh Dutt could not have introduced this play any better when he said that the soul of Ghalib seems to have traveled to Bengaluru all the way from his tomb in Delhi and most probably I feel it was so too for there was no way I would have cried with ecstasy during both shows equally the same way I did had it not been for a celestial intervention.  I was overwhelmed and ecstatic to such a great extent that I did not want the day to end, and what is more I was so high on the day’s feelings that I post this review today, three days after the play as I could not have done justice to this review had I written it immediately.  I wanted to soak in the feeling of magic that was created in me and around me and wanted to relish it, prolong the experience of sorts, live with that dazed feeling and then come to my senses to write it and here it is….me writing in all my sanity.

The perfection with which each of the singers, the dancers, the musicians, the backstage team, and the director himself planned and executed this brilliant show is noteworthy and I believe if we had the Emmy’s for India, this play should take the trophy away for that.  “The greatest musical instrument given to a human being is the voice,” said the great Dayanand Saraswati himself and he could not have been more correct for that is what we saw today on stage with each one of them using their musical instruments in the best way possible.  It is indeed very difficult to evoke the kind of emotions that Zafer Saab and team evoked through this brilliant play and having been successful in doing so, I believe it is time for this play to be playing to much larger audiences here and abroad.  Mirza Ghalib, a poet who wrote 150 years ago, astonishingly remains relevant to this day for he had the foresight and wisdom to write about things that are on point and applicable even to this day and age.  Bringing this stalwart to the fore and portraying him was a brilliant thought executed to perfection.

“The world is full of poetry.  The air is living with its spirit; and the waves dance to the music of its melodies, and sparkle in its brightness,” wrote James Gates Percival about poetry and music and he could not have put it any way better than this.  I read somewhere and have quoted it many a times, “Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time,” a quote by Thomas Merton, which summarizes the kind of impact theatre and all forms of art can have in our lives.  Meeting with Zafer Saab and getting introduced to all the brilliant talents in theatre and being able to experience what I yearned for all these years has indeed been a treat.  I read something Robert Frost once wrote, “If you’re looking for something to be brave about, consider fine arts!”  I wondered what he meant at that time.  Now, after having watched Zafer Saab, an architect by profession who chose his passion through both directing and acting, I have understood exactly what Robert Frost meant.

I congratulate the entire team of Zikr-e-Ghalib for pulling off one of the most mesmerizing, spellbinding, heart-wrenching, and stupendously fabulous plays on stage.  The appreciation also extends to amazing backstage support, lighting, sound, costumes, make-up, music, dance choreography and everything that made this a brilliant direction and presentation that will last in our memories for a very long time or probably eternity in my case.  Overall, this was a must-watch play for all and you have indeed missing something magical if you have not seen it.  I wish all of you singers, dancers, and musicians of Zikr-e-Ghalib all the very best in all your future endeavors and hope that you will come again together for a gala staging of the play.  Zafer Saab, as always you have excelled beyond imagination with this play.  I congratulate you and thank you for this tribute to a great poet and for your flawless direction and acting in this fabulous production.  More than this you created such a great show to evoke such deep and intense feelings within all of us and I am humbled, proud, and privileged to present this gift of a review for this play.  Great job and thank you for a celestial experience!!!!!

“My love of fine art increased - the more of it I saw, the more of it I wanted to see!” - Paul Getty

DIRECTOR:    Zafer Mohiuddin

ACTOR:          Zafer Mohiuddin

Singers:        Raghupati Jha, Ankita Kundu

MUSICIANS:   Ashwini Kaushik, Ajay Singh, Aranya Kumar

DANCERS:      Smitha Srinivasan, Vidya Chakravarthi & Jinal Rupani

LIGHTING:     Pradeep Belawadi

MAKE-UP:      Uma Maheshwar

A review by Kay S - Author of "Unfinished - A Woman's Tryst with Destiny"